INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Florida has six amendments on the November election ballot.
Amendment 1 has voters deciding if partisanship should be included when candidates run for school board.
WPTV reporter Romelo Styles explored the implications of this amendment, which some believe could shape the future of education.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV anchor Michael Williams interviews UCF political science professor Dr. Aubrey Jewett on what voters need to know about the 6 amendments
Moms For Liberty of Indian River County president Jennifer Pippin supports the measure.
"We're asking voters to vote yes to have full transparency," Pippin said.
In contrast, Jennifer Freeland, the president of the Indian River County Education Association, opposes the amendment.
"Mixing politics and education will never have a day that it's good for students," Freeland said.
If it receives 60% approval from voters, Amendment 1 would change school board elections to partisan races. This means that a candidate's political party would be on the ballot and it would create primary elections.
"Every seat inherently has a political aspect," Pippin said. "While we don’t seek partisan influences on what teachers instill in our children, we must recognize that decisions affecting our children, teachers, and staff often are partisan in nature."
"We should be looking for candidates for school board that meet the expectations, the values, the morals of our parents," Freeland said. "That should be met here, not some political circus or a tool."
Voting no would keep the current system in place, which doesn't allow school board candidates to run with party affiliations. More than 20 years ago, school board elections in Florida used to be partisan, but voters in 1998 changed Florida's constitution to make them nonpartisan.
