Losing Broward school board candidate appointed to State Board of Education

Members of the State Board of Education adjourn the Aug. 21, 2024, meeting in Niceville. (Screenshot via Florida Channel)

A Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed member of the Broward County School Board who was rejected this week for election to the board will become a member of the Florida Board of Education instead.

The govenor’s press office announced the new appointment of Daniel Foganholi, director of legislative affairs for New Generations Children’s Ministry, on Friday.

Appointed to the Broward board in 2022, he earned 4,341 votes, 20% of the total, in Tuesday’s election. The winner, Maura McCarthy Bulman, earned 51%, or 11,145 votes. The second highest vote earner was Chris Canter, earning nearly 29% of the vote.

Foganholi will join the state board in November.

Foganholi was not on DeSantis’ list of 23 statewide school board endorsements — the governor did not endorse any candidates in Broward this year. Three Florida Democratic Party-endorsed candidates won election in Broward.

Foganholi’s campaign website lists him as “a firm supporter of both school choice and the public school system” and highlights his support for a National Day of Prayer and Clergy Recognition Month in the schools .

His campaign website says he has “experienced homeschooling, charter school, private school, public school, and graduating from an alternative school.”

The 38-year-old Republican is from Coral Springs, the governor’s office said, and holds certificates in marketing and business management from Florida Atlantic University, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement .

In running for his Broward seat, Foganholi participated in a Moms for Liberty candidate forum, during which he seemed to endorse culling material. “As a parent, it scares me” when people attending school board meetings read “uncomfortable” excerpts from books that are in school libraries, the Miami New Times reported .

“We have to keep an eye on the process, especially as a board member, to make sure it is a fair process, equitable process, and we’re following it,” Foganholi said.

Foganholi, a first-generation American born to parents who came to the United States from Brazil, is a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, to which DeSantis appointed him.

His appointment to the Board of Education is subject to Florida Senate approval.

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