Voters will decide if school board elections will become partisan

Bay News 9 | By Jeff Van Sant | June 6, 2024

LARGO, Fla. — School boards in Florida have been non-partisan for more than 24 years.

But in recent years, politics have crept in and in some cases, board meetings have become the front lines in the culture war.

Now, voters will be able to vote on Amendment 1, which would allow the races to be partisan again.

Paul Rader, a non-partisan political analyst and author, says school board meetings will become more contentious if the legislation passes and put into law in 2026.

“Right now, I believe its 41 states that have nonpartisan elections,” Rader said. “So Florida would become one of the odd ones out in that regard.”

Carol Cook, who has been on the Pinellas County School Board for the past 24 years, said that she has watched a dramatic change in the past few years.

“The atmosphere has changed a little bit,” Cook said. “In the past we would go to the legislature and say, ‘Here are things we need in Pinellas County that will help us make progress.’ ‘Here are some things that will help us statewide.’ We had our legislative platform, bow its sort of turned the legislature is saying this is what you will do.”

She believes the role of politics is growing within the boards.

“If you are an R or if you are D, I am going to vote for all the Ds and I am going to vote for all the Rs — that doesn’t help us in the school system. Children are nonpartisan,” Cook said.

Cook is retiring from the board in November. However, she will continue to fight against partisanship outside of the board as she is a leadership development consultant for the Florida School Board Association.

“We go around the state and work with school boards and superintendents and work with them on skills that will help them become a strong leadership team,” Cook said. “And in some cases, we have to go in and work through the political divides that are there.”