February Meeting Featured School Board Member Gloria Branch

The state of the Palm Beach County School District is healthy according to district 5 Board Member Gloria Branch. As one of the conservative members, Gloria looks at the district as a business, with costs and results.

Currently the 10th largest school district in the US, it is “A” rated by the Florida Department of Education with a 96.7% graduation rate. 91% of its high schools are rated “A” or “B”. It is also the largest public food provider in the county, serving 32.8 million meals in a year to its 160,000 students.

Good results are not free of course as the district operates with a budget of $5.9B. Declining enrollments will put pressure on this budget as state payments are per-pupil, but Gloria does not expect to see any school closures as a result. This is unlike Broward county which expects to close 6 or more schools this year. Competition from charters (which are publicly funded) and the voucher program which supports private education are part of the reason for the decline, and we expect changing demographics and the departure of illegal immigrant students contribute as well. The district budget is aided by a 1 mill property tax adder passed by the voters in 2022, and a 1/2 cent sales tax surcharge for capital projects passed in 2024

A great slogan, Gloria sees the mission of the district to be teaching students to “Read, Write, Count and Love America”.

In a short Q&A session, she addressed the recent student ICE protests (“those kids are in trouble”), and the district’s support for the 250 year anniversary celebration with an essay contest to be announced.

In the candidate part of the meeting, we heard from former Representative Rick Roth who is running for Senate District 26 this year, and gubernatorial candidate Caneste Succe. The D+6 Senate district is currently held by Lori Berman who is term limited, and Rick expects to face Democrat and former Representative David Silvers. The Republican primary for these races will be held in August.

School Board Member Gloria Branch for February Meeting

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A native Floridian and resident of Boca Raton since 1983, Gloria Branch has been involved with the Palm Beach County School District for 40 years. Ms. Branch attended Boca Raton Community High School then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Florida Atlantic University.

She is the past Chair of the FAU National Alumni Board of Directors, a past board member of the FAU Foundation Board of Directors, as well as the Fuller Center for underprivileged children. She has also been involved with numerous non-profit organizations over the past 35 years.

Ms. Branch had a career in banking, business development, and project management that spanned more than 35 years. Most recently, she worked as a substitute teacher for two years gaining valuable knowledge from being in the classroom almost every day. She served on the Spanish River Community High School PTSA Board and SAC Committee.

Ms. Branch is focused on ensuring fiscal responsibility in the District in addition to ensuring that all kids can read, write, and count, getting back to the basic fundamentals. Her other areas of focus include K-12 education preparing students for life through college preparatory classes and/or career academies for workplace readiness programs, as well as the safety and security of our schools.