Felder, Gould win seats on school board
Pam Gould won a third term on the Orange County School Board and veteran teacher Vicki-Elaine Felder won her first in runoff elections Tuesday.
Felder, 63, who teaches English at Edgewater High School, will take the seat of longtime board member Kat Gordon, who did not seek reelection this year after serving 20 years.
Felder won the race for the district 5 seat 61% to 39%, defeating Michael Scott. The district runs from Pine Hills south to Tangelo Park and takes in a number of west Orlando neighborhoods.
She could not be immediately reached for comment but had said her 40-year teaching career made her well known in the district where she grew up and lived most of her life.
Gould won 59% to 41% in the race for district 4 against Prince Brown. The district takes in southwest Orange, including Horizon West, Dr. Phillips and Windermere.
“Of course, I’m thrilled to be able to continue my service,” Gould said.
Gould, 57, is the CEO of Shepherd’s Hope, which provides free medical care to low-income residents without health insurance. She was first elected to the school board in 2012 and then re-elected in 2016.
Both Gould and Felder were the top finishers in three-way races in August, but they did not win by a wide enough margins to avoid runoffs during Tuesday’s general election.
The two women will be part of an eight-member board that helps set policy for the nation’s eighthlargest school district. They will serve four-year terms and earn about $45,000 a year.