- Three school board seats were up for election in 2024.
- One unopposed candidate has already won the seat in Greenacres, but Boca Raton and Jupiter's seats remain up in the air.
- Candidates for school board are non-partisan, and the primary election will be held Aug. 20.
We're two months out from the primary election for the Palm Beach County School Board, but the board already has its newest member.
One position on the school board was decided June 14 when no candidates qualified to oppose Virginia Savietto for the seat being vacated by Alexandria Ayala. Savietto will be sworn in after the November election and represent District 2, including the Greenacres and Palm Springs areas.
Ayala was elected in 2020. Born in Puerto Rico, Ayala was the board's first Hispanic member and the youngest elected school board member in recent memory.
Savietto, 50, previously ran against Ayala for school board in 2020 and for Florida House in 2015. A native of Argentina, Savietto is a member of the Hispanic Education Coalition and works as a senior administrative assistant to County Commissioner Gregg Weiss. She lives near Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach and has a son who attends Palm Springs Middle School.
Savietto said her priorities on the school board include increasing graduation rates and improving school safety. She said she hopes to guarantee all children get a quality education and to improve parental involvement.
Here are the 8 candidates running in the other 2 seats
Eight more candidates are vying for two open seats on the board. Those school board members will represent District 1, including the Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter areas, and District 5, which includes Boca Raton.
Both of those seats are competitive this year after the incumbents announced they wouldn't seek another term.
The primary election is Aug. 20. If no single candidate secures a majority of the vote in their race, the top two will appear on the general election ballot Nov. 5.
School board races are nonpartisan, meaningcandidates' partyaffiliations are left off the ballot. All voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote in the school board elections as long as they live in the district being decided.
Board members serve four-year terms and are elected on a rotating basis. They are paid $53,406 per year.
As major "culture war" and parental rights movements appear to take a back seat in Palm Beach County, the next school board will be tasked with maintaining stability and improving the school district's grade from the state to an A from a B.
Board members will need to manage an expanding voucher program that sends public money to private schools, weigh where to build campuses to accommodate growth and keep the budget balanced after the expiration of COVID-era funding this year.
The filing window for the school board election closed June 14 at noon.All candidates below are listed in alphabetical order, using the names that will appear on the ballot.Their campaign priorities were reported to The Palm Beach Post via a candidate questionnaire. While many seem to share goals, candidates are likely to differentiate themselves throughout the summer as they campaign.
Here's who is running in each contested district:
District 1: Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter areas
This seat is being vacated by Barbara McQuinn, who was elected to the board in 2016. A former teacher and principal of Palm Beach Gardens High, McQuinn also serves as the school board's vice chair this year.
Here are the candidates running to take her place:
Matthew Jay Lane: A 69-year-old father of a Dwyer High School alumnus, Lane is a divorce and family attorney at Lane Law Firm and a former Palm Beach Gardens City Council member. He lives in the Mirasol community.
His priorities include improving reading rates in young students, recruiting and keeping teachers, and providing strong career programs for students who do not attend college. Lane said Florida's per-student spending is a "disgrace," and members of the school board should push harder for more money for education at the local level.
Page Lewis: A 57-year-old mother of two, Lewis is director of literacy at Urban Youth Impact, a Christian youth ministry that serves children living in poverty in and around West Palm Beach. She lives in Palm Beach Country Estates.
Her priorities include improving literacy in students of all grade levels, boosting test scores, budget accountability and hiring more high-quality teachers. Lewis says on her campaign website that she is also prioritizing giving parents more choice and control in their child's education.
Francesca Wernisch: A 39-year-old mother of two students at The Conservatory School, Wernisch works in the recreation department of the Village of North Palm Beach. She lives in central North Palm Beach.
Her priorities include improving student achievement through mental health support for students, inclusivity in schools, teacher support and financial responsibility at all levels. She has served as the treasurer for her children's school advisory committee since 2022.
District 5: Boca Raton and surrounding areas
This seat is being vacated by Frank Barbieri, who was elected to the board in 2008 and served four full terms. He served as the board chair from 2010 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023.
Here are the candidates running to take his place:
Gloria Branch: A 56-year-old mother of a high school student, Branch lives in eastern Boca Raton. She's the owner of a business development organization named The Gloria Group and a branding and public relations firm called Always A Winner LLC. Branch has worked as a substitute teacher for Palm Beach County schools for the past two years.
Her priorities include improving academic achievement by addressing the teaching workforce. She wants to "re-balance the budget toward teacher recruitment, training and performance," and address the teacher housing shortage through intergovernmental initiatives. Branch also said the primary purpose of public education is to create productive citizens, and that "radicalization of our youth to ‘hate America’ is not appropriate."
Mindy Koch: A 70-year-old mother of three public school alumni, Koch has been retired since 2016. She served as head of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party for two years. Koch was suspended by state party chair Nikki Fried in March, then reinstated by her party, and then stepped down that month. Koch lives in the area west of Boca Raton in a 55-plus community.
Her priorities include refocusing money away from student testing and funneling it into hiring more teachers, improving mental-health resources for students at school and reducing administrative duties for teachers. Koch said that "teaching communism to kindergarteners, not being able to say 'gay' in school and teacher training requirements" have "changed everything for teachers and students."
Mike Letsky: A 47-year-old father of two public school students and owner of FutureGen Robotics, Letsky lives in the Mission Bay community in the unincorporated area west of Boca Raton. His priorities include addressing teacher and school police attrition, increasing teacher pay and improving school safety. Letsky wants to remove laptops from district classrooms and protect children from what he calls "abusive" computer applications.
Suzanne Page: A 73-year-old former city planner and mortgage broker, Page ran against Barbieri in 2020. Public records show she lives in the area west of Boca Raton in a 55-plus community.
Similar to her run in 2020, Page did not respond to repeated attempts by The Post to get information about her or her platform. She outlines a five-step plan for education reform on her website. Of the school system, Page says on her website, "sadly, it oppresses the children it should nurture and educate."
Charman Postel: A 37-year-old mother of four, three of whom attend public schools, Postel is a business consultant and owner of CLRP & Associates. She lives east of Dixie Highway in Boca Raton.
Her priorities include improving reading scores by starting targeted literacy programs, supporting programs that help improve student mental health, increasing teacher pay and parent involvement through town halls with school board members.
Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her atkkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today!
