This story is part of a statewide partnership of 27 nonpartisan newsrooms and universities working to help Florida voters make informed decisions in the 2026 school board elections. Learn more about the Florida Elections Reporting Partnership.

Lee County voters will have to select one of four candidates they believe are best equipped to guide District 4 through declining enrollment and budget cuts—incumbent Debbie Jordan, and challengers Carl Baxter, Tony Beougher, and Gisele Gentile.

This year, the district proposed a $47 million budget reduction to accommodate the massive enrollment decrease that directly impacts state funding. Additionally, officials announced 475 employees would not be getting their contracts renewed for the upcoming year, including 275 teachers.

Gisele Gentile and Tony Beougher did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Florida Trib. Carl Baxter initially agreed to an interview but did not answer any further questions.

Debbie Jordan

Seeking election for her third and final term is incumbent Debbie Jordan, a longtime Lee County resident with children and grandchildren attending district public schools. Jordan believes it’s vitally important she stays because of her experience and knowledge of the District’s past, present, and future.

“I am very present and I believe you need to be because how can you understand what is going on if you’re not there in the trenches and speaking to the teachers, being amongst the community, and speaking to families,” she said.

Debbie Jordan is running for a third and final term to represent District 4 on the Lee County School Board. (Provided by Debbie Jordan)

Jordan said she has had multiple people reach out to her unsure of their future because of the cuts the district has made to staff.

“They consider them units. I consider them human beings with families,” said Jordan about those who lost their jobs. “We need to start at the top and not have things as heavy and make sure that our schools are getting everything that they need.”

Jordan admits one of these needs are strong teachers and paraprofessionals, especially with reading scores on the decline in Florida.

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“What are they using? How do they do that? And instead of paying people to come in to try to train, we have that talent here right in the district,” said Jordan. “Let our own teachers teach our teachers or help them to create a better way.”

Jordan feels that to coax students back into the public school system, district staff must do a better job at sharing successes.

“In Lee County, the academies that we have in our schools, they don’t have that in your private schools, in your charter schools, or your home schools,” said Jordan. “If they want to go be an astronaut, if they want to do nursing, be a veterinarian, automotives, whatever that looks like for the child and family, we have that.”

Lastly, Jordan also discussed the concern over handling library books. Specifically, she mentions book challenge policy, which allows citizens to raise concerns about books they deem not appropriate. According to Jordan, while parents always have the option not to let their child read something, they must also be accountable for their children.

According to campaign finance reports, Jordan raised $22,846.20 in monetary contributions and $1,197.33 in-kind donations with $13,630.70 spent in expenditures and distributions. Jordan received monetary support from multiple businesses and contractors. Karen Nathan, a retired educator who has served on the board for the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools contributed $500.

Tony Beougher

Beougher graduated from Fort Myers High School before earning an economics degree from Wake Forest University in 2004. He now serves as the Vice President of Sales at Gartner.

In an interview with the News-Press, Beougher stated his top three priorities for the district if elected: academic success, career and technical development, and school safety.

He said that schools should prioritize reading, math, science and history while increasing “accountability and transparency for every student in every classroom.” He also called career and technical education vital, saying that the district should match students with programs that maximize their talents and prepare them for success.

Beougher raised the most money of any candidate with $52,955 in monetary contributions and $250 in in-kind donations. Beougher received multiple donations of $1,000 from nine political committees including Parents for Accountability and Tiffany for Florida, according to campaign finance reports.

Carl Baxter

Baxter is a Howard University alumnus and a Lee County resident of 16 years. Baxter’s campaign claims to focus on academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, safe and supportive schools, and supporting Lee County’s strategic plan, according to his website.

Although Florida school board elections are nonpartisan, Baxter’s public political activity places him within Republican circles, having served as President of the Republican Club of North & East Fort Myers.

Baxter made it clear at the July 9 Lee County School Board Forum that his intention was to examine the district’s spending.

“You can count on Carl because number one I am going to be your voice, I’m going to get you the real answers. The first thing I’m going to do is basically line item forensic audit,” said Baxter.

Baxter has raised the least amount of money compared to the other three candidates, with a total of $2,530 raised and $2,682.45 in expenditures.

Gisele “Gigi” Gentile

Gentile says she is running to bring classroom experience and a student-centered approach to the board. In an interview with the News-Press, Gentile says her top priorities are academic achievement, school safety with mental health support, and parental rights.

Gentile has received the endorsement of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Lee County. In an interview with the Southwest Chronicle, she added: “I am running as a nonpartisan candidate because I believe our children’s education should never be a political battleground.”

According to her campaign website, she was discouraged from attending college after struggling in school as a child before later being diagnosed with dyslexia and short-term memory challenges. She later worked as a substitute teacher and as a special education teacher, experience she says shaped her decision to run for school board.

“I know what it feels like to be counted out — and I know what one encouraging adult can change. Every child in this district deserves a champion who understands their journey from the inside,” said Gentile, who graduated from the University of Maine.

Gentile has raised $10,389.96 in monetary contributions with another $118.49 in in-kind contributions, and spent $9,463.56, according to campaign records.