This story is part of a statewide partnership of 27 nonpartisan newsrooms and universities working to help Florida voters make informed decisions in the 2026 school board elections. Learn more about the Florida Elections Reporting Partnership.
In the Indian River County District 2 School Board race, incumbent Jackie Rosario faces Thomas Lange, both veteran educators.
They are running in a county that has seen steady population growth. Its largest employers are Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, the school district, municipal governments, Pipe Aircraft and Publix, according to the county’s economic development arm and the City of Vero Beach.
The school district achieved an A-rating for the fourth consecutive year, serving just over 14,000 students, with the district headquarters in Vero Beach, according to the district website.
Indian River School District 2 is in the northeastern part of the county, runs alongside the Intracoastal waterway, and its spine is US 1. It includes the City of Sebastian, the most populous city in the county.
The following profiles are built from campaign websites, candidate media interviews, campaign financial disclosures and publicly available information.
Lange: A career educator who will ‘put students first’
Lange, 43, brings more than two decades of experience in public education to the race. Throughout his career, he has served as an English teacher, English Department Chair at Sebastian River High School, Career and Technical Education Specialist for the School District of Indian River County, as well as founder and director of Sebastian River Rowing.
Lange holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Education from Grand Canyon University, giving him experience in both classroom instruction and educational administration. According to his campaign, Lange is running because he wants to “put students first” and use his experience to help improve local public schools.
Lange said his priorities include supporting teachers, expanding academic and career education opportunities, and making “transparent, data-driven decisions” based on evidence rather than politics.
As the father of two children attending Indian River County public schools, Lange said he wants to ensure that “our kids, not just mine, but all the kids who go to our public schools are in good hands.” His platform also emphasizes responsible budgeting, stronger partnerships with parents and the community, and ensuring every student has access to a high-quality education.
Campaign reports show he has raised more than $16,800 while spending less than $1,500, relying primarily on individual donors rather than major political organizations or political action committees.
Rosario: ‘The voice for the community’ seeks a third term
Rosario, first elected in 2018, is seeking a third term on the Indian River County School Board. A former homeschooling parent, she said the role became a passion that sent her back to school. At 56, she earned a PhD in educational law from Liberty University, writing her dissertation on school board training, governance, and policymaking.
Rosario described a board member’s job as serving as “the voice of the community” while putting students first in every decision. She pointed to two accomplishments as the centerpiece of her record: the district’s parental rights policies, which she helped craft after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the creation of Pelican Island Classical Magnet School, which she said is one of only two traditional public schools in Florida built on a classical education model. “We don’t teach them what to think,” she said. “We teach them how to think.”
If reelected, her priorities are ensuring every graduating senior has a defined path, whether vocational training, college, the military, or the workforce; developing district policy on artificial intelligence, with a focus on protecting young children from chatbots and strengthening exceptional student education services along with literacy and math outcomes.
Campaign reports show Rosario has raised $28,440 as of July 17, most of it from donations between $75 and $500 from retired residents of Vero Beach and Sebastian. She also received eight $1,000 contributions, largely from retirees and local business owners, along with her single largest donation, $2,500 from the Republican Executive Committee of Indian River County, and $500 from the Hispanic Republicans of Indian River. Her campaign has spent $15,873, mostly on direct mailers and campaign texting services, along with political signs and a July 4th event.
Because Florida school board elections are nonpartisan, neither candidate is running under a political party affiliation.
