Gabrielle Russon
Orange County Public Schools Board Member Angie Gallo is running for Chair, a leadership post currently held by Teresa Jacobs.
Jacobs, the former Orange County Mayor who was elected School Board Chair in 2018, confirmed Tuesday she does not plan to seek re-election again. So far, no one else has officially filed to run beside Gallo.
The non-partisan School Board races are on the November 2026 ballot.
Gallo currently is serving her second term representing District 1 for OCPS, which is the eighth largest district in the United States and the fourth largest in Florida.
“In unprecedented times of attacks on public education funding, we need an experienced leader as School Board Chair to find cost effective ways to educate our children, pay our teachers and staff what they are worth, and revitalize our physical buildings and equipment,” Gallo said in a statement. “My past public education advocacy in Orange County and Tallahassee, my two terms as a School Board Member, and my experience and leadership in the Florida School Board Association make me the ideal person to serve the families and communities of Orange County as School Board Chair.”
Gallo, who is the President of the Florida School Boards Association, pointed to her advocacy for the passage of the Recess Bill, which requires daily recess for elementary students, and the Baker Act reform bill to protect student rights and promote mental health awareness.
“Before her election to the school board, Gallo held leadership roles on numerous district and school-level committees, including the Superintendent Search Committee, Calendar Committee, and the Orange County Teacher of the Year Selection Committee,” according to her campaign press release. “She has been an active leader in the Parent Teacher Association at both the local and state level, served on School Advisory Committees, and is a proud graduate of the inaugural class of OCPS Leadership Orange.”
