It does not matter if you are a registered Republican, Democrat, not affiliated with a party, or other. All registered voters can vote in the Seminole County School board elections. Three seats are up, with ten candidates in the running.

District 1, however, has just two candidates: Deborah Bauer plans to unseat incumbent Kristine Kraus. It’s no secret that since the pandemic began, school issues have become divisive and political.

Although these races are supposed to be apolitical, party lines are being drawn on the campaign trail. For incumbent Kraus, school safety is her number one priority. For Bauer, she says its parental rights.

Kraus, a former pre-school teacher for 18 years, sees the challenges and burn-out teachers are currently facing each year.

“My focus is on retaining our good teachers,” Kraus explains. “They are feeling under attack, underpaid, under respected, and they are phenomenal.”

Bauer, who attended elementary, middle, and high school in the district, is keen on knowing how to allocate school funding evenly and appropriately.

“Right now, that is going to require tough choices,” Bauer says. “We have to look at where we can do our best by the budget without breaking the bank.”

For the school board race in District 1, this is not a primary. Voters will decide next Tuesday. When a Seminole County voter goes to vote, nowhere on the ballot for any of the school board races does it list a party affiliation next to a candidate’s name, yet mailers put out by the SemDems clearly endorse three candidates, including Kraus.

On the GOP Seminole Voter Guide, they endorse Bauer, as does the parental right advocate group Moms For Liberty.

“I am thrilled to receive the support of anyone who has a definite pro-parent stance when it comes to education,” Bauer said when asked about her endorsements.

But for Kraus, she does not deny that the past couple of years have brought several political issues to the classroom.

“The pandemic forced us to focus on many things we never dreamed we would focus on,” Kraus, who has served on the school board for a little over three years, says. “Protecting the health of our staff, protecting the health of our students, just figuring out a way to continue our job, which is to educate your children.”

That decision of who will educate the children in Seminole County is now in the hands of voters. As for the two other races, there are 8 candidates, four in each race for District 2 and 5. A run off could be possible, but for District 1, a winner will be declared next Tuesday.