Proposal passes House requiring partisan school board elections

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – The Florida House approved a measure to go on the ballot that would require district school board members be elected in a partisan election.

Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, sponsored the House joint resolution, which passed in the House Committee 79-34 Friday.

Roach said the resolution is about “transparency” and disclosing as much information to voters as they can.

The resolution proposes a change to the Florida Constitution to require candidates for district school boards be elected in partisan races.

If 60% of voters approve the proposal on the ballot, school board members may not be elected on a partisan basis until the November 2026 general election.

However, partisan primary elections may occur before the 2026 general election for purposes of nominating political party candidates to that office for placement on the 2026 general election ballot, according to the bill.

The amendment will go into effect upon approval of the electors.

Since 2000, district school board members have been elected in nonpartisan elections, but were elected in partisan elections prior to that year.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, voiced her opposition to the resolution and said she thinks the policy will cause “more harm than good.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea, members, to further politicize, which has already become a very political institution of public education,” Eskamani said.

Rep. Chase Tramont, R-Port Orange, voted in favor of the resolution and said the proposal is “simply about transparency.”

“I’ve ran for a number of nonpartisan races, the most commonly asked question that I would get asked, what party are you? What party are you affiliated with?” Tramont said. “And whether or not that that’s important for them to know is not for me to decide. The fact of the matter is, that’s what they want to know.”

School districts are divided into at least five district school board member residence areas for the purpose of electing members.

Candidates for district school board must qualify to run for office with the supervisor of elections of the county containing the district. Currently, if two or more candidates, neither of whom is a write-in candidate, qualify to run for office, their names appear on the ballot at the primary election with no reference to political party affiliation.

If none of the candidates receive a majority of the votes cast for school board, the names of the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes are placed on the general election ballot with no reference to political party affiliation.