Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Partisan School Board Races Proposed

A House Republican on Tuesday filed a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to make school-board races partisan.

Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, filed the proposal (HJR 31) for consideration during the 2023 legislative session, which will start in March.

Roach unsuccessfully filed a similar measure for the 2022 session. School-board races are required to be nonpartisan contests under the state Constitution.

Roach’s bill would change that to allow candidates to run with party affiliations starting in 2026.

If approved by the Legislature, Roach’s proposal would go before voters in 2024.

While school-board candidates do not run with party labels, races in some areas of the state this year drew involvement from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democratic leaders.