Orange County school board member Angie Gallo was elected Orange County’s next school board chair Tuesday night, securing 59 percent of the vote in a closely watched race against fellow school board member Alicia Farrant.
Gallo, a mom of two and proud product of the public school system, will succeed outgoing chair Teresa Jacobs, a longtime elected official who previously served as Orange County mayor. Orange County is one of the few school districts in Florida where the school board chair is elected by voters, not simply chosen by the school board members.
The school board chair has the power to set the agenda for school board meetings, and is able to break a tie on votes during school board meetings. The chair, in effect, helps lead the decision-making and future of Orange County Public Schools, the fourth-largest school district in Florida — and the eighth-largest in the nation — serving more than 200,000 students.
Gallo, a former PTA leader, was first elected to the school board in 2018. An ally of the Orange County teachers’ union, Gallo campaigned on a pro-public education platform, describing the chair race as “a choice of strong leadership versus ideology and chaos.”
Farrant, a Republican mom of five, first drew headlines a few years ago for her book-banning activism before she was elected to the Orange County school board in 2022. She drew scrutiny in the race for school board chair this year over her affiliation with Moms for Liberty, a right-wing parental rights group and key driver of the movement to ban books that focus on race, gender identity or sexuality from schools.
“Tonight, Orange County rejected Moms for Liberty extremism and chose an experienced public school leader who believes every student belongs,” said Equality Florida Action executive director Joe Saunders in a statement to Orlando Weekly.
Moms for Liberty — a group that is becoming increasingly less relevant as top leadership jumps ship — is also aligned with the Trump administration, the school privatization movement — which seeks to eradicate or otherwise undermine public schools — and organizations that seek to eliminate teachers unions.
“Angie has been clear about what she believes public education should look like: schools where every student is safe and supported, educators are respected and empowered, families have a meaningful voice, and every young person has access to a well-rounded education that prepares them for their futures,” said Saunders.
Gallo was endorsed for the chair seat by nearly all of her colleagues on the eight-member school board. She also received endorsements from the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association — a labor union representing more than 13,000 educators in the district — U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost, Equality Florida Action, gun control group Moms Demand Action, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to Gallo, three others were elected to the school board Tuesday night — all Democrats, although school board races are officially nonpartisan. Melissa Lopez Marantes, a lawyer and executive director of the Orlando Center for Justice, was elected to represent District 1. Proud OCPS mom Gloria Reina O’Neal was elected to represent District 2, and educator Susanne Pena was elected to represent District 3 (thereby succeeding Farrant).
“Last night, the voters of Orange County sent a clear and unmistakable message: Orange County remains a bright blue beacon for democracy in the state of Florida,” the Orange County Democratic Party shared in a statement. “Voters decisively rejected extremism in our public schools, electing a fully Democratic School Board committed to protecting every student and ensuring our classrooms remain focused on learning, opportunity, and student success.”
According to the Supervisor of Elections Office, Orange County is home to more than 800,000 registered voters total. Roughly 38 percent of voters are registered Democrats, while 27.9 percent are registered Republicans and about 33 percent are registered as No Party Affiliated or “other.” Voter turnout for the primary election countywide hovered around 22 percent as of Wednesday morning.
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