Who’s running for Broward school board? Meet the candidates for the five races
A slew of new faces could soon join the Broward County School Board dais, with five seats up for re-election in August.
Districts 1, 4, 6 and 7, along with the countywide at-large Seat 8, are on the ballot. The school board consists of nine members representing different areas of the county.
The race will be held Aug. 18, with a runoff, if needed, planned for Nov. 3.
Candidates may live outside their district when they run for a seat, but under Florida law, they must move there if elected.
District 4 board member Lori Alhadeff and District 7 member Nora Rupert both opted out of re-election, with two newcomers having qualified for each seat to replace them.
Here’s a look at who is vying for a seat:
District 1
District 1 member Maura Bulman of Hollywood is seeking another term and has held her position for two years. Portions of Miramar and Pembroke Pines are under her district’s jurisdiction, among others.
Bulman, an attorney by trade, faces one challenger: Carmen Jackie Gimenez.
Gimenez is a Hallandale resident, author and human rights activist.
Born in Venezuela, Gimenez founded the nonprofit group USA Refugees and Immigrants Corp. in 2012, which provides assistance to Venezuelans seeking asylum or Temporary Protected Status in the U.S.
She ran unsuccessfully for Hallandale Beach mayor in 2020 as nonpartisan candidate, receiving about 20% of the vote. Gimenez also ran for governor as an independent in 2022, coming in third out of four candidates with 31,577 votes, according to Ballotpedia.
Bulman’s campaign has raised about $21,550, including a $5,000 loan from herself, financial reporting records show. Gimenez, who filed to run as a Republican in the County Commission race before withdrawing to pursue school board, has reported $3,000 in the form of a loan to herself.
Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, West Park and portions of Dania Beach also fall under this district.
District 4
District 4 seat Lori Alhadeff announced earlier this year she would not seek re-election.
She was elected in 2018 after her daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting and has since served three terms in office, about eight years.
Alhadeff endorsed Sharry Kimmel in her place. Kimmel is a professor of teacher education at Broward College and also lives in Parkland. She has a doctorate in Child, Youth and Family Studies.
“I plan on carrying the torch for school safety that you have carried so eloquently for so long,” Kimmel said in a video with Alhadeff posted to Facebook. “That is a priority, as well as keeping the best teachers in Broward.”
In the same video, Alhadeff said she plans to serve public schools more “nationally” with her nonprofit Make Our Schools Safe, dedicated to equipping schools with tools and training in the event of safety emergencies.
The other candidate on the ballot is volunteer school advocate and Coral Springs resident Nicole Morst.
“I think I’ve hit the limit of what I’m able to do, and so now I would like a seat at the table to actually vote on the changes that we bring,” Morst told the Coral Springs News on Feb. 2. “Because we can bring it to them, but we can’t make them vote on it.”
District 4 covers Coral Springs, Margate, North Lauderdale, Parkland and Tamarac.
District 6
District 6 incumbent Adam Cervera, who was appointed to his seat in early 2025 by Gov. Ron DeSantis, faces four challengers in the August race.
According to reporting from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the candidates are:
- Jessie Bastos (Davie), a technology sales executive
- Roberto Fernandez (Sunrise), an instructional facilitator
- Makai Aline Henry (Davie), a substitute teacher and debate coach whose mom is a Broward teacher
- Lester Wilks Jr. (Davie), who operates after-care programs
District 7
District 7 board member Rupert, the board’s longest-serving member, made the decision Friday, June 12, to end her re-election campaign because of health issues.
Rupert did not submit the necessary items to qualify for re-election, despite having raised around $16,525. Candidates had until noon Friday to file paperwork and a $2,263 fee.
Two candidates qualified for the race shortly before the deadline: Cynthia Dominique and Rochelle “Shelly” Soffer.
Dominique is a nurse and district volunteer, and Soffer is an educator and speech-language pathologist for the school district.
District 7 includes Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach, Lighthouse Point, Margate, Pompano Beach and tribal lands.
At-large Seat 8
The countywide at-large, Seat 8 position, held by Allen R. Zeman, faces one challenger.
Sonja Azim, of Plantation, is a safety and security trainer with the school district running against Zeman, who was elected in 2022.
