The Broward County School Board members are the nine elected officials who govern Broward County Public Schools, the district that runs 325 schools and serves about 244,000 students. Seven members represent specific geographic districts within the county, and two are elected countywide as at-large members. Together they set policy, adopt the budget, and hire the superintendent who runs the district day to day.
Who Currently Serves
Each seat is tied to either a numbered geographic district or a countywide at-large position. The current members are:1Broward County Public Schools. School Board
- District 1: Maura McCarthy Bulman
- District 2: Rebecca Thompson
- District 3: Sarah Leonardi (Chair)
- District 4: Lori Alhadeff
- District 5: Dr. Jeff Holness (Vice Chair)
- District 6: Adam Cervera, Esq.
- District 7: Nora Rupert
- At-Large Seat 8: Dr. Allen Zeman
- At-Large Seat 9: Debra Hixon
The chair and vice chair are selected by the board itself. They preside over meetings, set agendas, and act as the public face of the board between sessions.
District Seats and At-Large Seats
Seven of the nine members must live in the district they represent, and that residency has to be maintained throughout the term, not just on election day.2Florida Senate. Florida Code 1001.34 – Membership of District School Board This keeps neighborhoods from Pembroke Pines to Coral Springs to Hollywood connected to a member who lives with the same local concerns. The two at-large members are elected by voters across all of Broward County and bring a wider countywide view to debates that could otherwise tilt toward the loudest geographic constituency.1Broward County Public Schools. School Board
Every member, district or at-large, carries one equal vote on every decision. A District 4 member votes on bus routes in District 7, and the at-large members vote on budget line items that affect a single school.
What the Board Decides
The board is a policy-making body, not a management team. Members do not run individual schools or supervise teachers directly. They set the rules and priorities that the superintendent and administrative staff carry out. Residents sometimes bring operational complaints to board members expecting an immediate fix, but the board’s leverage comes through votes at public meetings, not hallway directives.
The single biggest responsibility is the annual budget. For fiscal year 2025, the district budget totaled $6.1 billion, covering the general operating fund, food services, capital construction, grants, and debt payments.3Broward County Public Schools. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget in Brief Members balance state funding formulas, local property tax revenue, and federal grants against district priorities. The board also has sole authority to enter into multi-year contracts regardless of dollar amount, so no long-term vendor deal or construction agreement moves forward without a board vote.4Broward County Public Schools. Purchasing Policy 3800
The board hires and evaluates the superintendent, who serves as the district’s top executive. In Broward County the superintendent is appointed by the board rather than elected, which gives the nine members direct control over who leads operations. When the board parted ways with its previous superintendent in 2024, it hired an outside search firm and appointed an interim leader while the search continued.
Beyond the budget and the superintendent, the board sets policies covering student conduct, curriculum standards, employee expectations, and school safety. These policies are adopted through formal votes at public meetings and apply across every school in the district.
Elections, Terms, and Term Limits
School board elections in Broward County are nonpartisan. Candidates do not run under a party label, and the ballot does not list party affiliation. Elections fall in even-numbered years, with a primary in August and, if needed, a general election in November. Five of the nine seats are up in 2026, with a primary on August 18 and the general election on November 3.
Each term runs four years, and the seats are staggered so the full board never turns over at once. If a candidate takes more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary and no write-in candidate has qualified for the general, that candidate wins outright. Otherwise the top two finishers advance to November.
Florida now imposes an eight-year consecutive term limit on school board members statewide. A member cannot appear on the ballot for reelection if completing the next term would mean serving eight or more consecutive years. The restriction applies only to terms that began on or after November 8, 2022, so members already serving before that date started their eight-year clock with their next term.5Florida Senate. HB 477 Term Limits for District School Board Members – Staff Final Bill Analysis
Public Meetings and How to Be Heard
The board meets at the Kathleen C. Wright Administration Center, 600 SE 3rd Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. The calendar includes regular board sessions, special meetings, and workshops on specific topics.6Broward County Public Schools. Upcoming School Board Meetings All meetings are open to the public under Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, which requires that any gathering where two or more members discuss board business be publicly noticed and open to attendance.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 286.011 – Public Meetings and Records
Members of the public can sign up to speak. At workshops, speakers get three minutes each after board members finish their own discussion.6Broward County Public Schools. Upcoming School Board Meetings The Sunshine Law also means members cannot discuss board business privately with each other outside a noticed meeting, whether by phone, email, text, or through intermediaries. Violations can carry criminal penalties, which is one reason members are careful about how and when they communicate with colleagues.
Can a Board Member Be Removed?
Florida voters cannot recall a school board member. The state’s recall statute applies only to elected officials in municipalities and charter counties, not to school board members.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 100.361 – Municipal Recall Between elections, removal runs through the governor.
Under Article IV, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution, the governor can suspend any county officer, including school board members, for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform the job, or commission of a felony. The governor issues an executive order stating the grounds, and the suspended member is immediately barred from performing official duties or collecting a salary.9Florida Senate. The Florida Constitution – Article IV, Section 7
After a suspension, the Florida Senate decides whether to permanently remove the member or reinstate them. The governor can also reinstate a suspended official at any time before the Senate acts. If the Senate votes to remove, the governor typically appoints a replacement who serves until the next general election. This process has been used in Broward County before.