ORLANDO — Angie Gallo won the race for Orange County School Board chair Tuesday, defeating fellow board member Alicia Farrant and taking responsibility for helping lead one of the nation’s largest public school systems.
Gallo received approximately 59% of the vote.
She has represented School Board District 1 since 2018 and will now serve a four-year term as countywide chair of the eight-member board.
Orange County Public Schools serves nearly 208,000 students at 214 K-12 schools, according to Central Florida Public Media.
That makes the victory consequential well beyond election-night politics.
The district faces challenges involving teacher compensation, declining enrollment, recent school closures and student academic performance.
During the campaign, Gallo emphasized teacher pay and argued that the district should focus less on recurring cultural conflicts and more heavily on classroom performance, teachers and district operations.
The election now gives voters something more valuable than campaign promises.
It gives them someone to hold accountable.
A school-board election should not disappear from coverage once the candidate wins.
The work starts now.
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
