Jacob Ogles
Teacher Susanne Peña will challenge conservative School Board member Alicia Farrant for her seat on the Orange County School Board.
Peña’s campaign said she will file Monday morning for the nonpartisan office representing District 3, and will host a press conference at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center at 11 a.m.
“A proud Latina, mother, and fierce advocate for students, Peña will outline her vision for strengthening public education in Orange County,” read a release from her campaign.
Rep. Rita Harris, an Orlando Democrat, and former Sen. Victor Torres, an Orlando Democrat, both plan to attend the event and promote Peña’s candidacy. Peña will also be joined by community advocate and Breathe for Change teacher Sonia Ledger, and by Clifford Sawyer and Stephanie Ziglar, parents of students in the School District.
Farrant, a Moms for Liberty activist, won election to the School Board in 2022. She ran on a desire to get certain books removed from the School District’s library system, and has been a stalwart ally of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in one of the only counties in Florida where Democrats consistently outperform Republicans.
The Orange County Democratic Party is openly supporting Peña’s candidacy, stressing the need to curb the Moms for Liberty agenda in public schools. Peña, as a nonpartisan candidate, cannot promote her own party affiliation but supporters can independently do so.
She has been involved in policy issues in the Legislature this Session as President of the Florida Association for Bilingual Education (and notably sent out press releases on her campaign launch in English and Spanish).
Peña supported a House bill backed by Harris that would allow students who are native Spanish speakers to take standardized tests in their first language.
“Ensuring that educators have access to resources that allow them to accurately assess students’ content knowledge, irrespective of language barriers, is key to supporting the academic success of every student,” Peña said when the bill was filed.
