Who is running for school board in Boca Raton? A look at the candidates and their finances
Five candidates are vying for one school board seat representing Boca Raton and the surrounding areas after the district's longtime board member and former chairman, Frank Barbieri, announced his retirement.
Candidates Gloria Branch, Mindy Koch, Mike Letsky, Suzanne Page and Charman Postel vary greatly in their politics, their professional experience in the schools, their approaches to keeping students safe online and even their ages: 36 years separate the youngest candidate from the oldest.
Three school board seats — representing districts 1, 2 and 5 — were up for grabs this year, although Virginia Savietto clinched the second district seat being vacated by Alexandria Ayala because Savietto was the only candidate to qualify for that seat.
The District 5 seat is being vacated by 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.
Palm Beach County voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote for a candidate running for the seat in the district in which the voter lives. School board elections in Florida are currently nonpartisan races, although voters will decide on a ballot measure this November that could require school board candidates to declare a party starting in 2026.
In Palm Beach County, seven school board members serve four-year terms and are elected on a rotating basis.
The five candidates for the Boca-area seat will face off in the primary election on Aug. 20. If no single candidate garners more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will be on the ballot in the general election Nov. 5.
The Palm Beach Post performed a criminal background check on every candidate for school board. The Post is reporting any criminal charges filed and the outcome of the cases since January 2012, even when they did not result in a conviction. The Post is not reporting traffic infractions unless they resulted in criminal charges.
The candidates below are listed in alphabetical order, using the names that will appear on the ballot.
Here's who is running to represent District 5:
About Gloria Branch: Boca Raton-area school board candidate
Age and residence: Branch, 56, lives in eastern Boca Raton.
Platform: Her priorities include improving academic achievement by paying teachers more money. She wants to "re-balance the budget toward teacher recruitment, training and performance" and address the teacher housing shortage through intergovernmental initiatives. Her website says she hopes to prioritize reading, writing and math fundamentals.
In her words: Branch said the primary purpose of public education is to create productive citizens, and that "radicalization of our youth to ‘hate America’ is not appropriate."
Occupation: Public relations consultant at Always A Winner LLC and The Gloria Group. Branch has worked as a substitute teacher in the district for two years.
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration with concentration in finance, Florida Atlantic University
Family in the district: Branch's daughter attends high school in the district. Her father is former longtime Palm Beach County superintendent Art Johnson.
Criminal history: None.
Finances: Branch has raised $41,665 and spent $10,004 as of June 28.
Learn more: Branch's campaign website is www.votegloriabranch.com
About Mindy Koch: Boca Raton-area school board candidate
Age and residence: Koch, 71, lives in the area west of Boca Raton in a 55-plus community.
Platform: Koch's platform focuses on boosting Palm Beach County's School District back to an A rating and improving math and reading skills of pre-K through third graders.
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 students anti-communism, "not being able to say 'gay' in school and teacher training requirements" have "changed everything for teachers and students."
In her words: "I am running because I believe the foundation of America is public education, which has made us the great country we are today," Koch said. "Florida is in the process of dismantling our education system, and we cannot let that happen."
Occupation: Retired, immediate past chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party.
Education: Doctorate in Education — Nova Southeastern University
Children in the district: None currently. Koch's three children attended Verde Elementary and Spanish River High. Two of her children went to Boca Raton Middle School, and one went to Omni Middle.
Criminal history: None.
Finances: Koch has raised $4,255 and spent $2,280 as of June 28.
Learn more: Koch's campaign website is https://vote4mindy.com
About Mike Letsky: Boca Raton-area school board candidate
Age and residence: Letsky, 47, lives in the Mission Bay community in the unincorporated area west of Boca Raton.
Platform: 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" programs and computer applications such as auto-correct, the IXL learning platform and iReady testing software. In a campaign email, Letsky said he would fight for "independence from the progressive left" in schools.
In his words: "The district’s A rating? Gone. We’re now a sad B-rated district. Why? Because the focus has shifted from educating our kids to pushing political ideologies," Letsky wrote in a campaign email. "Our children deserve better, and it's time we demand it."
Occupation: Owner of FutureGen Robotics since 2017
Education: Master's of Engineering in Systems Engineering, Penn State University
Children in the district: His two children attend middle and high school in the district.
Criminal history: None.
Finances: Letsky has raised $9,588 and spent $8,832 as of June 28.
Learn more: Letsky's campaign website is https://voteletsky.com/
About Suzanne Page: Boca Raton-area school board candidate
Age and residence: Page, 73, lives in the area west of Boca Raton in a 55-plus community.
Platform: Page outlined a five-step plan for education reform on her website, including the goal to "instill confidence, self-reliance, and, most importantly, a rock-solid foundation in reading, writing, arithmetic, and patriotism" in elementary school students.
In her words: Of the school system, Page says on her website, "sadly, it oppresses the children it should nurture and educate."
Occupation: Page is a former city planner and mortgage broker
Education: Doctorate in Economics, University of Illinois
Children in the district: Unclear. Page did not respond to repeated attempts by The Post to get information about her or her candidacy.
Criminal history: None.
Finances: Page has raised $17,485 and spent $7,391 as of June 28.
Learn more: Page's campaign website is https://www.votesuzannepage.com/#mission
About Charman Postel: Boca Raton-area school board candidate
Age and residence: Postel, 37, lives east of Dixie Highway in Boca Raton.
Platform: Her priorities include improving reading scores by starting targeted literacy programs in the district. Postel also supports programs that help improve student mental health, hopes to increase teacher pay and boost parent involvement through town halls with school board members.
In her words: "For the last decade, I have actively worked with the Parent Teacher Association, championing issues like improved resources, better teacher compensation, and enhanced mental health support," Postel said. "My consistent, hands-on involvement shows my commitment to making a genuine impact. My ability to build and maintain positive, long-standing relationships sets me apart from my opponents, who are known or suspected to be quite divisive."
Occupation: Principal business consultant at CLRP & Associates
Education: Bachelor's with concentration in political science, Florida Atlantic University
Children in the district: Three of Postel's four children attend elementary, middle and high schools in the district.
Criminal history: None.
Finances: Postel has raised $11,942 and spent $3,038 as of June 28.
Learn more: Postel's campaign website is https://postelfordistrict5.com
Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today!
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Elections 2024: Who is running for school board in Boca Raton?
