But – ending culture wars aside – what’s next for the newly liberal board?
By Ed James III and Rhatia Murphy
Original Air Date: August 25, 2026
Host: For four years, Sarasota County’s school board was ground zero in America’s culture wars. Last week, voters may have just changed that. Our reporters Rhatia Murphy and Ed James watched and listened closely at the first school board meeting after the elections. Reporting for WSLR News, here is Ed James III.
[Saxophone music]
Ed James III: The new energy was on full display at the Sarasota School Board meeting Thursday last week, two days after the election. This was also the first regular evening meeting since the board—responding to popular demand—voted to move sessions back to 6:00 p.m. The room was filled with students, teachers, parents and community members. The meeting opened with performances by the Sarasota High School JROTC and the saxophone quartet.
Most notably, the board approved agenda item 10.1, passing state-allocated salary increases for veteran teachers with 10 or more years of experience, alongside contractual point-five percent raises across the district.
While several student and community speakers noted the raises remain modest against rising living costs, board members pointed to state legislative constraints as the primary barrier, a tension likely to carry into budget talks under the incoming board. However, the two non-conservative members of the board expressed an air of optimism.
In an interview with WSLR reporter Rhatia Murphy, School Board Member Liz Barker expressed her optimism for the future of Sarasota County Schools.
Liz Barker
Liz Barker: I’m really excited and hopeful because I think this is a fresh start for the Sarasota County school board, and I’m looking forward to having discussions that revolve more around students and their families and teachers and less around politics. I think that’s the direction that we’re headed, and it’s going to be a great thing for all of us.
EJ: Following the August 18 primary election, the political landscape of Sarasota County’s public school system is undergoing a seismic shift. For the past four years, Sarasota had become a national flashpoint in school board culture wars, often making headlines for contentious meetings, conservative policy overhauls and high-profile board controversies under a majority anchored by Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler and allies Karen Rose and Robyn Marinelli. With all three incumbents opting to not seek reelection, voters were guaranteed three new members.
Megan Tennimon and family
However, what took place was not just the election of new board members but a full-blown public rejection of the conservative leadership that served for almost a decade. Public school advocates Megan Tennimon and Beth Mayberry scored decisive double-digit victories in their respective races, while candidate Jimmy Glover advanced to a November runoff against conservative Heidi Brandt. The results mean control of the five-member board will shift away from that long-standing conservative majority toward a more moderate, public school-focused bloc.
The outcome captured national attention. Tennimon was interviewed Monday on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show. Maddow highlighted Sarasota as a key bellwether where voters across party lines rejected culture-war politics in favor of traditional public education priorities.
Beth Mayberry
The November 3 elections will see the runoff between Glover and Brandt in District 1. A Glover win would cement the governing shift on the board; a Brandt win would leave a conservative voice and could slow the pace of change. A Glover win would also mean the election of Sarasota’s first Black school board member. Either way, three new members are set to be seated after November. Board watchers say the incoming majority is expected to prioritize teacher pay, classroom resources and de-escalating the culture-war fights that have defined recent years, an agenda many say better reflects what voters said they wanted at the ballot box.
Jimmy Glover with students
The shifting political terrain was not the only headline from the August 20 meeting. During board member comments, Tom Edwards disclosed that he has formally requested an independent criminal investigation by the Sarasota Police Department into an unauthorized leak of a confidential district document. At issue is a third-party report evaluating misconduct allegations at Riverview High School. Edwards said the request was meant to keep the inquiry independent of both the superintendent’s office and the board itself, given that several sitting members were among the small number of people who had access to the report.
When asked about his motives, Edwards pointed to the importance of accountability amongst those who take a constitutional oath
Tom Edwards
Tom Edwards: We all know as constitutional officers that we’re trusted with confidential information about investigations until the investigations are settled.
EJ: It wasn’t all gloom and doom with Edwards though, when asked about the future of the school board, he mentioned happier meetings.
TE: I think you’ll see much happier board meetings where people are coming in with positive accolades and constructive ideas and suggestions.
EJ: For WSLR 96.5 FM News, I’m Ed James III, reporting with Rhatia Murphy.
Clarification: Beth Mayberry was mentioned, but did not appear on the Rachel Maddow Show. We changed the transcript of the report accordingly.
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