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The Brevard Federation of Teachers hosted a candidate forum Wednesday evening for the three candidates vying for the District 5 seat on the Brevard County School Board, being vacated by outgoing member Katye Campbell. Two of the three candidates showed up. The third, Tammy Dennis, did not.
Cecilia Trotter, a veteran teacher at Discovery Elementary, and Michelle McCormack, a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing at Meadowlane Primary, both appeared before a room full of educators and community members to answer questions about the issues facing Brevard Public Schools. Both are current classroom teachers and members of the BFT.
Dennis, who has received the endorsement of the Brevard County chapter of Moms for Liberty and the Space Coast Young Republicans, was notably absent. According to social media posts, Dennis instead chose to attend the Melbourne City Council meeting that same evening, where she spoke at the podium promoting a military enlistment ceremony event. The Space Coast Young Republicans posted photos of Dennis at Melbourne City Council chambers on April 14, confirming their endorsement and announcing plans to help her collect petitions.
BFT President Anthony did not mince words about the absence.
“It’s hard to imagine anything more important than showing up to hear directly from educators that you’re asking to represent,” he told the audience during his opening remarks.
Asked about the most pressing issue facing Brevard Public Schools, both candidates zeroed in on funding.
McCormack raised concerns about the lack of transparent budget oversight, saying she could not easily find public spending data online. She also expressed worry about the future of career and technical education programs like CTE and the RTC program as budget pressures mount.
Trotter focused on the state’s expanding voucher system, noting that Florida spent $5 billion on vouchers last year, up from roughly $1 billion before the Florida Empowerment Scholarship program was enacted. She pointed to a $400 million shortfall that was unaccounted for and flagged what she called a “red flag”: the superintendent’s decision not to hire a Chief Financial Officer to oversee the district’s $1.6 billion budget.
With Florida ranking 50th nationally in average teacher pay and Brevard teachers earning $2,500 below the state average, both candidates pointed to the upcoming millage renewal as critical. The millage dedicates 80% of its revenue to teacher and staff compensation. Both said they would champion its renewal.
Trotter also called for examining what she described as “top-heavy” administrative positions in the district, arguing that waste at the top comes at the expense of classrooms. McCormack echoed the sentiment, noting that 44 of Florida’s 67 school districts are struggling to find adequate revenue, calling it “a failure on the state.”
Both candidates made the case that having a working classroom teacher on the school board would change the dynamic between the board and the teaching workforce. McCormack said board members should be visiting schools, not just for photo opportunities, but to actually substitute teach and see firsthand what classrooms look like in 2026.
“When I first started teaching, you worried about rules, relationships, responsibilities, and routines,” McCormack said. “That’s not the classrooms we have now. We’ve got to be crisis management, and we’re trauma teachers.”
Trotter said the animosity she observed between the board and the teachers’ union when she first began attending school board meetings confused her, given that both sides should be working toward the same goal.
On the subject of school safety following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy, Trotter, who was teaching an after-school program at a Coconut Creek school the day of the shooting, called for more counselors, social workers, and wraparound services, particularly at the elementary level.
“We know as elementary teachers what kids are going to be problems. We know it,” she said. “If we can help those parents right away at a younger age, then maybe we can make a difference in somebody’s life.”
McCormack expressed concern about the district’s “success pathways” discipline program and what supports are in place for students returning to traditional classrooms after being expelled. She pushed back against the district’s data collection timelines, saying eight-week data cycles are too slow to help students or teachers in real time.
“We have to stop being reactive. We need to be proactive in this district,” McCormack said.
On declining student enrollment, McCormack said the board should be asking families why they left in the first place, sharing that her own door-knocking had surfaced parents who pulled children out because the pace of instruction was too fast. Trotter called for better promotion of the district’s existing programs, even suggesting advertising on school buses.
Both candidates defended access to a broad range of library materials and called on the board, teachers, families, and students to have open conversations about what books belong in schools.
McCormack, who has spent six years on the BFT’s executive board and has attended every legislative session in Tallahassee for the past three years, described her frustration with the lack of progress at the state level as part of what drove her to run.
“I’ve been doing this for so long and nothing’s working,” she said. “If I get in that seat, it’s going to be all of us. We’re going to have to be loud.”
The District 5 seat is a non-partisan race with three candidates: Cecilia Trotter, Michele McCormack, and Tammy Dennis. If all three qualify, the primary will be held on August 18, 2026. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two will advance to the general election on November 3, 2026.
Two candidates showed up Wednesday night to face the people who work in Brevard’s classrooms every day. One did not. Voters in District 5 will decide whether that matters.
The forum was live-streamed on the Brevard Federation of Teachers’ YouTube channel.
