School board races have gotten a lot more heated in recent years. Issues like book removals, the use of preferred pronouns and restrictions on teaching parts of U.S. history have caused sharp political divides in the K-12 education landscape.
The expansion of the state's voucher program, which redirects public school funds towards private education, continues to play out.
And, teacher and staff unions are trying to stay afloat amid a state law that heightened requirements for these employee groups to stay certified.
Florida's "culture wars" have drastically changed the tone of traditionally non-partisan school board races.
Though, a constitutional amendment on November's ballot will give voters the chance to officially make them into a partisan affair.
But, for now, eligible voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote in the Aug. 20 primary for their school board representative.
Take a look at the Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Sarasota races below.
Hillsborough School Board
Hillsborough County Public Schools, the third largest district in Florida, will see four school board races, including a hotly-contested county-wide seat.
In each, incumbents are defending their current posts from new challengers.
All voters will get to vote on the at-large member. Meanwhile, constituents who live in districts 1, 3 or 5 will get to vote for their local representative on the school board as well.
District 1
Nadia Combs (incumbent)
Layla Collins (DeSantis endorsement)
Julie Magill
Combs, a former educator and founder of a tutoring company, is facing off against conservative-backed Collins, wife of Republican Senator Jay Collins; and Magill, who said she's against indoctrination in schools, a popular phrase used by those on the right.
Collins, who has the backing of Gov. Ron DeSantis, has raised nearly $130,000 in campaign funds, more than any other Hillsborough school board candidate.
Combs is endorsed by the Florida Democratic Party and the Florida Education Association, the statewide teacher's union, that has frequently clashed with DeSantis on education policies.
The FEA said they don't endorse candidates based on political party, but rather those who support policies that enhance public education, respect unions' right to collectively bargain and are committed to reducing disparities in education.
District 3
Jessica Vaughn (incumbent)
Myosha Powell (DeSantis endorsement)
Vaughn an incumbent also endorsed by the Florida Democratic Party and FEA, is challenged by Powell, who is backed by DeSantis. Vaughn is the current vice-chair of the school board and taught in Hillsborough as a full-time and substitute teacher.
Powell listed her priorities as being an ally to parents and improving math and literacy rates, rather than focusing on "activism," which she said she witnessed prior to moving to Tampa in New York school systems.
District 5
Henry Washington (incumbent)
Kenneth Gay
Elvis Piggott
Tamara Shamburger (write-in and former school board member)
Washington spent over four decades in the district including as an area superintendent. He's backed by the FEA. Three challengers are vying for his seat:
Gay, a retired Hillsborough teacher and assistant principal, who now works with the non-profit More Health teaching health and safety;
Piggott, a Tampa native, pastor and community advocate, whose priorities include minimizing the number of Certificates of Completion for high school seniors and attracting highly-qualified teachers;
and Shamburger, who served on the school board from 2016-2020 before being unseated by Washington.
Piggott and Gay are listed on the Republican Party of Hillsborough County's candidates to vote for.
District 7 At-Large
Lynn Gray (incumbent)
Karen Bendorf
Johnny Bush
Jen Flebotte
Gray, a former Hillsborough educator, is defending her at-large district 7 seat against Bush, a former principal of Plant High School, and Republicans, Bendorf and Flebotte.
Bendorf's top three priorities are empowering parents, improving literacy and fiscal responsibility. Flebotte's platform seeks to bring "power back to the parents."
The FEA is backing both Gray and Bush.
Pinellas School Board
In Pinellas County, there are three races, each with a DeSantis-backed newcomer. The county-wide at-large seat will go before all voters. Meanwhile those who live in northern districts 4 and 5 will also get to choose their local representative.
District 1 At-Large
Laura Hine (incumbent)
Danielle Marolf (DeSantis endorsement)
Hine, who currently holds district 1's at-large seat, is endorsed by the Florida Education Association. Hine served in the Navy before diving into the construction industry and leading major development projects in the Tampa Bay region.
Her opponent, Marolf, is a private school administrator and former real estate agent. Marolf, who is running with DeSantis's support, lists her priorities as academic rigor, parental involvement, teacher advocacy and safe schools.
Hine has received more than $185,000 in contributions, more than three times the amount of Marolf.
District 4
Eileen M. Long (incumbent) (FEA)
Erika Picard (DeSantis endorsement)
Incumbent Long is backed by the FEA. Long was elected to the school board in 2016 and served 32 years in Pinellas County schools, teaching students with special needs and in dropout prevention programs.
Picard, with DeSantis's endorsement, is vying to unseat Long. Picard attended and worked in Pinellas County schools as a teacher and high school counselor for seven years. She also runs an organizing business, is a licensed realtor and serves on the Westlake Christian private school board in Palm Harbor.
District 5
Katie Blaxberg
Brad DeCorte
Stacy Geier (DeSantis endorsement)
District 5's race features all newcomers, as longtime member and vice chairperson Carol J. Cook is relinquishing her position of 24 years. Cook has endorsed Blaxberg to take her seat.
The mother of three is a proponent of school choice and worked in the legislature as a district aide.
DeCorte is a teacher of 22 years and is endorsed by the FEA. His priorities include equity in education, wraparound services for students and staff and increasing board transparency;
Geier's candidacy is backed by DeSantis. Her priorities are parental rights, child safety, academics over ideology and teacher pay.
Pasco School Board
District 2
Colleen R. Beaudoin (running unopposed)
District 4
Alison G. Crumbley (Incumbent, DeSantis endorsement)
Jessica J. Wright
Incumbent Crumbley describes herself as a businesswoman, civic leader and concerned mother. Her platform priorities include teacher pay, preparing students for college and careers, and parental choice in their children’s education.
Crumbley is being endorsed by Gov. Ron Desantis.
Wright is a history teacher and mom of two Pasco school students. Wright has worked with the Florida Freedom to Read Project, a nonprofit that fights against censorship in schools. She, along with other community members, challenged the district’s adoption of a financial literacy book authored by Dave Ramsey.
In her campaign materials, Wright says she is not affiliated with any political party and “will eliminate any political extremism.”
Sarasota School Board
District 2
Karen Rose (Incumbent, DeSantis endorsement)
Liz Barker
Incumbent Rose touts her decades of experience as a teacher, principal and school board member. Her platform priorities include academic performance, early learning, teacher pay, and removing politics and "social justice causes" from classrooms.
Rose was instrumental in the district's move to fire its A-rated superintendent Brennan Asplen in 2022. He negotiated an exit package with the district, with salary, benefits and moving expenses that, combined with the search for a new leader, cost the Sarasota district around $500,000, Rose's opponents say.
Rose is among a slate of candidates endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Campaign finance reports show that Rose contributed $90,000 to her own campaign in the final days of the race, from August 6 to August 15. Developers, real estate and agricultural landowners have also contributed to her campaign, which has raised $259,000.
Her opponent is Liz Barker, a former school psychologist and mother of four school-age children whose campaign slogan is "community over chaos."
Barker has raised $216,000 toward her campaign, mainly on smaller, individual contributions.
Her platform is promoting "a fact-based, high-quality education in a safe environment," a focus on student success, rather than political agendas, and finding ways to better attract and pay quality teachers.
District 3
Tom Edwards (Incumbent)
Thomas Babicz
Greg Wood
Tom Edwards was elected in 2020 and has been active in promoting career and technical education in area high schools.
He is the sole moderate on the five-member board. Edwards was opposed to a recent redistricting plan spearheaded by Rose that cost tens of thousands of dollars, and to the ouster of superintendent Asplen.
Edwards is regularly seen at school events across Sarasota. His priorities includes improving student outcomes by hiring the best teachers and staff, and student safety. He is a supporter of school choice but is opposed to privatization.
Edwards' campaign has raised more that $194,000. He faces two opponents who have each raised less than $20,000.
Thomas Babicz is a retired IT manager who has never run for public office.
Babicz appears on his campaign page wearing a large Trump button. His top priorities are listed as making Sarasota schools "normal" again, and removing pornography and a "woke" agenda from schools.
Greg Wood is a realtor whose children are homeschooled. Wood's priorities are listed as improving reading abilities in elementary schools, hiring teachers and improving exceptional student education.
