Abby Sanchez

Abby Sanchez is a Longwood resident running for re-election to the District 3 Seat of the Seminole County School Board. She currently serves as the board chair of the school board, which is a position voted on by the board. She has occupied this seat since 2016, in which she advocated for mental health awareness and “initiated the JUUL lawsuit in Seminole County.”

Sanchez has been involved in education for the past 35 years, 26 of which were as a teacher. She served as PTA president for seven years. 

Sanchez began her role in education as a ninth grade student, serving on the school board as a student representative in Broward County, as well as serving as class president all through high school. Sanchez graduated from Florida State University with a degree in education. 

“As a parent and an educator for over 26 years, I feel like I truly can make a difference, and I support each and every child,” Sanchez told OCN. “As your elected school board member, I will continue to listen to you, I will continue to advocate for you, to be your voice, to make sure our children feel safe, that our employees feel safe, and that we build a better, diverse community every single day.” Learn more. 

Sanchez said that all of her children attended County Public Schools during all of the years they were in school.

She has been endorsed by the Seminole County Public Education PAC, Seminole Casselberry Vice Mayor Anthony Aramendia, Seminole County Tax Collector J.R. Kroll, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, Seminole County Property Appraiser David Johnson and Altamonte Springs Mayor Pat Bates, as well as teachers and parents. View a full list of testimonials.

Over the course of her campaign Sanchez has raised $107,344.99, with some coming from political action committees, such as CIGNA Group based in Pennsylvania. Sanchez has spent $35,326.64 across her campaign, according to Voter Focus. 

OCN Q&A

OCN created a profile for each candidate and sent each candidate a list of questions that we created based on input from residents of Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs. Each candidate within a specific race got the same list of questions at the same time and had a 50-word limit per question. Answers were only edited for grammar and clarity.

Policy

Q: The state has drawn headlines in the past two years for making book bans easier in schools, including some considered classics of American literature. How do you feel about the way the state has managed this system, and what changes, if any, would you make?

A: I support parents having a say on their own child’s education, however I feel the state overreached with these policies. I’d like to see an alternative system put in place where parents can request their child be given an alternative book and assignments that addresses the state standards being taught.

Q: A.I. technology has become a part of academic life, helping students become better writers but in some instances helping them to plagiarize or cheat. How would you propose we manage the threat and opportunity of A.I. in schools?

A: Educating our children is key to preparing them for multiple career pathways. We need to continue to educate our students in academic honesty while negotiating for a contract for an assignment checking software/app to aide teachers with spotting plagiarized assignments without costing them money out of their own pockets.

Transparency 

Q: Parents want to know their school system is doing its best to educate their children in a safe and nurturing environment. Part of that is providing a clear view of the leadership and decision-making process at the district level. Right now, school board workshops where a lot of important discussions happen are not as accessible to the public as general school board meetings where many things are approved without discussion. The workshops are held during typical working hours, making it difficult to attend; There’s no way for people to dial into the meeting remotely; and the recordings of the meeting are not published. What would you do to enhance transparency and ensure parents feel they are both being heard and hearing from you?

A: I love the idea to dial in, as workshops should be easily accessed! Also citizens can review workshops via livestream would be a great option too. Individuals would be given an opportunity to provide input either in writing or online. Transparency/communication is critical!

Taxes

Q: The Seminole County School Board recently approved a lower tax rate, which prompted praise from some residents, saying that not all residents have children in schools, and criticism from others, saying that they think the schools need additional funding for things like teacher pay increases. In order to raise taxes higher than the state’s rate ceiling, the school board would have to vote to put that measure on the ballot. Would you support placing such an item on the ballot? Please explain your answer.

A: We need to continue to review spending/contracts with vendors and find the necessary funding before asking residents to pay more in taxes. If we were to consider a ballot measure, I’d insist on a thorough breakdown of the needed funds to ensure a minimum impact to residents.

Q: Some residents worry that taxes might be used to fund unnecessary projects or expenses. What would you do to add public input and transparency to decisions by the School Board?

A: I would make sure that any new budget items and/or changes to our budget were publicly posted and that a minimum of two board meetings with opportunity for input were provided before any vote was held. Holding town hall meetings for input would help with transparency/communication.

 Traffic and transportation

Q: The county said it’s in need of more bus drivers to transport students. What do you think the school board can do to help make sure this need is filled?

A: Our bus drivers, both new and veterans, deserve better compensation and benefits. In addition to increased benefits, we need to have our bus drivers share their concerns and ideas, and make sure they are heard and addressed. We can create bonuses for our drivers when they recruit drivers to our district.

Q: What do you say to residents who argue that pedestrian safety is poor in Seminole County and that the local governments need more uniform signage and safer crosswalks, particularly near schools? 

A: I’d like to see our citizens, school district, county officials, safety personnel, and law enforcement address the numerous areas that need more signage, crossing guards and crosswalks, so they can work together to address stricter school zone laws with enforcing fines for those who speed in any area near our schools.

Growth

Q: Is development in the area outpacing the infrastructure, including water, housing, schools and roads? In 2022, the Oviedo Local Planning Agency board explored this issue and found that Seminole County’s method of measuring road capacity uses total daily traffic numbers instead of congestion during rush hours, leading to the sense that roads have capacity that motorists aren’t seeing. 

What will you do to ensure schools don’t suffer this same problem of overstating capacity and causing class size issues, overburdened teachers and overwhelmed students?

A: To stay ahead of growth in Seminole County, the district needs to proactively work continuously to  stay informed about upcoming construction projects so the district can plan out its own growth to match development as best as we can to provide safe and secure schools for our students and staff.

Q: Because we live in a growing area, what will you do to minimize the issue of children being bused farther distances because their nearby school is at capacity? How can the school board make it easier to keep students in their neighborhood schools?

A: By working with the county and local municipalities to develop a comprehensive growth plan for the district based on upcoming and projected construction, the district will be able to ensure students spend less time being bussed to and from and more time learning and growing alongside their friends and neighbors.

Teacher pay 

Q: While new teacher salaries were recently raised, some residents raised concerns about veteran teacher pay, citing that teachers do not get a raise until they’ve been with the district for more than 20 years. Do you think more pay incentives are needed to retain teachers in Seminole County? If elected, what would you implement in order to retain teachers once they’re hired?

A: I see firsthand the stress that’s placed on educators. I am working on a state nonpartisan bill to add a penny on alcohol, tobacco, and vaping products. We need more funding from the state! Our teachers have way too much on their plates. Salaries, safety, and mental health are a priority!