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.

Experience debates innovation as the candidates present dual perspectives on budget balancing and school safety.

Teacher pay, budgeting issues and school safety have been at the heart of Santa Rosa County’s District 3 School Board race. Three-term incumbent Carol Boston, 61, is running for reelection against Gulf Breeze challenger Kyle Connolly, 43, who switched from the District 5 race in May. At the time of publication, Boston could not be reached for an interview.

Connolly considered making the switch even before she entered the District 5 race after seeing Boston run unopposed, she said. 

“I want to represent everybody, not just the district where I am, and that’s what the school board position is,” she said.

Connolly plans to move her and her three children to Navarre if elected, she said. Her children are currently enrolled in the Santa Rosa County School District: two at Gulf Breeze Elementary and one at Gulf Breeze Middle, according to the South Santa Rosa News.

Connolly is currently self-employed with Turo, a car rental company, and creates content on social media, where her Facebook page, Unfiltered with Kyle Connolly, and her TikTok, Kyle on the Coast, boast over 100,000 followers combined. Her Facebook, which garners over 300,000 unique views weekly, has been a big part of her campaign strategy, she said. 

On her TikTok, she posts vlogs of her daily life, discusses child safety and shares political content — sometimes dipping into the realm of conspiracy. 

In a video uploaded on Dec. 29, Connolly described diving down the “rabbit hole” behind the murder of the late Melissa Hortman, suggesting the circumstances around her death could incriminate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The theory, repeated by Connolly — which has been largely debunked for lack of evidence — garnered nearly 200,000 views on TikTok.

“It’s so obvious now,” her caption reads. Several commenters called for Walz’s arrest. 

If elected, Connolly said, she plans to shut down her Facebook page entirely and adhere to the Florida Department of Education’s social media policies. Although she has not used her TikTok for campaign purposes, she has been gearing down her posting lately, she said.

“I could have scrubbed every single thing, but I did not,” Connolly said in response to controversial posts. “I stand by everything that I say.”

Although some of her most popular content covers politics, a large portion of Connolly’s page rallies against the exploitation of children. She frequently uses her platform to inform viewers about a range of sexual predators and offenders, from local cases to nationwide scandals like the Epstein Files. In August 2025, Connolly uploaded a multi-part series about Matthew McChesney, 18, who was arrested on 23 counts related to child pornography in Gulf Breeze in July 2025. 

If elected to office, one of Connolly’s top priorities is reviewing misconduct policies around students and staff, she said.

“If there is an allegation of misconduct with a teacher or staff member and student, the first person that needs to do an investigation should be a third party,” she said. “And that third party needs to be law enforcement.”

As things currently stand, she said, cases will be reported to the district but never escalate to higher channels. Her main priority is a consistent enforcement of policy.

Boston, who is running for a fourth term in office, has her own approach to school safety. 

Since her start with the School Board in 2014, she has expanded the School Resource Officer Program to schools in the district. Through a partnership with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office she has helped implement the Guardian Program, according to her campaign website. The Guardian Program allows for armed SROs in schools, who must complete a minimum of 144 training hours under the sheriff’s department. 

Boston has also promoted reporting resources such as FortifyFL and Crime Stoppers as critical tools for identifying predators. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Rosa Kids’ House, a Child Advocacy Center that helps abused and neglected children.

One source of controversy for Boston is the recent arrest of her husband, Robert Boston, 62, who was charged with counts of trespassing and criminal mischief in May. According to his arrest report, Robert entered his neighbor’s property in the nude, removed a floodlight and caused damages to the tune of $800. As of June, his case remains in the pre-trial phase, and the chairwoman has not commented publicly on the situation.

Another point of contention between the candidates is teacher pay.

In April, Boston voted against a 2% recurring raise for teachers — a vote that ultimately passed. In an op-ed for the South Santa Rosa News, Boston defended her position by citing unstable funding and long-term concerns.

“Simply put, it is easier to approve a raise than it is to sustain one,” Boston wrote. She went on to emphasize the importance of balance, responsibility and structural limitations. 

Her first action if re-elected would be a focused review of budget priorities with input from educators, principals and parents, according to her campaign website. She would also use her knowledge of the Florida Education Finance Program to evaluate budget needs, her website says.

Similarly, Connolly supports thorough audits of admin positions and cutting out redundancies, she said; however, she believes budget cuts should not fall first on teachers. If elected, she would bring her background in construction management and aggressive bidding to the table to explore reductions or re-signings of existing district contracts, she said.

Another policy Connolly would like to see is more open, transparent town halls and budget workshops, she said. She pushed back on recent school board policies that limit speakers.

“Every parent has a voice, and they deserve to be heard,” she said. “[The board members are] the kings and queens sitting up there, and no one really understands what’s going on.”

The budget issue comes amid rapid growth in Santa Rosa County, which has welcomed thousands of new residents — and students — in recent years. 

According to census data, the county’s overall population grew by 12.3% between April 2020 and July 2025, while the number of persons under 18 grew by 21.4% within the same time period. But increased class sizes could prove too much to handle for a district already underwater. For the 2026-2027 school year, the district projects $3 million in budget cuts after a loss in state funding, according to WUWF.

Boston has been endorsed by former Navarre High School Principal Bill Emerson, Okaloosa County School Board Member Tim Bryant and Wakulla County School Board Vice-Chairman Eddie Hand. Connolly has been endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus. 

Early voting for the election runs from Aug. 3-15, when voting times are scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Election Day times on Aug. 18 are between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Chloe Santiago is a journalism student at the University of Florida who can be reached at santiago.c@ufl.edu or (516) 401-3366.