HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County voters will have to fill one more school board position on Election Day this Nov. 5.
Back in August, three of the four incumbent Hillsborough County School Board members beat out their challengers to keep their seats. Nadia Combs, Jessica Vaughn and Henry “Shake” Washington took home more than 50% of the vote to secure victory.
But one race — the one for Hillsborough County's District 7 — was too close to call.
Neither incumbent Lynn Gray nor challenger Karen Bendorf were able to secure 50% of the vote, sending the race to a runoff.
Here's what you need to know about the Hillsborough County School Board candidates for District 7.
Karen Bendorf
Who is she?: Karen Bendorf is the challenger looking to unseat incumbent school board member Lynn Gray.
She is the wife of a local pastor and a mother of six kids, according to her campaign website. Bendorf has worked as a Hillsborough County public school teacher for the past 13 years.
Although school board races are meant to be nonpartisan, Bendorf is endorsed by the Republican Party of Hillsborough County. Republican Sen. Rick Scott also recently attended Bendorf's campaign event.
Bendorf's platform: According to her website, Bendorf is running on a platform of three main issues:
- Empowering parents
- Bendorf advocates for "a system that prioritizes parent responsibility" and keeping parents regularly informed of what's happening in their child's classroom.
- Improving literacy
- Bendorf says there is a need to refocus and restructure teaching methods to improve reading and comprehension levels.
- Fiscal responsibility
- Bendorf says, "What we are doing now is not working," when it comes to spending taxpayer money in schools. She says we need to use our dollars differently instead of raising taxes to fill gaps.
Lynn Gray
Who is she: Lynn Gray is the incumbent seeking re-election for a third term on the Hillsborough County School Board.
An educator for nearly 40 years, Gray has served on the school board since 2016, her campaign website reads. During her time as a board member, Gray has founded several committees, including the African-American Task Force, Student Online Safety, the Hispanic Forum and Hillsborough Healthy Schools.
In her personal life, Gray is a small business owner and avid runner, having completed 106 marathons.
Gray is endorsed by the Hillsborough County Democratic Party and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
Gray's platform: According to her campaign website, Gray's priorities include:
Providing taxpayers with a fiscally sound school district
Ensuring the safety and well-being of children, including mental health
Securing an effective teacher in front of a child each school day
