As part of our commitment to providing you with what you need to make an informed decision in the 2026 elections, News 6 joined with the News Collaborative of Central Florida to present the Voting Central Florida 2026 Voter’s Guide.
Tuesday, Aug. 18 is the Florida Statewide Primary election, a mix of party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, such as school board races, judicial races, and county commission races in some counties.
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[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you’re eligible to vote|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]
Florida has a closed primary system, which means only members of a political party may vote in party primaries. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20.
However, judicial races and local races, for the most part, are open to all registered voters, regardless of political party.
Everything you need to know in order to vote in the Aug. 18 Statewide Primary, including how to vote by mail, vote early, and vote on Election Day, can be found in our Election 2026 section HERE.
Lake County School Board District 1
The Lake County School Board has five districts. These are nonpartisan races, so they are open to all voters.
School Board District 1 encompasses voters in the western part of the county, including Mascotte and Groveland. You can see a map of the area HERE.
The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates.
Not all of the candidates responded. Where candidates did not respond, we have filled out the information to the best of our abilities.
News 6 compiled the candidate responses for Lake County School Board District 1, emailing and calling the candidates over several weeks. Responses were edited for spelling and grammar, but otherwise left intact.
Pat Kelley
WEBSITE: https://www.pat4lake.com/
FOR CHALLENGERS AND OPEN SEATS: Why do you deserve to be elected in this race?
As your school board member, I will bring a proven track record of managing rapid community growth without burdening families with new public debt or higher taxes. Over my nearly 20 years as (Minneola) mayor, I successfully guided our population expansion by holding developers accountable for funding infrastructure, and I will bring that same “pay-as-you-go” fiscal discipline to our school district to protect your hard-earned tax dollars. Combined with my 35 years of corporate financial experience and nearly three decades as a classroom professor, I have the unique professional and educational background needed to optimize our budgets, support our teachers, and ensure our schools grow responsibly.
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Please put your responses in the sections below.
Problem Number 1 and Solution: District Success - I plan to support teachers and programs by using a developer-funded fiscal model to protect the district’s budget, freeing up public funds to go directly into teacher compensation and essential classroom resources. As a veteran adjunct professor, I feel teachers are the heart of the system and will advocate for giving them flexible tools, mental health support, and individualized resources needed to handle diverse learning environments. Furthermore, I champion educational choice by backing a broad range of high-quality program modalities, including traditional public schools, charter schools, private options, and homeschooling networks.
Problem Number 2 and Solution: Residential Development - I plan to manage rapid student population growth by maintaining a “developer-funded infrastructure” approach and strict “pay-as-you-go” fiscal policies, mirroring the strategies I used during my nearly 20 years as (Minneola) mayor. Instead of raising taxes or accumulating government debt to build new facilities, I intend to advocate for private developers to fund and build critical school infrastructure ahead of residential expansions, leveraging private sector efficiency to handle overcrowding without draining public funds.
Problem Number 3 and Solution: Budget - I plan to draw from a 35-year background in corporate finance and accounting. I will advocate a conservative fiscal model to protect taxpayers. My strategy will focus on driving operational efficiencies to maintain stable property taxes, preventing unnecessary tax increases, and avoiding new public debt for capital projects.
How would you handle district budget issues? I would address school district budget issues by prioritizing fiscal responsibility, transparency, and student success. I would work to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently while protecting funding for teachers, school safety, and effective academic programs. I would also advocate for additional state funding and seek opportunities to maximize available resources.
How should the district handle teacher shortages? I will continue working with Tallahassee to advocate for increased funding to support not only new teachers but also experienced educators. Additionally, I would continue to support programs that provide professional development, strengthen instructional skills, and ensure teachers feel safe, supported, and well-prepared in the classroom.
Florida ranked last for academic growth in reading. How would you improve that? Fortunately, Lake County improved from a C-rated district to an A-rated district. This achievement suggests that the district is implementing effective programs and strategies that produce positive results. I would continue to support the district’s decisions and efforts to maintain this progress.
What changes, if any, would you make to school safety policies? I will continue working closely with law enforcement to maintain safe and secure learning environments for our students and staff. Additionally, I would continue to evaluate and implement improvements as technology evolves to enhance school safety and preparedness.
How should book challenges and library removals be handled? I believe this is an issue that extends beyond school libraries to include public libraries as well. I will advocate for clearer guidance and more consistent, well-defined standards across the state to ensure these matters are addressed fairly and effectively.
What outside organizations or endorsements are supporting your campaign? Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, Lake County School Board Chair, District 1 Bill Mathias
If elected, what policy would you try to pass in your first year? Ensure the school board prioritizes excellent customer service for families and teachers, while delivering a balanced budget that avoids new public debt and protects families from tax hikes.
Eric Schwalbach
WEBSITE: https://voteschwalbach.com/
FOR CHALLENGERS AND OPEN SEATS: Why do you deserve to be elected in this race?
I have dedicated the last 30 years of my life to educating students. I am currently still in the classroom working in a system that is not meeting the needs of all our children. I know exactly what it takes to improve the system and I am willing to put in the time, money, and effort required to improve the quality of education for our students. I will be donating my entire school board salary to implement the programs I mention below so it does not require any extra taxpayer funding. This means over $180,000 in a 4-year period going to our youth. I was part of the math team who brought Oak Park Middle School from a D to a C, so I know exactly what it takes to make sure that EVERY child is getting what they need to succeed. Politicians want to tell you how great their system is, I want to show you how much better our system can and will be! We have to DEVELOP Income Producing Citizens who are Life Long Learners!
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Please put your responses in the sections below.
Problem Number 1 and Solution: Students are not leaving high school with the math and reading skills needed to succeed at the next level. We have to make sure that our students are getting the support they need in math and reading so they are able to pass the required tests they need to further their college or career opportunities. Create a tutoring program that uses a combination of high-impact math teachers and high school students who need their Bright Future hours to work with struggling students at the elementary, middle, and high schools.
Problem Number 2 and Solution: We need more great teachers. Great teachers develop great students and great students make great schools. We need to develop, recruit, and retain high-impact teachers. We need to develop a dual enrollment education program that recruits and trains high school students for the field of education. Students can now get their 4-year elementary education degree from Lake Sumter State College.
We need to ensure that Lake County teacher pay is competitive with surrounding counties so we do not lose our great teachers. When I was at Oak Park Middle School, my 7th grade students had a substitute the entire year in 6th grade math because they could not hire a qualified math teacher. This puts these students at a huge disadvantage over their peers at other schools.
Problem Number 3 and Solution: We need more career and technical opportunities for our students who may not want to go to college. We are working with organizations to educate and recruit more students into the trade industry. We also need to ensure they have the required math skills to eventually own and run a successful company so they can live the American dream. We also need to make sure that students have access to other career education opportunities at Lake Tech in their own community.
How would you handle district budget issues? Every budget decision should answer one question: Does this help students learn? I’ll protect classrooms first, demand transparency, eliminate waste, and make sure taxpayers know how every dollar is spent. Our children deserve responsible stewardship of public funds. As a math teacher for my entire life, I would analyze and prioritize the funding with student success as the top priority. Protect funding for teachers, classroom instruction, student safety, special education, and essential student services before considering cuts elsewhere. Conduct a line-by-line review of the budget to identify administrative costs, duplicate programs, unnecessary contracts, and other expenses that can be reduced without harming instruction. Look for ways to save through shared services, energy efficiency, and better purchasing agreements. If enrollment is increasing, work with local governments and developers to ensure schools are adequately planned and that available school impact fees and other legal funding sources are used effectively. Pursue state and federal grants, partnerships with businesses and nonprofits, and other revenue sources where appropriate. Publish easy-to-understand budget information, hold public workshops, and explain why difficult decisions are being made before votes occur. Regularly evaluate programs to ensure taxpayer dollars are producing measurable benefits for students. Programs that consistently underperform should be revised or discontinued.
How should the district handle teacher shortages? Great teachers create great communities by developing our future citizens into income-producing citizens who are lifelong learners. We have to respect and support the teachers we have currently while recruiting and developing our own future educators. As I mentioned above, we have to recruit, retain and develop great teachers. This requires developing high-quality dual enrollment education degree opportunities for students to become educators. I did not want to be a teacher when I was in high school or my first year in college. I wanted to be an engineer and work in construction. Doing volunteer hours for my intro to education class in college led to me becoming a lifelong educator who has had a positive impact on the life of thousands of children. I have been able to use education to break the cycle of poverty, lower crime rates, and improve the quality of life in our communities.
Florida ranked last for academic growth in reading. How would you improve that? We have to stop only teaching to the test. We have to promote and develop the love of reading. We have to help and allow our students to fall in love with reading. We have to make sure students have access to high-interest books and articles and give them time during school to read about things they enjoy.
DEVELOP A LOVE FOR READING: I taught 5th grade for 8 years when I first started teaching in 1996, before every child had a computer or phone. I spent a large portion of my day finding great books for each of my students to read. We read as often as possible throughout the day. We read in pairs, in groups, and individually throughout the day. I did a lot of guided reading to model what good readers think about as they read.
BRING BACK CLASSROOM LIBRARIES: We do not encourage kids in middle school or high school to read for pleasure. When I started teaching math in middle school, I made sure my bookshelf was full of books and magazines my students would like to read. Most of my middle school students never read an entire book until they fell in love with a series they found on my shelf. Then they read as many books in the series as they could. This led to them improving their reading scores as well as their math. Most students who never read throughout the entire year, can not stay focused on reading for a 2-hour state reading test. It is like asking them to run a marathon when they have never learned to jog. Many students admit to me that they gave up and did not try on the reading test because there is no penalty if they fail. They think they are beating the system because they just keep getting moved along even though they never ever pass the state test. Then in high school they can not pass the state reading and math test required to get their high school diploma. We have to stop forcing students to only read and write for test that were developed by a for-profit technology company. We have to give them time to read what they like to read and provide a variety of options for them to choose books and articles that are interesting to them.
What changes, if any, would you make to school safety policies? Having a school resource officer on every campus as well as the armed school guardian is great. We have also done a good job implementing our mental health counselors at each school. This is a great proactive way to identify and support students with their mental health before it escalates. We also provide families with connections to family counseling as well.
How should book challenges and library removals be handled? We should only have approved books on our shelves and classroom libraries. If a parent feels that a book is not appropriate for their child, they can report the book so it can be removed immediately while being evaluated.
What outside organizations or endorsements are supporting your campaign? I just joined the race, so I will provide more information as I get endorsements and support.
If elected, what policy would you try to pass in your first year? I want to make sure we provide the needed tutoring and support for high school students to pass the tests they need to succeed at the next level. Two examples are math boot camps for ASVAB to join the military and Algebra 1 end-of-course exam for a high school diploma and college readiness. I have way too many students who I taught 4 years ago in middle school reaching out on social media asking me to tutor them in math so they can pass a test they have to pass for their next career opportunity. I want to make sure every student has access to this level of support so they can become “Income Producing Citizens who are Life Long Learners!”