Palm Beach County School Board members focus on students' safety, success

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — For the first time in nearly 15 years, there are three new faces on the Palm Beach County School Board. Even though the new members come from different walks of life, their main goal is the same. They want to ensure that students are safe and successful.

Virginia Savietto ran unopposed and will now represent District 2, which covers several areas including Greenacres and Palm Springs. Originally from Argentina, she is passionate about helping students learn the English language.

"I know the challenges of my students, which 30 to 40% are Hispanic, and I want to be a part of the solution and engage parents" she said.

Matthew Lane ran against Page Lewis for the District 1 seat beating her with 55% of the vote. Lane comes from a long line of teachers and education has been a core value for him. The attorney said it's time that we focus on the basics.

"Almost half of our students are performing at grade level, and we need to fix that," Lane said. "We need to get back to the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, and science."

Gloria Branch is now representing District 5 after winning 54% of the vote against Mindy Koch. Like Lane, she is also focused on getting back to basics in the classroom. She also wants to see teacher raises, cutting back on wasteful spending, and strengthen safety and security of our schools.

The new members will be sworn in on Nov. 19.

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