Hillsborough County voters decide Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether to elect the school superintendent in a partisan race instead of letting the school board appoint one.

Referendum 1 stems from House Bill 4027, sponsored by state Rep. Michael Owen, a Republican who represents Apollo Beach and Ruskin in District 70. The law took effect July 1, according to WUSF, but the switch to an elected superintendent happens only if a majority of voters approve it. If it passes, the first election for superintendent would take place in 2028, according to a Florida House bill analysis.

The district is the nation's seventh-largest, serving more than 220,000 students, according to Spectrum Bay News 9. Schools in Apollo Beach and Ruskin fall within the district.

The school board's case against it

All seven school board members voted to oppose the referendum at an October meeting, according to Spectrum Bay News 9. Nadia Combs, vice chair of the board, introduced the resolution.

"We have to keep politics out of schools," Combs said at the meeting, according to Spectrum Bay News 9.

Combs said she worries voters could elect someone without the qualifications to lead the district, and that an elected superintendent would serve a four-year term. Under the current system, the board can remove a superintendent who isn't performing.

"We want someone who has the qualifications, the background, the experience. And if we feel that that individual is not doing their job, then we're able to fire and then hire someone new," Combs said, according to WUSF.

Board member Patricia Rendon referenced the 1966 scandal involving J. Crockett Farnell, a five-time elected Hillsborough superintendent. Farnell was caught embezzling from the district, though a conviction was later reversed and dismissed on appeal, according to WUSF. That case led voters to switch to an appointed superintendent 60 years ago.

In an October column in the Tampa Bay Times, Combs wrote that the district's graduation rate reached a record 92.8% and its Advanced Placement exam pass rate hit 71% in 2026, up from 53% in 2022.

Teachers union pushback

Rob Kriete, president of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, questioned the need for a change in an interview with Tampa Bay 28.

"We're an A school district. We have the highest rate of … students that are graduating every year. I would say, what are we trying to fix?" Kriete said.

Parent Ali Wilbur told Tampa Bay 28 she worries partisan money would flood the race. "It could impact the schools because one party or the other or both will pour money into this race," Wilbur said.

Wilbur also raised concerns about being locked into a four-year term with a superintendent who isn't performing well.

Owen's argument for voter control

Owen, a former Hillsborough County commissioner, said the idea has been discussed locally for years, according to Spectrum Bay News 9. He said the change would give parents more direct say in who leads their children's education and would bring Hillsborough in line with the 39 other Florida districts that already elect their superintendent.

Under current Florida law, any registered voter in a county with an elected superintendent may run for the office. In districts with an appointed superintendent, the school board sets the qualifications, according to the House bill analysis.

Results were not available at publication time. If the measure passes, the first superintendent election would appear on the 2028 general election ballot.