One Pinellas County School Board race was settled Friday, while three others head to the Aug. 18 ballot.
Incumbent Caprice Edmond won reelection to her District 7 seat, which represents southern Pinellas County, as no challenger emerged for the position she has held since 2020.
The other districts up for consideration drew multiple candidates, leaving voters to choose who will serve four-year terms that begin in November. Unlike two years ago, there is no concerted effort to stack the board with a slate of conservative politicians.
Two of the districts are at-large seats for all registered county residents to decide.
In District 2, incumbent Lisa Cane, who first won in 2018, got a last-minute opponent in Nancy Velardi, a retired high school English teacher and former teachers union president.
Velardi, who led the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association during the COVID-19 pandemic and after, said she did not want to give Cane a free pass to reelection. She noted that four years ago, Cane signed a pledge to support Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education agenda, which Velardi does not back.
Cane said she will run on her record.
“I’ve earned the trust of voters because they know I listen before I act, deliver on what matters, and never stop putting students and their families first,” Cane said.
In District 3, the other at-large seat, incumbent Dawn Peters is seeking a second term against two other candidates. Peters, who first won her post backing the Republicans’ “parental rights” agenda, said she views the district as running successfully, and she wants to continue that progress.
One of her opponents is veteran district teacher Dawn Douglas, who has run unsuccessfully four times for state House as a Democrat. She said she wants to ensure the board has someone with current classroom experience.
The other is independent consultant Curtis Campogni, who is on a ballot for the first time. He said he is driven by a desire to serve the community and seek solutions to issues such as enrollment declines so the district will remain strong for his young children.
If no one wins a majority, the two top vote-getters will head to the November general election.
The final race is to replace Stephanie Meyer in the District 6 seat representing south-central Pinellas, including Seminole, Pinellas Park and the beaches. Meyer is retiring after one term.
The campaign pits Nancy Bostock, a former board member and county commissioner, against Amanda Lord, a PTA leader at North Shore Elementary School.
Bostock last held office in 2012, losing her commission seat after supporting the removal of fluoride from the water supply. As a board member, she was known for advancing conservative social issues. She runs her family’s chemical manufacturing laboratory.
Lord, who has two children in district schools, is a senior project manager for Franklin Templeton Investments. She said she views the district as being on solid academic footing and wants to promote continued success while also being financially efficient.
All the school board seats are nonpartisan, so any voters may participate regardless of party affiliation.
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