Kenneth Gay, a retired Hillsborough County Public Schools educator and assistant principal, is running for the Hillsborough County School Board District 6 at-large seat. The nonpartisan race is on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Karen Perez is also running.

Asked why he is seeking office, Gay said in our candidate questionnaire: "After 39 years in Hillsborough County Public Schools as a teacher, assistant principal, and school leader, I believe I still have something meaningful to contribute to public education. … I am seeking office because I want every decision of the School Board centered on students and their academic growth."

Candidate information

Occupation and work history: Gay said in our questionnaire: "I am a retired Hillsborough County Public Schools educator and administrator with 39 years of service. I began with the district as a substitute teacher in 1979 and became a permanent substitute in 1983 before serving as a classroom teacher and later moving into school administration. I served as an assistant principal from 2006 until my retirement in June 2022, concluding my full-time career at Lopez Elementary School."

He added: "I currently mentor teachers in Hillsborough County's Alternative Certification Program and work as an instructor with MORE HEALTH, teaching health and safety lessons to students throughout the Tampa Bay area."

Party affiliation: Gay said in our questionnaire: "I am a registered Republican. … The Hillsborough County School Board, however, is a nonpartisan office. If elected, my responsibility would be to every student, family, employee, and taxpayer in Hillsborough County, regardless of political affiliation."

Education: Gay said in our questionnaire: "I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida in 1983. I later earned a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Nova University in 1993, an Educational Specialist degree in Elementary Education from Nova Southeastern University in 1995, and a Doctor of Education in Child and Youth Studies from Nova Southeastern University in 1998."

Family: Gay said in our questionnaire: "I am the father of two children who attended and graduated from Hillsborough County Public Schools. … One of my children had an Individualized Education Program (IEP), giving me firsthand experience with exceptional student education from both sides of the table …"

Previous campaigns: In the 2024 District 5 school board race, Gay finished second of four candidates to incumbent Henry "Shake" Washington, receiving approximately 24% of the vote, according to Neighborhood News.

On the issues

Teacher support: Asked what he saw in classrooms that the board should address, Gay said in our questionnaire: "I would focus on protecting teachers' ability to teach. … Supporting teachers requires more than saying we value them. It means removing unnecessary administrative burdens, providing useful resources, establishing clear expectations for student behavior, ensuring administrators have effective tools to address persistent problems, and creating classroom environments where teachers can concentrate on what they were trained to do----teach."

Budget and forensic audit: Asked about his call for a forensic audit, Gay said in our questionnaire: "I would start by following the money from the district level to the classroom and asking what expenditures directly contribute to student learning. … A forensic audit should not begin with the assumption that wrongdoing occurred. Its purpose should be transparency: trace expenditures, identify duplication or inefficiency, verify controls, and determine whether taxpayer dollars are reaching the district's highest priority...students and classrooms."

Superintendent selection: Gay opposes making the Hillsborough County superintendent an elected position. He told WMNF: "I think our buildings – there's too much of a mix of politics in the buildings, we need more professionalism, and that comes with a wise superintendent that has a background in education."