Kristine Kraus

Age: 67

Where they live: Oviedo

Political party: Nonpartisan race 

Where they work: Seminole County School Board Member

Prior work experience: Former preschool teacher. Over 20 years of volunteer leadership in the PTA, school advisory councils, and providing classroom support. Community partner with the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce and the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools. 

Prior political experience: Elected to the Seminole County School Board in 2018. She’s currently serving a second term.

Platform: Kraus says she’s focused on safe and supportive schools, strong academic excellence, expanded career pathways, transparency with parents, and responsible investment in modern school facilities. She says she’s committed to maintaining Seminole County’s A-rated public school system while strengthening mental health services and workforce readiness programs.

Why they are running, in three sentences or less: “I’m running for reelection because our students deserve safe schools, strong mental health support, and clear pathways to college and careers. As a mom of four SCPS graduates, a former preschool teacher, and a school shooting survivor, this work is deeply personal to me. I want to continue delivering results that put students first and protect the high quality of education Seminole County families expect.”

Summary of voting record: “I have consistently voted to prioritize investments that directly impact students and classrooms. I have championed millions of dollars in funding to expand career and technical education programs, including significant investments in healthcare, emergency services, engineering, and teaching pathways. I supported securing more than $1.9 million to expand school-based mental health services and helped bring full-time social workers to every secondary campus. I have continued to champion for raises for our teachers and staff during difficult financial times, while working to reduce expenditures in other areas.  Nothing is more important than maintaining the high-quality teaching staff we have in Seminole County. I have also backed major facility renovations and long-term capital planning to modernize campuses while protecting taxpayer dollars, to maintain Seminole County’s high-quality workforce and A-rated school system.”

Endorsements: “In both of my previous elections, I have earned the support of teachers, students, and parents from across Seminole County. My campaigns have been backed by both grassroots community members and community leaders who know my work firsthand. From classroom educators to PTA leaders to local business and civic partners, I have built a broad coalition united around strong public schools and putting students first.”

Most recent campaign finance report: $77,066.57

Candidate website

Fun fact about the candidate: “I am a huge Fleetwood Mac Fan (Stevie Nicks, too). We have been to more than 14 concerts, most recently in Chicago when Stevie performed with Billy Joel.”

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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. One of our biggest challenges is ensuring that every student is reading on grade level. As a former preschool teacher, I know early literacy is the foundation for everything that comes after. We need to continue investing in evidenced-based reading instruction, early intervention and giving teachers the training and resources they need to help struggling readers before they fall behind.
2. Recruiting and retaining outstanding teachers remains a priority. Great schools start with great educators. I will continue to advocate for competitive salaries, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, strengthening our teacher pipelines through partnerships with Seminole State College and ensuring teachers have the support they need to stay in the classroom. Our NEST (New Educator Support Team) is a great example of that effort.
3. Preparing students for success after graduation is critical. I’ve worked to expand career academies in healthcare, culinary, engineering, cybersecurity, emergency services and education, and I want to continue building partnerships with our local business community and colleges so every student graduates prepared, and with a pathway for their future.

How should the district handle teacher shortages?

Great schools start with great teachers. I understand both the challenges and the incredible impact educators have on our students. During my time on the school board, I have supported teacher raises even in difficult financial years. I have expanded programs that help grow our on future educators and worked to make sure teachers have the support they need to succeed. We have to keep investing in our educators if we want to continue providing the high-quality education Seminole County families deserve and expect!

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

Reading begins long before third grade. As a former preschool teacher, I know the importance of building strong literacy skills, early. We should continue investing in evidenced-based instruction, targeted interventions, teacher training and support, and consistent progress monitoring so students receive help as soon as they need it. Every child deserves the opportunity to become a confident reader.

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

School safety is deeply personal to me. When I was 15 years old, I survived a school shooting and that experience has shaped my commitment to keeping our schools safe. I support strengthening campus security, maintaining strong relationships with our Sheriff and law enforcement partners and expanding mental health services. We must continue to review safety procedures, and threat assessment reviews, so that we are always improving. Safety is never something we can take for granted. I support having mental health counselors on every campus.

How should book challenges and library removals be handled?

We currently have an effective process that aligns with state requirements on reviewing all books in our schools. Parents deserve transparency and students deserve access to age-appropriate educational materials. There has always been an opportunity for parents to question the appropriateness of a book and have that reviewed. We should continue to follow the district’s established review process with educators, media specialist and community input. Decisions should be made thoughtfully, consistently and according to Florida law and district policy rather than politics.

What outside organizations or endorsements are supporting your campaign?

I am proud to have earned the support of educators, parents, community leaders and organizations that believe in strong public schools. I am honored to be endorsed by the Seminole Education Association, (UniSERV) the Orlando REgional REALTOR Association (ORRA) and Moms Demand Action and other community organizations that recognize my record of supporting teachers and students, keeping all staff safe and putting children first!

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

After serving on the school board the past eight years, I know there isn’t one single policy that solves every challenge. My priority is to keep building on what we’ve accomplished by supporting our teachers, improving student achievement, expanding career pathways and maintaining safe, high quality schools. My guiding principle has always been simple: put students first in every decision.

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?

During my time on the school board, we’ve worked to protect classroom instruction while carefully managing taxpayer dollars. I will continue prioritizing resources that directly impact students, pursuing grants and partnership opportunities while making thoughtful budget decisions. I recently asked our contracts department to review several contracts up for renewal and we were able to negotiate a substantial savings with several companies. I will look for every nickel we can find and use it wisely. All budget decisions need to preserve the high-quality education families expect from Seminole County’s “A”-rated schools.

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.

Any request for additional local taxes should be considered if there is a clearly demonstrated need, strong public support and complete transparency about how the funds would be used. My first priority is ensuring we are responsible stewards of the taxpayer dollars we already receive while continuing to advocate for adequate state funding for public education and teacher pay.

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

Our job is to prepare students for the future and AI will be a part of that future. Students should learn how to use AI responsibly, while continuing to develop the communication, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration that cannot be replaced by technology. For educators, I see AI as a way to support, not replace their work by helping with lesson planning, data analysis and other administrative tasks so they can spend more time teaching and connecting with students.

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

I support Superintendent Beamon and I have always believed the school board works best when we stay focused on students. My responsibility is to provide oversight, ask tough questions, and work with district leadership to keep improving our schools. That’s the approach I’ve taken and will continue to lead with.

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 strongly believe public education is the foundation of our community and public schools should remain fully funded so they can serve every child who walks through their doors. Our public school district provides choices that many private schools cannot offer to students. Families have educational choices, but I will always advocate for protecting the resources our public schools need to provide safe high-quality educational opportunities for ALL students. I personally believe our public schools are the BEST choice. Our public schools are the reason many businesses and families move to Seminole county.

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

As a mom of four SCPS graduates and a longtime PTA and classroom volunteer, I know strong parent-teacher connections and partnerships matter. The best way to resolve conflicts is through respectful communication, listening to one another and keeping the best interest of the students, is the center of every conversation.