Palm Beach County school district is the tenth largest school district in the nation and fifth largest in Florida. Nearly 172,000 students are enrolled in 234 schools, and approximately 22,800 people are employed by the District. With such a large population of students and employees, leading our school district is a huge undertaking to produce Florida’s best and brightest.  Palm Beach county’s mission statement, which is “to educate, affirm, and inspire each student in an equity-embedded school system,” highlights its commitment to student success.  The 2024 election season resulted in Palm Beach County School Board welcoming three new members. How will these changes in leadership affect our school district students, administration, faculty, staff, and community? 

The school board has three out of seven new faces who now will have term limits. The new board members are Matthew Jay Lane, representing District 1, which is located in the north end of Palm Beach County. Lane brings with him a legal expertise background in family law, and he has served previously as council member in Palm Beach Gardens. District 1 was previously represented by Barbara McQuinn, who held her position for 8 years. “There’s so much I’m going to miss about being on the school board,” McQuinn said about her departure, “but I know for my own age and the age of my husband, it is time for us to use that time together. It’s bittersweet.”   

Another new addition is Virginia Savietto, who represents District 2 located in Greenacres and Palm Springs. Savietto comes to the board with numerous local and national awards for her creativity and leadership experience. District 2 was previously represented by Alex Ayala, who served on the school board for four years and was the first Hispanic board member. Throughout her term, Ayala exhibited passion and dedication to students in our community. She told The Torch that one of most proudest accomplishments was “being part of a team that navigated the system through the pandemic, and by leading the charge of creating the students advisory committee or the SSAC, which is a student organization where high school students get to meet with the superintendent directly to share thoughts and ideas.”  When asked what her biggest concerns were about leaving her position, Ayala said she was most concerned with “the teachers, how much we pay them, and where they are going to live, efforts the district and the board will take to preserve, support and maintain the workforce which is the lifeblood of our district, which is our teachers.” 

The third new board position changing leadership is our very own District 5 represented by Frank Barbieri since 2008. Barbieri has represented Boca Raton schools and has been a pillar in our local community: As a board member, he fought for our school directly. When asked what he felt his biggest impact was, Barbieri responded, “I believe my greatest impact as a school board leader was championing the vital role of educators and ensuring that students always remained at the center of every decision we made.”  Barbieri believes that “teachers are the cornerstone of our society—they shape futures, open doors, and leave indelible marks on the lives of their students.” He thinks that teaching is the greatest profession in the world. “One of the most rewarding aspects of my time on the board was being able to visit schools, read to kindergarteners, and witness the excitement and potential in those young faces,” Barbieri continued.  He shared that he had the profound privilege of shaking the hands of some of those same students as they walked across the stage at graduation. “Watching their growth and knowing how much teachers contributed to their journey is a memory I will cherish forever,” Barbieri stated.   

Barbieri is being replaced by Gloria Branch, who is no stranger to our local community as she is the daughter of Palm Beach county’s previous superintendent and past Spanish River Principal Art Johnson. Branch brings with her vast reach of relationships in our community and a love for preparing students for life. 

With almost half the board represented by new leadership and under a new law instituted with a 4-8 year term limit, what does the future hold for our school district and how will these changes affect us as students? After speaking to many of these amazing leaders, I can say that the students, faculty, and staff are at the forefront of their minds. Their focus will remain on student success and safety as they each navigate the ever-changing political, social, and cultural changes that arise in each area of our district. I don’t have a crystal ball to predict what will be, but I can say that our school board diligently is working for what they believe to be in the best interests of its youth and preparing them for life after high school. 

To learn more about how the new board will support the best and brightest in Palm Beach County, visit the meeting website.