Four candidates vying for the Pasco County School Board seat that covers Wesley Chapel will take questions from voters Thursday, July 23, at a candidate forum in Odessa — less than four weeks before the August 18 primary.
The Keystone Civic Association is hosting the forum at American Legion Post 147, 17383 Gunn Highway, Odessa. A meet-and-greet starts at 6:30 p.m., with the formal forum beginning at 7 p.m. The event also includes County Commission candidates.
What's at stake for Wesley Chapel families
The District 1 seat is open because incumbent Al Hernandez chose not to seek reelection. Four candidates are competing for it: Gino Collura, Kimberly Coward, Christopher King, and Brian Perras.
School board races in Florida are nonpartisan. Every registered voter in Pasco County can cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation.
The next board member will inherit significant challenges. Wiregrass Ranch High School is operating at roughly 143 percent of capacity and Wesley Chapel High at about 134 percent, making them the two most crowded high schools in the county, according to district enrollment data reported for the fall semester. Combined, the two schools are over capacity by more than 1,200 students.
The district is also eliminating 476 staff positions heading into the 2026-2027 school year, according to the Tuesday, June 2, school board agenda. The reduction is driven by funding shifts and changing enrollment patterns. District enrollment dropped by 1,393 students during the 2025-2026 school year while voucher participation grew by 1,965 and charter enrollment rose by 941.
A teacher pay property tax referendum is headed to the November 2026 general election ballot. The district has estimated employees could lose about 12 percent of their take-home pay if the measure fails, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
"Do we really want to lose our veteran teachers?" District 3 candidate Sean O'Flannery, a former Pasco teacher who left for a Hillsborough County job paying $20,000 more, said in a July 17 Tampa Bay Times interview about the referendum.
Three seats, low turnout history
Beyond District 1, two other school board seats are on the August 18 ballot. District 3 is also open after longtime incumbent Cynthia Armstrong opted not to run again. In District 5, incumbent Megan Harding faces challenger Michelle Mandarin.
Pasco's primary turnout has been historically low: 24.88 percent in 2022 and 15.88 percent in 2024, according to Neighborhood News Online.
How to vote
The Pasco County Supervisor of Elections mailed more than 35,000 vote-by-mail ballots on Thursday, July 9. The deadline to request a mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, August 6.
Early voting runs Saturday, August 8, through Saturday, August 15. Election Day is Tuesday, August 18.
For questions about Thursday's forum, contact organizer Barbara Aderhold at [email protected].
