James Billingsley
Billingsley is a write-in candidate for the District 1 seat and the parent of two Leon County Schools students. Because write-in candidates do not appear on Florida's printed ballot, voters must write in his name. WFSU reported his campaign had filed no contributions or expenditures and that he said he is running because he believes the board needs new members with fresh ideas.
Campaign finance: state and county candidates file with the Florida Division of Elections or the county Supervisor of Elections. Search contributions ↗
Sources last checked 2026-09-21. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Taxes & spending Mixed / neutral· stated position
He called for an audit of district spending, said non-essential personnel costs are too high, and said tax revenue should not fund 'a wish list' of board members or the superintendent, but did not call for cutting taxes.
Teacher and staff pay Leans agree· stated position
In a candidate questionnaire published by Florida Capital Tea, Billingsley said teachers need to be paid accordingly and put educator compensation among his priorities for how the district allocates money.
"Teachers need to be paid accordingly"
School safety approach Leans agree· stated position
In the same questionnaire he proposed action plans for high-risk schools and a partnership with the Tallahassee Police Department to support inner-city schools; he did not discuss counselors or mental-health staff.
No public position found on 4 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Property taxes, Education & school choice, Gender identity laws, Library and classroom materials. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.