Amendment 1: Here’s what it means to Florida voters
TAMPA, Fla. - Amendment 1 deals with school board elections. Most states in the country have non-partisan school board elections.
If Amendment 1 passes, starting in 2026, Florida school board candidates would run with a party label next to their name on the ballot.
READ: Here's what Amendment 1 would mean for school board elections in Florida
Hillsborough County District 7 School Board Member Lynn Gray doesn't think that's needed.
"Students are not partisan, and certainly our children are not partisan," Gray stated.
Gray is among some School Board members and teachers who think partisan races will influence what's being taught in the classroom.
Fellow board member Nadia Combs agrees.
"I think the most important information you need to have is what that person is about and what they represent and who they are as a person, and not about politics," said Combs from District 1.
But some parents say politics has already infiltrated schools.
"I think it just provides a baseline for us to go into an election understanding the platform that the candidates coming from and knowing that those values are going to align closer with my own," stated parent Julie Gebhards.
She says partisan school board elections will help voters make a more educated decision.
"Let people vote according to their values. Whether that's an R or a D next to the name, you can choose."
The resolution to bring the issue on the ballot was by two Republican State Representatives and co-introduced by 13 other Republicans.
Florida is currently one of 41 states with laws allowing non-partisan school board elections.
Florida had partisan school board elections until an amendment was approved in 1998.
Click here to read the full amendment.
Amendments 1, 2, 5 and 6 were put on the ballot by the Florida Legislature. Amendments 3 and 4 are citizen initiatives.
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