Nancy Bostock will return to the Pinellas County School Board after a race decided by just seven votes.
The former School Board member and Pinellas County commissioner defeated Amanda Lord in the District 6 contest following a recount conducted by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. The two candidates were separated by only two votes before additional provisional and cured mail ballots were counted.
Following the recount, Bostock said, “I’m a former high school social studies teacher and I’ve been volunteering on campaigns since I was a teenager. I’ve always said it, and now I’ve lived it – EVERY vote matters!”
The race to replace outgoing School Board member Stephanie Meyer tightened as votes were counted following the Aug. 18 election.
At one point on election night, Lord held a lead approaching 1,000 votes. That advantage narrowed as additional results came in, with Bostock eventually moving ahead. By Thursday, just two votes separated the candidates, triggering a recount under Florida law.
Florida requires a machine recount when candidates are separated by 0.5 percentage points or less. A manual recount is required when the margin following the machine recount is 0.25 percentage points or less.The seven-vote finish easily met both thresholds.
Bostock previously served on the Pinellas County School Board from 1998 to 2008, including two terms as chair and three as vice chair. She subsequently served one term on the Pinellas County Commission.
Her return comes as the school district faces a problem that could shape many of the board’s financial and operational decisions in the coming years: fewer students.
“The Pinellas County School District is challenged with a declining enrollment and an ensuing decline in funding,” Bostock said.
She pointed to the district’s efforts to create additional educational options, including K-8 schools, as officials consider further school consolidations.
“I am encouraged by the district’s focus on offering students and families new educational opportunities such as K-8 schools as they consider additional school consolidations,” Bostock told Poliverse.
Enrollment carries financial consequences for the district because fewer students can mean less funding. It also leaves the district managing buildings and other expenses designed for a larger student population.
Asked where the district should prioritize its money, Bostock said: “The district should protect expenditures that directly support student success and look for efficiencies leveraging technology and its decreasing facility needs that come with declining enrollment,” she said.
The District 6 race was officially nonpartisan, although Bostock entered the election with support from numerous Republican elected officials. Her endorsements included six Pinellas County commissioners, several members of the county’s legislative delegation and local municipal leaders. Lord received support from officials including Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers and School Board member Laura Hine.
Bostock said partisan disagreements should not drive decisions once candidates take their seats on the board.
“The School Board is comprised of seven independently elected County leaders,” she said. “The Board has a strong track record of keeping student success as its common goal.”
She added that disagreements among board members do not necessarily have to become an obstacle “as long as we remain focused on that common goal, any disagreements along the way can lead to a more thorough decision making process and stronger end results.”