These ten races in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, Manatee, Polk and Hernando counties all had more than two candidates in the primary election. Now it's time to decide who will serve on their school boards.
In Florida's non-partisan races such as school board, if no one gets a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two candidates move to the general election, Nov. 3.
Polk County District 3
District 3 covers Bartow, Mulberry, Bradley Junction, Wahneta, Alturas, Gordonville, and unincorporated areas of south Lakeland and southwest Winter Haven.
Kate Wallace, 41, is the Director of State Government Affairs for Spectrum. She earned an International Baccalaureate diploma from Bartow Senior High School; a Bachelor of Science in public relations from the University of Florida; and a certificate in nonprofit management from Harvard Kennedy School.
Wallace is the incumbent in district 3. She was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and said she brings 20 years of business, advocacy and education policy experience.
She's been endorsed by State Representatives Jennifer Kincart Jonsson, Jennifer Canady, Jon Albert, and Hilary Holley as well as Ryan Petty, Florida State Board of Education Chair and Bill Braswell, Polk County Commissioner.
She told Lakeland Now her top priorities are raising student achievement to ensure more Polk County students have access to a competitive education that prepares them for the 21st-century economy; recruiting and retaining great teachers through modernizing the compensation system and rewarding effectiveness; and empowering parents with more quality options and a stronger voice in their children’s education.
The Republican has more than $78,000 in contributions.
Victor Sims, 30, is a senior program officer. His website says he's a former foster youth who attended 12 different public schools across Polk County.
He has an Associate of Arts from Polk State College; a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Florida; a Master of Business Administration from Florida International University; and a law degree from Florida State University.
He said he's endorsed by the Polk Education Association PAC, RunforSomething, Equality Florida PAC, and the School Board Integrity Project.
He told Lakeland Now his top priorities are access to quality education, backing, supporting and retaining great teachers and staff and connecting community to schools and students. He said every student deserves the opportunity to succeed, every educator deserves support and respect and every family should have a voice in their child’s education.
The Democrat has nearly $45,000 in contributions.
ALSO READ: Meet the candidates for Polk County School Board District 3
Hillsborough County District 2
District 2 generally covers parts of northwest and central-north Hillsborough County, including areas around Carrollwood, Northdale, Seminole Heights, and Temple Terrace.
Brittany Lyssy, 31, is an attorney and of counsel with the Phillips, Hayden and Labbee law firm. She was registered as NPA until 2017 and then switched to Republican, according to voter records. She has $92,000 in contributions.
In response to a candidate survey for the Florida Public Media Voter Guide, Lyssy said the top three issues in the district are academic achievement, fiscal responsibility and the restoration of order and confidence in public schools.
“We must strengthen reading and math instruction, use tax dollars transparently, and put classrooms first,” she said in the survey. “I would support consistent student discipline, teacher support and retention and strong parental involvement so families are treated as true partners in their child's education.”
On a campaign flyer, Lyssy said her experience as a public-schooling parent, lawyer and former City of Tampa Citizens Advisory Budget and Finance Committee member has prepared her to take on the role of a school board member.
Current Hillsborough County District 4 School Board member Patti Rendon endorsed Lyssy’s campaign, alongside Hillsborough County Commissioner Joshua Wostal, the Tampa Police Benevolent Association and the Tampa Firefighters Local 754.
Florida House of Representatives member Danny Alvarez and Florida House candidates Michael Owen and Berny Jacques also endorsed her campaign.
Daniela Simic, 48, is an account executive with Magic School AI, an educator-based alternative artificial intelligence system for teachers and educators. She is a Democrat and has nearly $80,000 in contributions.
Simic told USF student reporter Isabella Oefelein she's running for school board because she knows how a district is run from both the inside — as an educator for 25 years and the PTA president at her son’s school — and the outside through legislation.
“The school board level of government is kind of that last stop before policies hit your school districts and your teachers and your students, so to me I've fully believed that that local level control is where most change happens,” Simic said.
She said the main challenges in the district are teacher retention, lower enrollment, safety and communication.
The Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, Ruth’s List Florida, Florida Education Association, the Hillsborough Society and Florida State Senator Brian Nathan have endorsed Simic’s campaign.
ALSO READ: Hillsborough County school board candidates tackle district challenges
Hillsborough County District 6
Hillsborough County School Board District 6 is an at-large (countywide) seat meaning all registered voters in Hillsborough County can cast a ballot in this race.
Kenneth Gay, 67, is a Republican who brought in more than $37,600 in contributions. He's mostly self-funded and does not have public endorsements.
Gay retired from teaching after 39 years in 2022. He told WUSF he still works with the district to prepare new teachers for the classroom. He said this experience has equipped him with a better understanding of how to make a difference as a school board member to advocate for the county as both a teacher and leader.
“I just feel I have it in me,” Gay said. “I have the background. I believe I’ve got a thorough understanding of how education works…and just trying to make a difference.”
Gay said the main challenges he sees in the district are teacher support, parent confidence and budget constraints.
Karen Perez, 62, is the incumbent. She's a licensed clinical social worker. She told WUSF her experience with mental health and the board has inspired her to run for reelection.
Perez told WUSF some challenges facing the county are lower enrollment and attendance, student behavior, teacher compensation and student literacy.
She said a new challenge facing enrollment is immigrant families feeling hesitant to send their children to school despite being legal citizens.
“That's a little bit why our enrollment has decreased in Hillsborough County schools, and so you know we're kind of bracing for that issue, but that's not just here in Hillsborough,” she said.
Perez is a Democrat who has raised more than $51,000 in contributions. Hillsborough County School Board members Lynn Gray and Jessica Vaughn, Alachua County School Board member Sarah Rockwell, and Ruth’s List Florida have endorsed Perez’s campaign, according to campaign finance information.
Pinellas County District 3
The District 3 At-Large position runs from Gandy to Fort De Soto, but all Pinellas voters have a say.
Curtis Campogni, 42, and his wife adopted two kids, ages 4 and 6, through the Florida foster care system.
“My wife is a social worker, and my mom is a public school teacher,” Campogni told WUSF. “So, I’m deeply invested on an emotional level in our schools, and just helping young people in general.”
Professionally, Campogni has worked with at-risk youth in Pinellas and across central Florida for the last 15 years, moving from working in a group home to being a case manager helping guide people to jobs, education and mentors.
In an Instagram post announcing his campaign last August, Campogni said he wanted to “disrupt the status quo” with his candidacy, which he said is creating change through discomfort.
Campogni is non-party affiliated but was a Democrat until 2018. He has raised more than $17,000 in contributions. PCTA-PESPA endorsed his campaign.
Dawn Peters, 51, is the incumbent. She was elected to the school board in November 2022. Before taking office, Peters was a self-employed personal trainer, according to her LinkedIn.
In her response to a candidate survey for the Florida Public Media Voter Guide, she said it’s important to support students in their academic growth, maintain stability and increase teacher and staff pay and support through the budget and advocacy.
She also said education is fundamental to the constitutional republic, adding she is committed to transparency, accountability and responsible governance.
Peters was registered as NPA until 2017, according to voter records. Now, she is a Republican and has been endorsed by Pinellas County Clerk of the Court Ken Burke, Pinellas County Tax Collector Adam Ross and Pinellas County Property Appraiser Mike Twitty.
She's raised about $14,000 in contributions.
ALSO READ: Meet the candidates: Pinellas County school board
Sarasota County District 1
School board members in Sarasota County are elected on a county-wide (at-large) basis, meaning all eligible voters in the county participate in District 1 elections, even though the seat represents a specific geographic area.
Heidi Brandt, 46, is the mother of an elementary student and president of the parent-teacher organization at Southside Elementary. She cited literacy as a top issue and told Suncoast Searchlight she would seek to expand programs like Southside’s “Reading Partners,” which pairs young students with volunteer mentors.
“That would be one thing that I think we could do right off the bat with little funding, and it might start with 10 kids in the school … and it could grow,” she said.
ALSO READ: Three open seats could change the direction of the Sarasota County school board
Brandt was a registered Independent until 2017, according to voter records.
Now, although she is active in Republican politics, Brandt said she disagrees with some of the votes this year by the majority-conservative board, pointing to its resolution reaffirming the district’s willingness to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and another measure seeking to penalize student protesters who stage walkouts. She said she worried that the rule could be unevenly or unfairly applied.
Brandt was endorsed by the Republican Party of Sarasota County, state Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, and state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota. She has raised about $61,000 in contributions.
Jimmy Glover, 56, raised his children in the Sarasota County public school system and chairs the board of Star Lab, a private Montessori-style school serving children in kindergarten through third grade. Glover told Suncoast Searchlight he is focused on college and career readiness, and he would work to expand mentorship opportunities for students if elected.
Glover said he believes the school district should lobby Tallahassee lawmakers to put income restrictions back on the school voucher program, saying although he believes vouchers “can coexist” with public education, he is concerned about the trend of “families who already had their kids in private school and had no intention of ever sending their kids to public school now utiliz[ing] the voucher as a subsidy.”
Glover has raised more than any other candidate in the field, bringing in more than $172,000 in contributions. He was an Independent until 2019 when he became a registered Democrat. The Democratic Party of Sarasota County, Equality Florida and current board members Tom Edwards and Liz Barker endorsed him.
ALSO READ: How Sarasota youth helped flip a conservative school board
Manatee County District 2
District 2 covers parts of Bradenton, Palmetto, and Ellenton, including much of the urban corridor south of the Manatee River bridge.
Sharon Jefferson, 54, is a registered Democrat and currently a civics teacher in the county. Education has been her lifelong work, she told WUSF, and she’s been in the field for more than 26 years.
She decided to run after teaching about the duties and responsibilities of citizens to her students, Jefferson recounted. She always told them, “If you feel like you can make a difference, then run for office.”
“I began to realize that there’s so much more that I need to do that I still just can’t do,” Jefferson said. “I wanted to reach more people.”
Jefferson started RECESS Education, a nonprofit organization to help support families at Title 1 schools, and Freedom Leadership Academy, a nonprofit to help children's parents earn their high school diplomas. She’s been involved with the community through several other means, from being the education chair of the Manatee County branch of the NAACP to being on the Manatee County Children’s Services Advisory Board.
She has been recommended by the Manatee Democratic Party and the Democratic Public Education Caucus of Manasota, according to her social media. She's raised nearly $12,000 in contributions.
Cindy Spray, 70, told WUSF she wants to keep the momentum of her work on the school board going. Prior to being on the board, she worked in the corporate sector for 40 years. This experience is valuable to the board, she said, for situations like analyzing contracts or dissecting budgets.
She believes social media is one of the district’s biggest challenges because it creates behavioral issues.
She attributes the district’s improved reading scores to getting a reading coach into every school and mentorship programs where volunteers can mentor students who are struggling.
She said targeting early learning in the county was her initiative. Though there’s more work to be done, she added, more schools improved their reading levels during her term.
Spray was registered NPA until 2016 and then became a Republican. She's raised more than $40,000 in contributions, including a donation from the Tea Party Manatee Inc, a PAC. She’s received thousands of dollars in contributions from businesses ranging from farming to real estate, and even Waste Pro.
ALSO READ: Four candidates challenge an incumbent in the race to be on the Manatee school board
Manatee School Board District 5
District 5 covers parts of East Manatee County, including Lakewood Ranch.
Camden Bedinghaus, 23, graduated from the University of South Florida in May with a bachelor's degree in economics.
As someone who just went through the Manatee County school system, he said he hopes to be a voice for his generation on the school board.
“I have the most relevant experience you can have, because I was just in those classrooms that we want to improve,” Bedinghaus told WUSF. “I know the struggles.”
He was the only candidate in the race to qualify by petition as opposed to paying a roughly $2,000 qualification fee. He's raised nearly $11,000 in contributions.
The registered Republican is the Turning Point USA Manatee County Headquarters director and has actively posted about his admiration for the late political activist Charlie Kirk on social media.
“My personal beliefs, yeah, they are conservative, but my ambitions for running are inherently apolitical,” he said.
He has been endorsed by Manatee Patriots, America First Party of Florida and Stand for Health Freedom. While he mostly received individual contributions, the Tea Party of Manatee County and businesses like Vision Source contributed to his campaign.
Jonathan Mullis, 49, is the owner and CEO of Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida in Bradenton. He’s been in Manatee County for the past nine years after living in Boston for two decades.
Mullis is the president of the Bradenton Kiwanis Club and a board member of the Manatee Tiger Bay Club. He said his experience as a small business owner has prepared him for the school board – from managing budgets to hiring, firing, policies and procedures.
If elected, Mullis said he wants to expand career and technical education and opportunities for students to dual-enroll.
The Democrat has raised about $32,000 in contributions, including from Knowledge is Power PAC and thousands from registered businesses like Ford Drywall & Stucco, Inc.
ALSO READ: Turning Point USA director, volunteer, and businessman compete for Manatee school board district 5
Pasco County District 1
District 1 includes parts of Wesley Chapel and Land O’Lakes.
Gino Collura, 40, is a business consultant, University of South Florida-educated behavioral scientist, and one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to the Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) Board of Trustees.
The registered Republican earned endorsements from Pasco Superintendent John Legg and outgoing Pasco sheriff Chris Nocco.
He's raised more than $42,000. Donors include a Dade City well drilling company; New College Dean Miguel Benitez; and Republican state-level and super PACs such as Rep. Brad Yeager’s re-election campaign committee and Congressman Mike Haridopolos’ Fight for Florida and American Values.
However, Collura told WUSF he has a vested, apolitical interest in the job — he’s a “born and raised son” of Pasco County public schools and now a parent in the district.
Collura added he intends to prioritize offering competitive teacher pay packages, curbing excessive personal technology use and using threat management technologies to improve school safety.
Kimberly Coward, 51, is a former Dade City guidance counselor who recently returned to Pasco County. Campaign contributors include an Orlando college provost, an Atlanta attorney and a Gainesville school counselor. She's raised more than $27,600.
Coward holds an education doctorate and law degree from the University of Florida, and served as a judge at MacDill Air Force Base.
The Democrat did not respond to an interview request with WUSF but wrote in the Florida Public Media Voter Guide that she supports “data-driven, fiscally responsible” solutions to teacher pay and declining enrollment.
ALSO READ: Veterans, teachers, podcasters and constitutionalists vie for Pasco County school board seats
Pasco County District 3
District 3 includes most of New Port Richey and Holiday.
Mollyanna Ward, 50, plans to strengthen local teacher pipelines through partnerships with the USF College of Education, PHSC and alternative certification programs. She also listed A.I. threat detection, bus driver recruitment, and curriculum oversight as priorities.
The Republican has won the backing of Superintendent Dr. John Legg, State Sen. John Hooper, and Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Marano.
She's raised about $34,000. Her donors include several realtor political advocacy committees as well as Protecting Florida’s Future, a conservative PAC that current Department of Education chief of staff and former Florida legislator Amber Mariano Davis chairs.
“Book challenges should be handled through a clear, lawful process that respects parents’ rights and age-appropriate standards,” Ward wrote in the Florida Public Media Voter Guide. “This is not book banning, despite how the issue is sometimes characterized.”
Matt Geiger, 54, an educator with 20 years of experience in private, public and parochial schools, is running with a focus on both parental rights and teacher satisfaction. Most recently, he directed a residential soccer academy. He's a registered Republican and a Pasco County parent.
“My top priority is ensuring every child receives a high-quality, academically rigorous education free from ideological indoctrination,” Geiger wrote in a United School Employees of Pasco questionnaire. “We need to emphasize phonics-based reading, basic math proficiency and American exceptionalism — not divisive social theories.”
Geiger added he’d support a local-option property tax referendum to boost teacher pay, but he sees it as somewhat of a Band-Aid solution to an endemic issue.
“Many teachers feel undervalued due to discipline issues, bureaucratic paperwork, and external pressures,” he wrote in the questionnaire. “The solution is not just more money but better working conditions.”
He's raised nearly $8,000 from a mixture of self-funding and community member contributors.
Hernando County District 5
District 5 primarily covers the greater Brooksville area and its surrounding public school zones.
Kara Champion, 28, is the daughter of Hernando County Commissioner Steve Champion. Her family’s business, American Gun & Pawn, is listed as her primary source of income.
The Republican is a 2020 graduate of UCF. She's raised more than $47,000, with $4,000 self-funded and a $1,000 contribution from American Gun & Pawn, her family’s business.
On her campaign Facebook page, Champion wrote, “We all want high-quality education for our children. We don’t want indoctrination or politics.”
ALSO READ: Three seats on the Hernando County school board are up for election this year
Susan Duvall, 79, is the incumbent. The registered Democrat was elected to the board in 2014 with 62% of the vote in the run-off election and has defended her seat ever since.
She is a Florida native and attended public schools in Pinellas County before moving to Hernando County in 1969, where she began teaching. She served as the principal of Springstead High School for 11 years before retiring and making her run for school board.
Her children are graduates of Hernando district schools.
She's raised nearly $12,000.
"As a board member, we're looking out for all students," she told WUSF, "Not some of them. All of them."
Reporters Nancy Guan, Phoebe Martel, Maria Avlonitis, and Isabella Oefelein contributed to this story.
