Bethany Hilbert is a mom, a wife and a teacher. Bethany lives on Anastasia Island with her husband Dan, their two children and their rescue schnauzer. Her children attend elementary and middle school here in St. Johns County School District. She cares deeply about our schools, demonstrated by her challenging work as a Mathematics Support Coach and Exceptional Student Education teacher at Ketterlinus Elementary School, to which she brings 20 years of experience in the classroom; most importantly, because she is a mother with two children in our schools, she knows that their future, together with all of our children’s future, depends on our school board and the choices its members make over the next four years.
Bethany has been a community service leader, advocating for our children, our parents and our teachers. She is not driven by a political agenda; instead, Bethany is driven by her love for her children and for our whole community to devote herself to our children as a teacher and a parent with common-sense experience.
Her Commitment to Education
Bethany’s journey into public education began in 1999 at Flagler College. In 2003, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. Since then, Bethany has obtained multiple certifications in the field of education. Her qualifications include certification in Early Childhood Development, Pre-K to 3rd Grade; Elementary Education, Kindergarten to 6th Grade; Exceptional Student Education, Kindergarten to 12th Grade; and she holds endorsements for 900 hours of coursework from the Florida Department of Education in the areas of teaching Reading, Gifted, and English to Speakers of other Languages. Recognized for her exceptional dedication and proficiency in her field, Bethany was awarded the title of Teacher of the Year for Ketterlinus Elementary during the 2019-2020 school year.
Currently, as a Support Coach, Bethany provides mentorship and other means of training for the development of teachers, as well as intensive instruction for struggling learners, doing her best to ensure that every child can thrive academically. Additionally, Bethany serves as co-chair on the Ketterlinus School Advisory Committee, with which she actively collaborates with fellow educators, administrators, parents, and community members to contribute to school and districtwide improvements and initiatives.
Her Commitment to the Community
As part of her commitment to the community, Bethany is involved in the non-profit sector, volunteering on many local boards. In 2023, Bethany was named Paul Harris Fellow by the St. Augustine Rotary Club, recognizing her work with Early Act, a youth service club that instills leadership skills in elementary students through participation in community service projects. Bethany’s goal for Early Act is to empower our youth and foster the sense of civic responsibility needed to help our students become the next generation of responsible leaders.
Bethany also commits her time as the Robotics coach for the Ketterlinus Elementary Robotics Team, providing the STEM education essential for enriching and developing college-and-career- ready skills in young learners.
In January of 2024, her team won the first place Champion’s Award at the St. Johns County School District Robotics Competition.
Putting Our Children FirstI will work to ensure that our children have access to the resources that they need and are equipped with the skills that they need to thrive and succeed in our schools and in the future.
Cultivating Meaningful PartnershipsI will work with community leaders, businesses, parents, teachers and administrators to make our children’s future brighter.
Experience that Counts My experience as a mother and an educator, a volunteer and community servant are what set me apart.
