2026 School Board
Non-Partisan Voter Education Guide
How To Use This Guide
The Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) created this guide to help voters make informed decisions in the 2026 School Board election. Our goal is to provide a factual, impartial, and nonpartisan resource that allows you to compare candidates using the same set of questions and responses.
Every candidate received the same questionnaire and the same opportunity to participate. Candidates were asked to indicate whether they Support, Oppose, or are Neutral on each issue and provide a brief explanation of up to 200 characters. Responses are presented as submitted, with only minor formatting changes for readability. Candidates who did not respond are identified as No Response Received.
School board races are among the most important elections on your ballot. School board members make decisions that affect curriculum, budgets, school safety, teacher recruitment and retention, student services, and the long-term direction of public education in your community. Even if you do not have children in school, these decisions impact your local economy, property values, workforce development, and taxes. (IN PROGRESS) (
2026 School Board Questions
Each candidate was invited to respond to the questions below by selecting Support, Oppose, or Neutral and providing a brief explanation (200 characters maximum). Responses are published as submitted.
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Background:
Under Florida law (§§ 1002.394 and 1002.395), public funding has been expanded to create a broad voucher system, allowing eligible K-12 students to use state-supported scholarship funds for private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, and other approved educational expenses.
Question:
Do you support or oppose the continued expansion of public funding for private school vouchers and education savings accounts in Florida?
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Background:
Under Florida law (§ 1012.461), school boards are permitted—but not required—to adopt a policy allowing volunteer religious chaplains to provide counseling and programs to students in grades K-12.
Question:
Do you support or oppose a volunteer school chaplain program in your school district?
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Background:
Under Florida law (§ 1006.28(2)(a)2, (2)(d)), a parent or resident of the county may formally object to school or classroom library materials they believe are pornographic, prohibited by law, unsuitable for student needs, or inappropriate for the relevant grade level or age group, requiring the district to follow its formal objection and review process. District school boards are responsible for adopting procedures to resolve these objections, including public committee processes, and may retain, restrict, remove, or discontinue materials based on that review.
Question:
Do you support or oppose a local school board policy that prioritizes keeping challenged library books accessible to students while a formal review is conducted, unless the material must be removed under state law?
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Background: Florida law requires public schools to display the state motto, “In God We Trust,” in a conspicuous place. Florida law also protects voluntary student religious expression. However, school-sponsored displays of devotional or sectarian religious texts or symbols, such as Ten Commandments posters, Bible verses, crosses, or other religious materials, raise separate constitutional concerns when displayed outside a neutral educational context.
Question: Do you support or oppose allowing school-sponsored religious displays, such as the Ten Commandments, Bible verses, crosses, or other devotional materials, in classrooms or school buildings beyond what state law requires or what is used in a neutral curriculum context?
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Background:
Florida law requires that health education addressing human sexuality be age-appropriate and emphasize abstinence as the expected standard. Within state requirements, local school boards retain responsibility for adopting instructional materials and may review, approve, reject, or discontinue materials used in their district’s curriculum.
Question:
Do you support or oppose comprehensive reproductive health curriculum that includes medically accurate information on disease prevention and contraception alongside required abstinence instruction?
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Background:
Under Florida law (§ 1003.21), school districts must have a policy allowing students to be briefly excused from school attendance for off-campus religious instruction upon a parent's request. However, local school boards retain control over the specific rules governing how these absences are scheduled and how they impact regular instructional hours.
Question:
Do you support or oppose local school board policies that expand or facilitate “release time” programs for off-campus religious instruction during the regular school day beyond what is required by state law?
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Background:
Under federal and Florida law (§ 1002.206), public school personnel cannot be discriminated against for their religious expression and may participate in student-initiated religious activities before or after the school day. However, school employees acting in their official capacity are legally prohibited from leading, sponsoring, or coercing students to participate in religious prayer or activities during instructional time or school-sanctioned events.
Question:
Do you support or oppose local school board policies that restrict staff-led prayer or staff participation in prayer with students during regular school hours and school-sanctioned activities?
See How Your Nominees Responded
Click on your county below to see how candidates responded to our questions and whether they support or oppose each ballot measure.
Democracy Is a Shared Responsibility
Voting is only one part of civic engagement, but it's an important one. By learning about the candidates and issues before Election Day, you're helping build a culture of informed participation and thoughtful decision-making.
Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself and encourage others to do the same. Civic engagement begins with curiosity, grows through respectful dialogue, and is strengthened when we all participate.