PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – When voters head to the polls Tuesday, there will be major upheaval in Palm Beach County’s education system.
Three seats on the seven-member school board are up for grabs because none of the incumbents are running for re-election.
WPTV education reporter Stephanie Susskind examined the changing dynamics of school board elections and what it means for your child’s education.
Nearly half of the seats on the Palm Beach County School Board will change hands this election season. It’s the biggest shakeup in nearly 15 years after three new members were elected in the 2010 election cycle.
A lot has changed since then, not only in the field of education but also in the way people view school authorities.
Taylor Christian, a mother from Palm Beach County, spends a lot of time at the park with two-year-old Aryia. Although Aryia is not yet old enough for elementary school, Christian knows what issues are most important to her.
“Safety is definitely a big issue. Making sure the kids are safe. And also structure. Structure is really important,” said Christian.
Safety has been a top topic for many of you on our WPTV Facebook page, along with bullying, as we prepare for new faces on the Palm Beach County School Board. Some long-held seats will be filled.
Candidates for District 1 – a seat for the northern part of the county held by Barbara McQuinn since 2016 – include Matthew Jay Lane, Page Lewis and Francesca Wernisch.
Virginia Savietto is running unopposed for the Second District seat held by Alexandria Ayala since 2020. This seat includes the Greenacres and Palms Springs areas.
In the 5th District, Frank Barbieri has represented the southern part of the county since 2008. The candidates are Gloria Branch, Mindy Koch, Mike Letsky, Suzanne Page and Charman Postel.
A candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday. Otherwise, there will be a runoff election in November.
The attention given to school boards has changed dramatically over the years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when debates over masks and social distancing filled the chambers.
“It’s about being able to deal with some of the negative consequences of being on the opposite side of certain parents and political groups. Not the side of interest groups, but the side of political groups,” says Jonathan Collins, assistant professor of political science and education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Collins has studied the changes in school boards. He founded a new research lab to examine these questions. The School Board and Youth Engagement Lab analyzes national data and studies how boards are elected and how they engage with the public.
Collins said three new members could cause unrest in Palm Beach County.
“There will be no radical changes. But there could be a lot more disunity within the board. Just friction that would make it more difficult to achieve goals,” Collins said.
Collins added that school board priorities have also changed in recent years.
“It was more about bringing together a number of groups whose interests may overlap or even compete to some extent, and how do we bring everyone to the table to divide the pie and be happy with it?” Collins said. “Today you have to be more of a partisan politician. Now it’s about signaling where you stand ideologically. It’s about building a connection with a partisan group.”
Christian said she would watch.
“We make sure that the curriculum we teach these children in school is structured. They learn and incorporate more hands-on education,” said Christian.
