Orange County voters will elect a School Board Chair in the August primary. The winner will lead the district in selecting a new superintendent to replace Maria Vazquez, who announced her retirement after the 2026‑27 school year. The district, the eighth‑largest in the United States, faces declining enrollment, a rise in taxpayer‑funded voucher programs, and ongoing debates over an e‑scooter ban and teacher contract negotiations.

Two School Board members, Alicia Farrant of District 1 and Angie Gallo of District 3, are competing to replace Teresa Jacobs, who is not seeking re‑election. The race is officially nonpartisan, though each candidate has received endorsements from partisan groups and elected officials.

Farrant, who identifies with Moms for Liberty, has been endorsed by the Orlando Regional Realtor Association and state Representatives Doug Bankson and Rachel Plakon. She has raised concerns about books she says contain inappropriate sexual content, noting that the board voted on July 28 to retain a graphic novel titled 'The Beats' for high school students. Gallo, who has received endorsements from U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost, state Representative Anna Eskamani, and the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, has said the book review process upheld the decision to keep the novel.

Farrant, a mother of five who operates a nonprofit focused on overseas ministry, declined to comment on her children’s school enrollment. Gallo, a mother of two who previously served as president of the Florida School Boards Association, emphasized her advocacy for daily recess legislation and gun‑violence prevention.

Farrant’s priorities include improving student literacy through phonics instruction, expanding teacher training, and adding career‑technical classes such as shop and home economics. Gallo’s priorities focus on recruiting and retaining teachers, establishing specialized microschools for dyslexic students and Montessori‑style programs, and replicating successful models at under‑capacity schools.

Early voting will take place from August 3 to August 16, and polls will be open on August 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. School Board members currently receive an annual salary of $50,000.