Former Boynton Beach City Commissioner Christina Romelus is competing with private school teacherDaniel Zapatafor the Palm Beach County School Board's District 4 seat.
District 4 includes coastal communities from West Palm Beach down to Boca Raton and has been represented by Erica Whitfield since 2014. Whitfield is leaving the school board to seek a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
School board races are non-partisan. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
What does the office do, what does it control?
Palm Beach County's seven-member school board collectively sets overall policy for the district, passes the district's budget and has supervisory authority over the superintendent and board attorney.
The superintendent, working at the pleasure of the board, manages the day-to-day operation
of the district.
Palm Beach County district map
Why this race matters
The Palm Beach County School District has more than 173,000 students and, with roughly 23,000 employees, is the largest employer in the county.
School board members will be making critical decisions about the future of the district as it looks to stem an enrollment decline that has threatened its finances. Some of those decisions could include school boundary changes and whether to close schools if the enrollment decline continues.
Candidate bios
Christina Romelus
∎ Age: 38
∎ Occupation: Founder and chief executive officer of PolitiCALM, a consulting firm.
∎ Education: Master's in biomedical sciences from Barry University; bachelor's in biology/chemistry from the University of Miami.
∎ Incumbent or challenger: Romelus is a former member of the Boynton Beach City Commission who has not served on the school board.
∎ Voting record: In 2016, Romelus cast an initial vote in favor of extending Boynton Beach's red light camera contract. Some residents told Romelus they did not want tax money spent on the cameras, though city officials said they brought in more than $250,000 in revenue and cut intersection crashes in half over a two-year period. Romelus, arguing that she would rather have the city spend money to hire more law enforcement, later changed her vote, ending the camera program. In 2017, Romelus, a native of Haiti, made an unsuccessful push to have Boynton Beach designated as a sanctuary city that would not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
∎ Campaign websites: christinaromelus.vote/
∎ Top three campaign priorities: Improving literacy and education outcomes; making schools safer; supporting teachers and engaging parents.
∎ Why should people vote for you: "Voters deserve a School Board member who has the experience to govern, the heart to listen, and the courage to put students first. Throughout my career, I have served this community as a nurse,educator, city commissioner, vice mayor, and mother of two children in our public schools. Each of those experiences has reinforced the same belief: every child deserves a safe, high-quality education that prepares them for the future."
∎ Community involvement and service: Former Boynton Beach City Commission member and vice mayor; former member of the Florida League of Cities Economic Development & Land Use Policy Committee; executive board member of the National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network.
∎ Experience that prepared her for office: Budgeting, policy-making, constituent service, community problem-solving as a former Boynton Beach City Commission member and vice mayor.
Daniel Zapata
∎ Age: 38
∎ Occupation: Founder and chief executive officer of PolitiCALM, a consulting firm.
∎ Education: Master's in biomedical sciences from Barry University; bachelor's in biology/chemistry from the University of Miami.
∎ Incumbent or challenger: Romelus is a former member of the Boynton Beach City Commission who has not served on the school board.
∎ Voting record: In 2016, Romelus cast an initial vote in favor of extending Boynton Beach's red light camera contract. Some residents told Romelus they did not want tax money spent on the cameras, though city officials said they brought in more than $250,000 in revenue and cut intersection crashes in half over a two-year period. Romelus, arguing that she would rather have the city spend money to hire more law enforcement, later changed her vote, ending the camera program. In 2017, Romelus, a native of Haiti, made an unsuccessful push to have Boynton Beach designated as a sanctuary city that would not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
∎ Campaign websites: zapataforschoolboard.com
∎ Top three campaign priorities: Improving literacy and education outcomes; making schools safer; supporting teachers and engaging parents.
∎ Why should people vote for you: "Voters deserve a School Board member who has the experience to govern, the heart to listen, and the courage to put students first. Throughout my career, I have served this community as a nurse,educator, city commissioner, vice mayor, and mother of two children in our public schools. Each of those experiences has reinforced the same belief: every child deserves a safe, high-quality education that prepares them for the future."
∎ Community involvement and service: Former Boynton Beach City Commission member and vice mayor; former member of the Florida League of Cities Economic Development & Land Use Policy Committee; executive board member of the National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network.
∎ Experience that prepared her for office: Budgeting, policy-making, constituent service, community problem-solving as a former Boynton Beach City Commission member and vice mayor.
Election dates to know
∎ Oct. 19-Nov. 1: Early voting. For early voting sites, go here
∎ Oct. 22 (5 p.m.): Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot
∎ Nov. 3: General Election (polls open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.)
∎ Nov. 3 (7 p.m.): Vote-by-mail ballots due at Supervisor of Elections headquarters
Go to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website at VotePalmBeach.gov for all voting information.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Know your candidates in the Palm Beach County school board race
