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.
On Aug. 18, Monroe County voters will choose between the incumbent, Sue Woltanski, and the challenger Chelyn Shaw for District 5 in the Monroe County School Board.
Woltanski is seeking a third term on the board after first being elected in 2018. Shaw is running for a public office for the first time. Both candidates say they want to help the students of Monroe County, but they have different opinions on the issues that surround the educational and financial future of the district.
The following profiles are built from information campaign websites, financial disclosures and publicly available information. Woltanski agreed to be interviewed by a Caplin News reporter for this campaign story. Shaw did not respond to two interview requests.
Woltanski: Education runs in the family
Education has played a significant role in the life of Woltanski. Having grown up in Fremont, California, Woltanski said her family includes several educators. Her father was an assistant superintendent, her grandmother was a teacher and grandfather held a seat on a school board.
Woltanski took a different path: to medicine. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara; a master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of California, Davis, and obtained her medical degree from the University of Michigan. Spending her career as a pediatrician, Woltanski said she has developed strong advocacy for public education.
In 1999, Woltanski and her spouse bought a house in Tavernier, where they permanently moved to Florida Keys in 2008. The couple has two kids who graduated from Coral Shores High School.
Before running for the School Board, Woltanski had served on the charter school board and district advisory committees. She is the founder of Minimize Testing Maximize Learning group and helps manage the education policy blog Accountabaloney, which focuses on Florida education issues.
Woltanski said she is running for another term because, in her opinion, Monroe school district has made a great deal of progress in recent years. Progress, she said, includes that the district has earned two consecutive A’s, has more students graduating, has developed more educational programs, and has fewer teacher vacancies.
“I am first and foremost a public education advocate,” Woltanski said during her interview. “I’ve been doing that advocacy work since before I was on the School Board.”
Among her achievements, Woltanski said, was participating in the nationwide search for the school district’s superintendent. She also pointed to her support for the Whole Child initiative in the district’s strategic plan, which focuses on student wellbeing and expanded opportunities beyond standardized testing, including arts programs, field trips, advanced coursework, career and technical education and school based mental health services.
“When parents are looking for a school, those are the things they’re looking for more than what is the general test score at the school,” Woltanski said.
Shaw: A long history of public service
According to her campaign profile and public records, Shaw has been a Florida Keys resident since October 2005. She’s a mother of three adult children and grandmother of seven. She is self-employed as a licensed 200-ton U.S. Coast Guard yacht captain.
Shaw has a long history of volunteering in Monroe County, including 30 years teaching Sunday school. She is currently Vice President of the Upper Keys Republican Club, Committeewoman with the Monroe County Republican Executive Committee, and volunteers with the American Legion Auxiliary. Shaw served on the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department Water Emergency Team.
According to Shaw’s campaign site, she highlights three key issues in her platform:
Parental Rights, where parental rights and family are paramount. “I believe the parent is the primary authority,” she wrote. She supports school choice, emphasizing that educational funding belongs to the student and not the district.
Shaw, according to her campaign, is running on Christian values, leadership and business acumen and collaboration. “I am a lifelong Commonsense Christian Conservative. I bring 16 years of experience collaborating with federal, state, and local officials and 24 years of successful business ownership. I will bring those values to the board to ensure decision-making reflects our community’s principles.”
District 5 campaign funding at a glance
According to the reports of campaign spending, Woltanski brought in nearly $46,466 and used roughly $25,257 as of July 10. In addition, her campaign reported in-kind contributions of about $2,037 which include donated materials and services.
Some donors are local community members, business people, educators, political committees, and stakeholders in government. Most of her funders made contributions between $10 and $500 while a few businesses and political organizations made contributions of $1,000.
Woltanski also reported a $300 personal in kind contribution for a Chamber of Commerce sponsorship.
Some of her biggest contributors include the lobbying firm New Century Government Affairs, lobbyist Ronald L. Book and his government affairs firm, Ronald L. Book, P.A., the political committee People for Accountable Government, physician Dr. Michael Berman, author Judy Blume, and Florida School Services, a consulting business.
According to the Florida Division of Elections, People for Accountable Government is a political committee that is currently active in Florida and is led by former state Sen. René García. Woltanski’s campaign finance report noted that Florida School Services is an active Florida corporation that identifies its occupation as consulting.
“Some of those are former state lawmakers. Some of them are people who lobby for public education,” she said. “There are a lot of people who respect my views on public education.”
Shaw’s campaign website describes her campaign as grassroots. She has reported approximately $5,000 in campaign expenditures and has raised over $6,700 through late June, according to campaign finance reports. Bettye Chaplin, the secretary and historian of the Monroe County Republican Executive Committee, is listed as an endorsement on her campaign website.
The last word
Woltanski said she aims to build on the district’s recent progress to center students: “My top priority is that all the decisions are made student first. We do the best that we can to keep moving and advancing opportunities for kids despite the fiscal challenges.”
Shaw, according to her campaign page, said she aims to represent families by advocating for parental rights, school choice, and greater transparency: “I look forward to serving your families and being a voice for every child in Monroe County.”
Anthony Aguirre is a senior majoring in digital journalism. He is the University of Miami Hurricanes and Miami Heat beat writer for the Roundtable Sports Network.
Yaelis Pena is a senior majoring in digital journalism at FIU. She hopes to elevate community voices and coverage of local accountability.
