BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Five of the nine seats on the Broward County School Board are up for election this year.
The regular school board term is four years.
DISTRICT 1
Maura McCarthy Bulman is the incumbent seeking reelection after assuming office in November 2024.
Her campaign website describes Bulman as “a dedicated mother of four sons who have attended Broward County Public Schools in District 1” and whose “experience as a local attorney, community volunteer, and a long-time Hollywood resident inspired her to run for office.”
Running against Bulman is Carmen Gimenez.
According to her campaign website, Gimenez is a “Venezuelan-American-Latina.
The website describes her as a “statist” who is “known in international circles, United Nations (U.N.), The Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassadors, Countries, Refugees, congressmen, senators, counties, cities, national and international entrepreneurs, and officers.”
She previously ran for mayor of Hallandale Beach in 2024, losing to Joy Cooper who received 68.4% of ballots cast.
DISTRICT 4
Sharry Kimmel’s campaign website describes her as a “distinguished educator and community leader whose career spans over three decades, marked by a commitment to innovative teaching and public service.”
She is a previous recipient of the Broward County Teacher of the Year award (1996) for her work as an educator before transitioning into administrative roles, which includes serving as the founding assistant principal at Sagemont School.
Kimmel has served as a professor of teacher education at Broward College for the past 22 years.
Nicole Morst is a mother of three children who have all attended Broward County Public Schools.
According to her campaign website, she became involved in school advocacy after she “saw firsthand the security gaps” at her daughter’s school, successfully “advocating with district staff and the School Board to implement security updates.”
Morst says she is running “because after years of serving in our schools and on district advisories, I’ve seen the gaps, inequities, and disparities impacting our students and schools.”
DISTRICT 6
Adam Cervera is the incumbent seeking to retain his position after being appointed to the seat by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024.
According to his campaign website, Cervera is an “accomplished attorney where he practices business litigation and represents clients in administrative proceedings” who came up and graduated through Broward County Public Schools before attending the University of Central Florida and then law school at Florida International University.
Jessie Bastos is a native of Davie, and she and her children are all products of Broward County Public Schools.
According to her campaign website, Bastos has “more than 20 years of experience building relationships and driving millions in revenue within Fortune 500 accounts at Samsung and leading diverse, high-performing teams at T-Mobile.”
If elected to the school board, Bastos says she “will champion higher teacher pay, responsible budgeting, and stronger partnerships with families and local organizations.”
Roberto Fernandez has worked in Broward County education for over 20 years, “as a teacher, instructional leader, and community advocate,” according to his campaign website.
He said he is running because he wants to remove politics from decisions that impact students, families and educators in Broward County. Fernandez is also a U.S. Army Reserve veteran.
Makai Aline Henry describes himself as a son of Broward County.
He is a product of Broward County schools and is currently a substitute teacher and debate coach, according to his campaign website.
Henry is running on a platform that features “Four Pillars for Broward’s Future” that include Literacy First, Smaller Classes, Fair Teacher Pay and Against Unregulated AI in Schools.
Lester L. Wilks Jr. joins the race for District 6 “to bring real-world insight and results-driven leadership to our schools,” according to his campaign website, which indicates that he is “already actively involved in school communities, speaking with parents, working alongside staff.”
His platform has four “key priorities” that are listed as “district accountability, parent trust and transparent communication, consistency across schools and student support needs.”
DISTRICT 7
Cynthia Alceus Dominique describes herself as “a wife, nurse practitioner, nurse educator, Army veteran with 23 years of service, and the proud mother of four amazing children who attend Broward County Public Schools.”
A Broward County native and graduate of Coconut Creek High School, Dominique has been an active volunteer within the schools and district.
According to her campaign website, Dominique’s vision for Broward schools include “safe and supportive schools, student success and wellness, accountability and transparency and community engagement and partnerships.”
Rochelle Soffer is a longtime educator, who says she is running for the Broward County School Board “because our schools deserve leadership that has been earned in the classroom.”
According to Soffer’s campaign website, she lists four commitments to students, teachers and families in District 7, should she be elected: “student success, teacher support, school safety and accountability.”
The Broward Teachers Union is listed among Soffer’s endorsements.
DISTRICT 8
Allen Zeman is the incumbent seeking to retain his position after winning a close race in 2022, receiving 51.4% of the 477,828 ballots cast.
He is the CRO of data analytics company CHCI and has worked for U.S. presidents and government leaders, both foreign and domestic.
Zeman is also a product of Broward County Public Schools from grades K through 12 and has endorsements from the Broward Teachers Union and current board members Sarah Leonardi, Jeff Holness, Debbi Hixon and Rebecca Thompson.
For the past two decades, Zeman’s opponent Sonja Azim has worked in classrooms as a special education teacher, ESE specialist, student services coordinator, Dean of Students and as a district trainer.
Her two daughters have both been students with Broward County Public Schools.
According to her campaign website, Azim believes more accountability is paramount, and also stresses the importance of equitable treatment, teacher support and overall school safety.
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