Mixed night for DeSantis: In 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis jumped into local school board races for the first time by endorsing 30 candidates whose philosophies aligned with his. Twenty-five of them won, and this year he threw his support behind 23 more. This time, it didn’t turn out nearly as well for the governor. Only six won Tuesday, with 11 losing and six more headed for the Nov. 5 runoff. DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern wrote on X, “There were A LOT of uphill battles in historically blue districts today, but you don’t shift the culture by only supporting winnable races.” Florida’s Democratic Party also got into the endorsement business, actively backing 11 candidates. Seven of them won outright, two lost and two others qualified for the runoff. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics. WUSF.
Around the state: Most of the state’s school districts held board elections Tuesday, several also voted on superintendents, many races moved to the Nov. 5 runoff because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, Secretary of State Cord Byrd said that statewide turnout was about 22 or 23 percent, Florida’s Department of Education announces its model policy for the new volunteer school chaplain program to counsel public school students, nearly 280 wireless devices were confiscated from Martin County students in the past week for violating the new rules governing their use, and Broward officials are trying to discover how an 8-year-old autistic student was wrongly placed on a school bus and then dropped off 3 miles from the school. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Two of the district’s three school board are headed to the Nov. 5 election. In District 7, incumbent Maria Blanco won 44.76 percent of the primary vote to qualify for the runoff against challenger Max Tuchman, who received 31.25 percent. In District 3, Joseph Geller (32.73 percent) and Martin Karp (31.9 percent) got the most votes to move on to the runoff. Incumbent Luisa Santos easily won re-election to her District 9 seat, defeating Kimberly Beltran with more than 62 percent support. Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections. Miami Herald. WPLG.
Broward: Two school board members appointed by Gov. DeSantis were overwhelmingly rejected by voters Tuesday. District 1’s Daniel Foganholi finished third with just 19.95 percent of the vote, while Maura McCarthy Bulman finished first and, with 51.23 percent support, avoided a runoff. Chris Canter was second with 28.82 percent. In District 2, sitting board member Torey Alston was crushed by Rebecca Thompson by a 2-to-1 margin. Incumbents won the other three races. In District 3, Sarah Leonardi got 70 percent of the vote to beat Jason Loring. In District 5, incumbent Jeff Holness crushed Windsor Ferguson with almost 76 percent support, and in District 9, incumbent Debbi Hixon cruised to a 71-29 percent win over Tom Vasquez. Sun-Sentinel. Miami Herald. WPLG. WTVJ. Broward County Supervisor of Elections. District officials are looking into how an 8-year-old autistic boy from Charles R. Drew Elementary Magnet School in Pompano Beach was mistakenly placed on a school bus and dropped off 3 miles from school. A bystander noticed him at the bus stop looking lost, got his mother’s number from the boy and called her, then waited an hour until the mother picked him up. WTVJ.
Hillsborough: Three of the four incumbent school board members were re-elected Tuesday night. In District 1, Nadia Combs got 53 percent of the vote compared to Layla Collins’ 37 percent and Julie Magill’s 10 percent. District 5 incumbent Harold Washington also avoided a runoff by getting just over 60 percent of the vote against Kenneth Gay and Elvis Piggott and a write-in. District 7 board member Lynn Gray wasn’t as fortunate, getting 35 percent support in a four-way race. She faces Karen Bendorf, who collected 30 percent of the votes, in the Nov. 5 runoff. District 3 incumbent Jessica Vaughn easily defeated Myosha Powell with almost 59 percent of the vote. Tampa Bay Times. Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
Orange: Stephanie Vanos was the pick of 68 percent of voters to win the District 6 school board race, beating Jeni Grieger on Tuesday. In District 4, Kyle Goudy and Anne Douglas will meet in the Nov. 5 runoff after receiving 37 percent and 33 percent of the vote, respectively. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG. Florida Politics.
Palm Beach: No one got the required majority of votes in either of the two school board elections on Tuesday’s ballot, so both races will be decided by runoffs Nov. 5. In District 1, Matthew Lane and Page Lewis meet again in less than three months. Lane got 40.56 percent support, and Lewis 37.31 percent. In District 5, Mindy Koch topped the field with 27.57 percent, followed by Gloria Branch at 27.09 percent. Palm Beach Post. Sun Sentinel. Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.
Duval: The only school board member standing for re-election Tuesday narrowly won another term. District 3’s Cindy Pearson edged Rebecca Nathanson by a margin of 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent. She joins two newcomers, both backed by the conservative activist group Moms for Liberty, and a third race is headed to the Nov. 5 runoff. In District 1, Tony Ricardo beat Nadine Ebri with 53.3 percent support, and in District 7, Melody Bolduc received 56 percent of the vote to defeat Sarah Mannion. Reginald Blount led the three District 5 contenders with 40.47 percent of the vote, and is joined in the runoff by Hank Rogers, who got 40.02 percent. Jacksonville Today. Florida Times-Union. WJAX. Duval County Supervisor of Elections.
Polk: Two school board incumbents were re-elected Tuesday night. In District 1, William Allen won another term by beating Bernnie Brandt with more than 67 percent of the vote. District 4 incumbent Sara Beth Wyatt won 61 percent support to defeat Rebekah Ricks, and Travis Keyes was favored by almost 60 percent of voters over Marcus Wright Jr. in District 2. Polk County Supervisor of Elections. Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland Now.
Lee: Melisa Giovannelli won another term as the District 2 school board representative by defeating Carol Frantz with almost 57 percent of the vote on Tuesday. In District 3, Bill Ribble edged Kaitlyn Schoeffel, 50.38-49.62 percent, and District 3 is headed to a runoff Nov. 5 between Vanessa Chaviano, who got about 47 percent, and Sheridan Chester with 31 percent. Fort Myers News-Press. Lee County Supervisor of Elections.
Pinellas: Two school board incumbents retained their seats in Tuesday’s primary. District 1 incumbent school board member Laura Hine coasted to victory with the backing of more than 69 percent of voters against Danielle Marolf, and District 4’s Eileen Long ousted Erika Picard by more than 9 percentage points. In District 5, Stacy Geier led the three candidates with 37.19 percent of the vote, and will meet Katie Blaxberg (34.56 percent) in the runoff. Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. Tampa Bay Times.
Pasco: Charter school owner John Legg routed Michelle Mandarin in the Republican primary for the school superintendent’s job with 76 percent of the vote Tuesday. Legg now faces Chris Dunning, who declared no party affiliation, in the general election Nov. 5 with the winner replacing the retiring Kurt Browning. In the District 4 school board race, incumbent Alison Crumbley was turned out of office by Jessica Wright in a closely contested battle. Wright received 51 percent of the votes cast to Crumbley’s nearly 49 percent. Tampa Bay Times. Pasco County Supervisor of Elections.
Osceola: Two of the three school board races on the primary ballot were decided Tuesday while a third is headed for the Nov. 5 runoff. In District 2, Bethzaida Garcia won 55 percent of the vote to defeat Diana Graniela and incumbent Julius Melendez, who finished third with 21.5 percent. In District 3, Anthony Cook also won 55 percent to turn back Julia Tavarez (29.33 percent) and Angela Coba (15.38 percent). A runoff will be held for the District 5 seat between top vote-getter Paula Bronson, who got 35.63 percent, and incumbent Scott Ramsey, who was close behind with 35.52 percent. WKMG. Osceola County Supervisor of Elections.
Brevard: District 4 school board incumbent Matt Susin will have to win a runoff Nov. 5 to keep his seat. Susin led a four-person field, but at 48.34 percent fell short of the majority he needed to avoid running again Nov. 5. He’ll take on Avanese Taylor, who was the choice of 33.17 percent of voters. Keith Schachter finished third and Max Madl fourth. In District 3, John Thomas won 56.36 percent of the vote to outrun Amber Yantz for the seat being vacated by Jennifer Jenkins, who decided not to stand for another term. Florida Today. Brevard County Supervisor of Elections. WKMG.
Seminole: District 3 school board incumbent Abby Sanchez received 42 percent of Tuesday’s vote to qualify for the Nov. 5 runoff against Stephanie Arguello, who got 31 percent. In District 4, Robin Dehlinger beat Carl Tipton 57-43 percent. WKMG.
Volusia: Both school board elections will be decided at the Nov. 5 runoff. In District 2, Krista Goodrich was the leading vote-getter with 45.88 percent, followed by Cassandra Gonyer, at 30.04 percent. District 4 incumbent Carl Persis will have to rally in the runoff to keep his seat. Donna Brosemer led that race with 43.73 percent of the vote to Persis’ 39.6 percent. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Volusia County Supervisor of Elections. Amendments on the use of artificial intelligence, safety and security have been approved by the school board for the elementary and middle school codes of conduct. Board members also tentatively approved a $1.2 billion budget. A final vote is scheduled Sept. 10. Daytona Beach News-Journal. WKMG.
Manatee: Both school board races are headed to a runoff Nov. 5 because no one got a majority of the votes in the primary Tuesday. In District 1, Heather Felton received 39 percent of the vote and will face Mark Stanoch, who got just over 31 percent. In District 3, Charles Kennedy fell just short of winning outright, with more than 47 percent. He’ll compete against Jon Lynch, who received about 30 percent. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Manatee County Supervisor of Elections.
St. Johns: District 2 school board incumbent Anthony Coleman held onto his seat by edging Francis Cummings 53.19-46.81 percent Tuesday. District 5’s race is headed to the Nov. 5 runoff. Linda Thomson attracted 41.23 percent support, and squares off against Bethany Hilbert (24.41 percent). St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections.
Lake: Mollie Cunningham retained her District 4 school board seat with a solid 57-43 percent victory over challenger Gavin Rollins. Lake County Supervisor of Elections. WKMG.
Collier: Incumbents won both school board races Tuesday. In District 2, Stephanie Lucarelli got 54 percent of the ballots to defeat Pam Cunningham, and District 4 board member Erick Carter beat Tom Henning, 56-44 percent. Naples Daily News. Collier County Supervisor of Elections.
St. Lucie: District 4 school board member Jennifer Anne Richardson won re-election Tuesday night by more than 13 percentage points over Nate Spera. TCPalm. St. Lucie Supervisor of Elections.
Marion: District 1 school board incumbent Allison Campbell held off a spirited challenge Tuesday from former board member Beth McCall. Campbell was preferred by 52.7 percent of voters. WKMG. WUFT. Marion County Supervisor of Elections.
Sarasota: School board chair Karen Rose got knocked out of her District 2 seat Tuesday by former school psychologist Liz Barker, who won with 51.5 percent of the ballots cast. In District 3, incumbent Tom Edwards avoided a runoff against two opponents by receiving almost 56 percent of the vote. Andrew Babicz got 22.48 percent and Gregory Wood 21.68 percent. Edwards was one of the school board members targeted by Gov. DeSantis for defeat, while the governor endorsed Rose. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WWSB. Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections.
Clay: The District 2 school board election is headed to a runoff Nov. 5 because none of the four candidates received more than 50 percent of the vote. Robert Alvero collected just over 30 percent, while James Hughes got about 24 percent and appears to have edged Matthew Mitchell, who got about 23 percent support, and Sharon Flowers, who received a little more than 22 percent. Clay County Supervisor of Elections.
Escambia: Thomas Harrell collected 59 percent of the vote to beat Joshua Luther and Jim Taylor and avoid a runoff for the District 5 school board seat. In District 4, Rich Holzknecht (30.82 percent) and Carissa Bergosh (29.18 percent) will meet again in the Nov. 5 runoff. Earle McAuley finished third with 25.8 percent, and Brian Ranelli was fourth with 14.2 percent. Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
Okaloosa: Dewey Destin was elected Tuesday to the District 2 school board seat, beating David Schmidt by a 56-44 percent margin. Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections. Graduations for eight district high schools have been set, with the first May 16, 2025, for the Richbourg School, and the last May 23 for Fort Walton Beach High School. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Leon: School Superintendent Rocky Hanna easily defeated Democratic challenger Star Swain in Tuesday’s primary with almost 82 percent of the vote. Hanna faces Chiles principal Joe Burgess, who declared no party affiliation, in the Nov. 5 general election. Both school board incumbents won their races. District 2’s Rosanne Wood cruised to a win over Daniel Zeruto with more than 75 percent of the vote, and District 4’s Laurie Lawson Cox held off Jeremy Rogers, 52.32-47.68 percent. Tallahassee Democrat. WCTV. WFSU. Leon County Supervisor of Elections.
Santa Rosa: Incumbent Karen Barber won her second term as superintendent with the support of 49.23 percent of voters. David Godwin was second with 38.02 percent. The school board’s District 2 race is moving to the runoff Nov. 5 with Oscar Locklin (46.30 percent) matching up against incumbent Elizabeth Hewey (31.79 percent). In District 4, incumbent Charles Elliott won almost 57 percent of the vote to defeat Angie Straughn. Pensacola News Journal. Santa Rose County Supervisor of Elections. A welding technology program is being expanded to the campus of Navarre High School next fall, allowing the district to increase class sizes. Classes have been held only at Locklin Technical College in Milton. Pensacola News Journal.
Alachua: Incumbent District 1 school board member Diyonne McGraw was defeated by Thomas Vu in her bid for re-election Tuesday by a margin of 53.8-46.2 percent. District 4 board member Leanetta McNealy coasted to re-election over Lew Welge with more than 72 percent of the vote. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. WUFT. Alachua County Supervisor of Elections. A campaign to support the Nov. 5 election renewal of a 1 mill tax to support school district operations began this week. The tax was first approved in 2008 and was renewed in 2012, 2016 and 2020. Mainstreet Daily News.
Bay: District 1 school board member Jerry Register was overwhelmingly re-elected Tuesday, collecting 65.4 percent of the vote against Whitney Nieves. Bay County Supervisor of Elections.
Hernando: The only race on Tuesday’s primary ballot will be decided in the Nov. 5 runoff. Mark Cioffi led in the District 4 school board election with 44 percent of the vote. He’ll face Michelle Bonczek, who got just under 29 percent. WUFT. Hernando County Supervisor of Elections.
Martin: District 2 school board incumbent Marsha Powers coasted to re-election by receiving 59 percent of the vote Tuesday against Sydney Thomas. TCPalm. Martin County Supervisor of Elections. Nearly 280 wireless devices were confiscated during the first week of school from district students who violated the new district rule against having them out during the school day. Repeated violations could lead to disciplinary action against students. WPTV.
Indian River: Peggy Jones was re-elected to her District 3 school board seat, defeating Robert MacCallum with 57 percent of the vote. But District 5 incumbent Kevin McDonald lost to David Dyer, with Dyer also being picked on about 57 percent of the ballots. TCPalm. Indian River County Supervisor of Elections.
Charlotte: Two school board members won re-election bids Tuesday. Kim Amontree walloped Leonardo Trent in the District 2 race with nearly 70 percent of the vote, and Bob Segur edged Karina Schmitt, 53.17 percent to 46.83 percent to retain his District 3 seat. Charlotte Sun. Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections.
Citrus: Republican Scott Hebert will replace longtime retiring Superintendent Sandra Himmel after handily beating Jason Koon in Tuesday’s Republican primary with about 60 percent of the vote. The District 2 school board race to replace the retiring Ginger Bryant is headed for a runoff Nov. 5 between Ken Frink, who received about 46 percent of the vote, and Victoria Smith, who got about 24 percent. Citrus County Supervisor of Elections. WUFT.
Flagler: Lauren Ramirez received more than 60 percent of the vote for the District 5 school board seat to defeat Vincent Sullivan in Tuesday’s primary. Janie Ruddy won the District 3 seat over Derek Barrs with 50.58 percent of the vote to Barrs’ 49.42 percent, which was a difference of 288 votes. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Flagler Live. Flagler County Supervisor of Elections. WKMG.
Nassau: Incumbent Superintendent Kathy Burns won a close fight against Curtis Gaus in Tuesday’s election, 51.23 percent to 48.77 percent. District 2 board member Gail Cook was easily re-elected over Roody Joinville with more than 57 percent of the vote, but District 4 holdover Cynthia Grooms lost a nail-biter to Kristi Simpkins by a margin of 74 votes out of 20,960 counted. Nassau County Supervisor of Elections.
Highlands: Superintendent Brenda Longshore won a squeaker of a primary election against Christopher Doty by 90 votes, 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent. District 2 school board incumbent Donna Howerton held off Lauren Bush, 52.7-47.3 percent, and Mason Whidden walloped Javita McKinney for the District 3 seat with almost 79 percent of the vote. Highlands County Supervisor of Elections.
Putnam: District 2 school board member David Buckles and District 3 incumbent Sandra Gilyard each won re-election Tuesday with more than 60 percent of the vote. Superintendent Rick Surrency secured 54.53 percent of the Republican primary voters to defeat Paul Adamczyk and move on to the Nov. 5 runoff against write-in Pat Wilson. WUFT. Putnam County Supervisor of Elections.
Sumter: Logan Brown pulled an upset in the Republican primary Tuesday when he beat incumbent Richard Shirley by more than 10 percentage points. District 4 school board incumbent Russell Hogan was re-elected by more than 6 percentage points over Mary Prows. Sumter County Supervisor of Elections. WKMG.
Monroe: Yvette Mira-Talbott easily won the District 2 school board race Tuesday over Zach Bentley by a margin of 58.4 percent to 41.6 percent. She’ll replace the retiring Andy Griffiths. Florida Keys Weekly. Monroe County Supervisor of Elections. WPLG.
Jackson: Superintendent Steve Benton was crushed in his bid for re-election, attracting just 17 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Republican primary. Hunter Nolen got 44 percent to edge Laurence Pender’s almost 39 percent, and meets Democrat Eddie Ellis in the general election Nov. 5. Jackson County Supervisor of Elections.
Suwannee: Adam Hitt and Lesley Fry finished 1-2 in the District 1 school board race Tuesday and advance to the Nov. 5 runoff. Hitt got 44.57 percent of the vote and Fry 43.11 percent. The rest of the votes went to Douglas Aukerman. WUFT. Suwannee County Supervisor of Elections.
Levy: District 4 school board member Tammy Boyle spoiled Superintendent Christopher Cowart re-election bid with a solid 54-46 win Tuesday. Linda Campbell will succeed Boyle in the District 4 seat after defeating Kelly Gore 51.54 to 48.46 percent. WUFT. Levy County Supervisor of Elections.
Wakulla: In the three-way race for superintendent, Rick Myhre attracted 48.61 percent of the vote Tuesday and will be joined in the Nov. 5 runoff by Matt Payne (28.51 percent). District 4 school board member Joshua Brown defeated Camden Smit with 53 percent of the vote, while nearly 61 percent of voters preferred Angie Nichols to June Davis for the District 2 seat. Tallahassee Democrat. Wakulla County Supervisor of Elections.
Baker: Wyatt Milton was elected as school superintendent by defeating Allen Murphy in the Republican primary Tuesday with more than 72 percent of the vote. He replaces the departing Sherrie Raulerson. Baker County Supervisor of Elections.
Hardee: Two incumbents were soundly defeated Tuesday in their bids for re-election. Superintendent Robert Shayman lost to challenger Sonja Bennett by a margin of about 70-30 percent, and District 2 school board member Mildred Smith was turned out of office by Andrew Smith, who received almost 60 percent of the vote. Hardee County Supervisor of Elections.
Gadsden: Superintendent Elijah Key defeated two opponents in the Democratic primary to win re-election. Key got almost 57 percent of the vote to hold off Karema Dudley and Tracey Stallworth. In the District 1 school board race, incumbent Cathy Johnson defeated Doug Stephens by a margin of more than 2 to 1, and the District 5 race is going to a runoff Nov. 5 between Stacey Hannigon with 46.5 percent of the vote and Jamaal Holt with 43 percent. Tallahassee Democrat. Gadsden County Supervisor of Elections.
Washington: Superintendent Joseph Taylor finished third Tuesday in the Republican primary with 21.10 percent support. Thomas Register received 49.4 percent of the voters, and will face Samuel Cox (29.5 percent) in the Nov. 5 runoff. In District 2, incumbent Lou Cleveland kept her job by defeating Jason Smith, 56.49-43.51 percent. Washington County Supervisor of Elections.
Holmes: Both primary races Tuesday were very close, with Superintendent Buddy Brown nipping Ron Dixon with almost 54 percent of the vote, and District 4 school board challenger Derek Worley beating incumbent Shirley Owens by just 7 votes out of 3,913 votes cast. Holmes County Supervisor of Elections.
Bradford: Superintendent Will Hartley received about 70 percent of the vote in the Republican primary to defeat Tracey Kendrick, and will meet nonpartisan candidate Alan Bhajan in the Nov. 5 general election. In District 4, incumbent Candace Osteen avoided a runoff by receiving just under 60 percent of the vote to turn away challengers Dana Bell and Mitchell Gunter. WUFT. Bradford County Supervisor of Elections.
Gilchrist: Two of the three school races on the ballot Tuesday will be decided in the runoff Nov. 5. Superintendent James Surrency finished third in his primary with 23 percent of the vote. Gina Geiger led with 47 percent and Ronda Adkins got just under 30 percent support. In the race for the District 4 school board seat, Tammy Moore’s 41 percent support puts her in the runoff against Patricia Philman, who received almost 38 percent. Incumbent Susan Owens won the District 2 seat with almost 60 percent of the vote against J.D. Perryman. WUFT. Gilchrist County Supervisor of Elections.
Taylor: The race for the superintendent’s job will be settled at the Nov. 5 runoff. Tuesday, Reggie Wentworth led the three candidates with 39.69 percent of the vote. Incumbent Alicia Beshears received 34.3 percent, while Danny Glover Jr. finished third with 26.01 percent. District 3 school board incumbent Jeanne Mathis was re-elected over Laurel LaValle, 52-48 percent. Taylor County Supervisor of Elections.
Madison: Karen Pickles won a closely contested Republican primary for the superintendent’s position, and will square off against Democratic incumbent Shirley Joseph in the Nov. 5 general election. Pickles collected 39.33 percent of the vote to Bart Alford’s 36.34 percent and Jonathan Mazzella’s 24.33 percent. In the District 2 school board race, incumbent Carol Gibson overwhelmed Jamie Andrews by getting more than 61 percent support. Madison County Supervisor of Elections.
Calhoun: Incumbent Superintendent Darryl Taylor Jr. was handily re-elected Tuesday against challenger Corey Silcox, winning just under 80 percent of the vote. Calhoun County Supervisor of Elections.
Gulf: District 4 school board incumbent Marvin Davis finished third in a field of four and missed the Nov. 5 runoff. Heather Jones topped the field with 36.53 percent of the votes, and Equillar Gainer received 35.69 percent to grab the second spot. Davis got 16.67 percent of the votes and Charles Gathers received 11.11 percent. Gulf County Supervisor of Elections.
Glades: Superintendent Beth Barfield held off a challenge from FeLinda Langdale to win re-election Tuesday by a margin of 52-48 percent. The District 2 school board race is headed to a runoff between Larry Luckey II, who was the choice of 44 percent of voters, and Kari West, who received 39 percent. Glades County Supervisor of Elections.
Hamilton: Superintendent Lynn Wetherington-Zamora edged primary opponent Doug Clayton to move ahead to the Nov. 5 general election against Paula Williams. Hamilton County Supervisor of Elections.
Liberty: In the only school board race, Mason Kever easily won the District 1 with nearly 59 percent of the vote against Stephen Shuler’s 24.2 percent and Sydney Beckwith’s 17 percent. Liberty County Supervisor of Elections.
Lafayette: Kimberly Adams upset District 4 school board member Amanda Hickman in Tuesday’s election with 56 percent of the vote, while neither District 2 incumbent Jeff Walker nor Katrina Fillyaw received 50 percent of the vote in that race. Walker got 49.8 percent to Fillyaw’s 47.7 percent, with the rest counted as either undervotes or overvotes. WUFT. Lafayette County Supervisor of Elections.
Jefferson: The school district will have a new superintendent after the general election. Incumbent Eydie Tricquet was beaten in the Republican primary by Al Cooksey, who received 60 percent of the vote. Cooksey will face Democrat Jackie Pons on Nov. 5, after Pons won almost 66 percent of the vote against LaClarence Mays. Incumbent District 1 school board member Gladys Roann-Watson lost to Joy Beth Frisby, 54-46 percent, and District 4 board member Bill Brumfield beat Kendra Burrus with more than 60 percent of the vote. Tallahassee Democrat. Jefferson County Supervisor of Elections.
Colleges and universities: Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland began its new school year Tuesday with a new president, Devin Stephenson, record enrollment of about 1,700 students and a newly completed residential building with 430 beds. The school opened in 2014 with 554 students. Lakeland Ledger. Florida A&M University students have started to move into residence halls, with classes beginning next Monday. An interim president, Timothy Beard, replaced Larry Robinson, who stepped down after a highly publicized donation debacle. Tallahassee Democrat.
Chaplain policy set: A model policy for the volunteer school chaplains program was issued Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education. “Florida welcomes only legitimate and officially authorized chaplains to become volunteers at their local schools and to provide students with morally sound guidance,” said Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. To be eligible to counsel students in schools, chaplains must be “an individual who is officially authorized by the leader of a religion … to conduct religious exercises,” according to the policy, pass a screening, and possess a bachelor’s degree consisting of at least 120 hours and a graduate degree in counseling or theology consisting of at least 36 semester hours or have seven years experience. Principals may deny an application if he or she “determines that the individual is not applying to fulfill the program’s purpose or the applicant’s participation will be contrary to the pedagogical interests of the school and the chaplaincy program.” News Service of Florida. Florida Department of Education.
Around the nation: A case from Maine could be the next big U.S. Supreme Court ruling on school choice. A federal judge has ruled that the state can continue to bar religious schools from a state school choice program, despite a 2022 high court decision that struck down an outright ban. NextSteps.
