Joshua Memminger

Age: 39

Registered political party: NPA

Where they live: Sanford

Where they work: Sergeant with the Sanford Police Department

Prior work experience: Assignments have included Patrol, School Resource Officer, Street Crimes, and the Gang Intelligence and Suppression Unit. He has also held leadership roles supervising patrol squads and the School Resource Unit, where he worked closely with school administrators, students, and families to promote safe and supportive learning environments. In addition, he has spent years mentoring youth as a coach and as a senior advisor and program director for the Police Explorers program.

Prior political experience: This is Joshua Memminger’s second run for elected office. He has served on the Seminole Parks and Preservation Committee since 2023.

Platform: Joshua Memminger said he’s running to bring accountable, accessible, and active leadership to Seminole County Public Schools. His platform focuses on safe schools, strong parent partnership, supporting educators and staff, and maintaining high academic standards while increasing transparency and trust.

Why they are running, in three sentences or less: “I’m running for Seminole County School Board because our students, families, educators, and staff deserve leadership that is present, accountable, and focused on results. As a public school parent and public safety leader, I understand the importance of safe schools, strong communication, and real partnership with our community. I want to help ensure SCPS remains a high-performing district while making sure every student has the opportunity to succeed and every voice is heard.”

Endorsements: None so far

Summary of their campaign finance report: $6,975 in contributions

Candidate website

Fun fact about the candidate: Memminger loves to travel with his family and friends.

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Candidate Q&A: The questions below are based on voter questions and expressed priorities. Each of the candidates within a race were asked the same questions and given the same amount of time to respond. The candidates’ answers were fact checked, checked for spelling and grammar but otherwise unedited.

If elected, what are the three most pressing problems you want to address, and what do you suggest to solve them?

1. Teacher retention and support. Strong schools begin with great teachers. Seminole County must address teacher pay compression, improve classroom support, reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and create an environment where experienced educators choose to build long-term careers. Retaining great teachers benefits students, families and taxpayers alike.
2. Academic achievement, particularly reading. Every child deserves the opportunity to become a confident reader. We need to strengthen early literacy, identify struggling students sooner, expand targeted interventions and use data to ensure our strategies are producing measurable results. Academic excellence should remain the district’s highest priority
3. Trust through transparency and accountability. Parents, employees and taxpayers deserve leadership that is honest, accessible and accountable. The school board should ask tough questions, communicate openly, and ensure every major decision is made with the best interests of students first. Trust is built through transparency, responsible stewardship and consistent accountability.

How should the district handle teacher shortages?

Teacher shortages are fundamentally a retention challenge. While recruiting talented educators is important, our first priority should be keeping the outstanding teachers we already have. That means addressing pay compression, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, providing meaningful professional support and ensuring teachers have orderly classrooms where learning can thrive. We should also strengthen partnerships with local colleges, recruit veterans and career changers, and develop mentoring programs that help new teachers succeed. Supporting teachers is one of the best investments we can make in student achievement.

Florida ranked last in the nation for academic growth in reading. How would you improve that?

Reading proficiency is the foundation of every other academic subject. We need to get back to the fundamentals by strengthening early literacy, identifying struggling readers as early as possible and providing evidence-based interventions before students fall further behind. Schools should have the flexibility to respond to the unique needs of their students while remaining accountable for measurable improvement. We must also address chronic absenteeism because students cannot learn if they are not consistently in the classroom. Every child deserves the opportunity to become a strong reader.

What changes, if any, would you make to school safety policies?

School safety requires constant improvement, not complacency. I support regularly reviewing campus security, visitor management, emergency communications, reunification plans and staff training to ensure schools are prepared before emergencies occur. Safety also means maintaining orderly classrooms where teachers are supported, students understand expectations and appropriate interventions are available when needed. As a public safety leader and former School Resource Officer, I understand that safe schools are built through preparation, relationships, communication and accountability. Students learn best when they feel safe, and teachers teach best when they feel supported. We have phenomenal partnerships with the Sheriff’s Office and police departments, which I fully support and would seek to maintain well into the future.

How should book challenges and library removals be handled?

Parents deserve transparency, and students deserve access to age-appropriate educational materials. Book challenges should follow a consistent, transparent review process that complies with Florida law, respects parental concerns and relies on objective educational standards rather than politics. Families should have confidence in what materials are available to their children, and decisions should always be made in the best interests of students through a fair and professional process.

What outside organizations or endorsements are supporting your campaign?

I am honored to have earned the endorsement of several local elected officials, and I’m excited to share those announcements soon. But the endorsements I value most come from the parents, educators, public safety professionals, community leaders and residents across Seminole County who believe our schools deserve safe learning environments, strong academic achievement, fiscal responsibility, and accountable leadership.

Those endorsements weren’t earned overnight. They were built over nearly two decades of showing up, putting in the work and investing in our community. That’s the kind of leadership I’ll bring to the Seminole County School Board.

If elected, what policy would you try to pass in your first year?

One of my first priorities would be launching a comprehensive teacher retention initiative that examines salary compression, workplace support, professional development and classroom conditions. Strong academics begin with retaining outstanding educators. I would also advocate for improved transparency by establishing measurable performance metrics so the school board and the public can evaluate whether district initiatives are delivering meaningful results. Every decision should reflect responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and improve student outcomes.

Public school enrollment has been declining in Seminole County for the last several years. How will you handle the declining funding for public education in Seminole County while retaining quality education for students?

Declining enrollment is a real challenge because when students leave, state funding goes with them. The answer isn’t simply cutting programs or asking taxpayers for more money. We have to give families a reason to choose Seminole County Public Schools in the first place. That starts with getting the basics right: safe schools, strong academics, excellent teachers and responsible leadership. We need to be smart with taxpayer dollars by improving efficiency, focusing spending on what directly benefits students and making sure every investment produces results. We also need to listen to families, understand why some are choosing other options and be willing to make changes that strengthen our schools.

I don’t believe the future of SCPS is about managing decline. It’s about rebuilding trust, supporting great teachers, and creating schools that families are excited to choose because they know their children will be safe, challenged and prepared for success.

Most school funding is controlled by state lawmakers, but local school boards can tack on additional property taxes with voter approval. Do you support additional optional property taxes for schools? Explain your answer.

Before asking taxpayers for additional funding, the district must first demonstrate it has responsibly managed existing resources, prioritized classroom instruction, supported teacher retention and eliminated unnecessary waste. I would want to see the results of an independent efficiency audit and a clear plan tied to measurable outcomes, including early literacy benchmarks, before supporting any new referendum. If the district can show, through a transparent public process, that additional local funding would directly improve student outcomes, strengthen school safety or retain high-quality teachers, then voters deserve the chance to evaluate that proposal. Fiscal stewardship and accountability come first.

What role should AI play for students in the classroom? What role should it play for educators?

Artificial intelligence should be a tool that enhances education, not replaces learning or human relationships. Students should use AI to support research, tutoring and skill development while continuing to develop critical thinking, writing, and problem-solving abilities. For educators, AI can reduce administrative workload, assist with lesson planning and help personalize instruction, provided appropriate safeguards exist for privacy, accuracy and academic integrity. Technology should strengthen teaching, not replace the teacher.

There have been multiple calls for Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent Serita Beamon to resign. Do you support Beamon as superintendent?

A school board member’s job is to evaluate the superintendent based on leadership, transparency, responsible financial management, student outcomes and the trust they’ve earned from the community. Right now, I have concerns about transparency, budgeting and public confidence. That’s why I believe school board members should ask tough questions, expect honest answers and never be afraid to hold district leadership accountable.

My loyalty isn’t to any one person. It’s to the students, teachers, staff, families and taxpayers of Seminole County. I’ll approach every decision with an open mind, look at the facts and make the choice that’s best for our schools. I won’t be a rubber stamp for anyone.

If elected, I’ll work with the superintendent by setting clear expectations, communicating the Board’s priorities and evaluating progress based on results. When we’re making progress, I’ll support it. When we’re not, I’ll ask why, expect a plan to fix it and do my job to make sure our schools are moving in the right direction.

More than $100 million in public money has gone to private scholarships in Seminole County alone. Philosophically, do you think public money should go to private schools for education? Explain your answer.

I believe public education is one of the most important institutions in our community. It should be strong, trusted and available to every child. I also believe parents have the primary responsibility for deciding what educational environment is best for their child. I don’t believe those two principles have to be in conflict.

Philosophically, I believe our education system should support both a strong public school system and meaningful educational choices for families. My responsibility as a school board member is not to rewrite state law. It’s to ensure Seminole County Public Schools are the first choice for as many families as possible by providing safe schools, strong academics, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and accountable leadership.

No matter where a child is educated, every public dollar should be spent responsibly, transparently and with clear accountability. My focus will always be on strengthening our public schools, supporting our educators and earning the trust of the families we serve.

How do you think conflicts between parents and educators should be settled?

Most conflicts between parents and educators don’t start because either side has bad intentions. They usually start because communication breaks down.

As a former School Resource Officer, School Resource Unit Sergeant and public school parent, I’ve sat in those meetings where emotions were high, parents were frustrated, teachers felt unsupported and administrators were trying to find a path forward. My job wasn’t to take sides; It was to lower the temperature, listen to everyone involved and help move the conversation toward a solution that was in the student’s best interest. Those experiences taught me that listening is just as important as leading.

Parents want what’s best for their children, and teachers want what’s best for their students. Those goals should never be viewed as competing with one another. Whenever possible, concerns should be addressed early through honest, respectful conversations. When a disagreement can’t be resolved, the district should have a fair, transparent process that follows policy, looks at the facts and keeps the student’s best interests at the center of every decision.

Strong schools are built on trust. Parents deserve to be heard, teachers deserve to be respected as professionals and students deserve adults who are willing to work together on their behalf.