East Lee County News, The ROAR, endorses India Palencia for Lee County School Board, District 6, the countywide at-large seat.
Palencia has demonstrated persistence, firsthand involvement and a willingness to ask difficult questions about school safety, district spending and accountability. Her advocacy began when she successfully pushed to have a dangerous school bus stop moved, but she continued attending School Board meetings and advocating for other families after her own neighborhood’s immediate problem had been resolved.
We believe her focus on safer student transportation, responsible budgeting, financial transparency, support for teachers and school employees, and greater public involvement deserves serious consideration from voters throughout Lee County.
Although the race is identified as District 6, it is an at-large School Board seat. This means the candidates do not represent only one geographic section of Lee County. District 6 appears on ballots countywide, and eligible voters throughout Lee County may vote in this race. Palencia will appear on the ballot whether a voter lives in Lehigh Acres, Alva, Buckingham, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Estero, North Fort Myers or another Lee County community.
The Lee County School Board election is nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not appear on the ballot with a political-party designation. Voters should carefully consider the experience, judgment, priorities and commitment to public service each candidate would bring to the Board.
East Lee County News believes Palencia would bring an important voice to the School Board and would remain focused on the practical issues affecting students, parents, educators, school employees and taxpayers.
Editor’s Note: The endorsement above represents the editorial opinion of East Lee County News. The following is paid candidate commentary written and submitted by India Palencia to explain why she is running for the Lee County School Board and the priorities she would bring to the District 6 at-large seat.
OPINION
I Kept Showing Up Because Our Community Deserves Better
By India Palencia
Candidate for Lee County School Board, District 6
India Palencia explains how one dangerous school bus stop led her to become a persistent advocate for families, school employees, responsible budgeting and greater accountability within the School District of Lee County.
My journey to running for the Lee County School Board started with a bus stop.
My neighborhood’s bus stop was located along a dangerous stretch of road. Cars sped past. Crashes happened nearby. Every morning, families stood there with their children and hoped everyone would make it safely onto the bus.
I did what any parent would do. I started asking questions.
I gathered records, contacted public officials, attended meetings and pushed the district to move the stop to a safer location. It was not quick or easy, but eventually our neighborhood succeeded, and the bus stop was moved.
I could have gone home after that. Our immediate problem had been solved.
But by then, I had seen too much to walk away.
Sitting through School Board meetings, I heard parents describe children whose needs were not being met. I heard teachers and school employees explain that they could barely afford to live in the community they served. I watched residents arrive with documents in hand, wait hours for their turn to speak and make thoughtful, reasonable requests, only to leave wondering whether anyone had truly listened.
Our bus stop had been moved, but families across Lee County were still fighting to be heard. So, I kept going back.
Listening to the People Closest to Our Schools
I advocated for safer bus stops throughout our community, not just in my neighborhood. I spoke up for fair pay for teachers and support staff. I questioned unnecessary administrative costs and called for more conservative budgeting, greater transparency and more money reaching schools instead of district offices.
Along the way, I came to understand that the problems in our district are not caused by a lack of hardworking people.
Walk into one of our schools early in the morning and you will see bus drivers who have already been on the road for hours, cafeteria workers preparing breakfast, custodians getting classrooms ready and teachers setting out lessons before students arrive.
You will find paraprofessionals helping children through difficult moments and support staff solving problems most people never see. They give everything they have to our children.
The problem is that the people closest to the work are too often the farthest from the decisions.
That is why I decided to run for the Lee County School Board.
A Budget Reflects Our Priorities
Our district has repeatedly faced major budget gaps, and too often the proposed solution has been to cut the jobs of school employees.
The Board has transferred money from capital funds to help cover operating expenses while continuing to spend on lobbyists, attorneys, consultants, promotional items and an expanding administrative structure without sufficient accountability.
Moving money from one account to another may balance a spreadsheet, but it does not make the cost disappear. It simply leaves less money available somewhere else.
A budget reflects your values. When the people working directly with children are the first to experience cuts before unnecessary spending at the top is reined in, those values become clear.
We need the same common sense in our construction decisions.
Reconsidering the Location of the New High School
The district is moving forward with a new high school in Alva instead of building it directly in Lehigh Acres, where much of the student population growth and overcrowding exist.
That means sending many Lehigh students farther from their homes and spending additional taxpayer money on transportation. Basic infrastructure will also have to be built to support a school outside the heart of the community, potentially adding millions more to the cost.
Working families understand that when circumstances change, you stop and look at the numbers again. You do not keep pouring money into an old plan simply because admitting it should be reconsidered is uncomfortable.
Responsible leadership means asking where students live, where growth is happening, what infrastructure already exists and what the full cost will be for taxpayers.
Moving Beyond Partisan Politics
Unfortunately, practical questions are too often drowned out by partisan politics.
School Board meetings should be places where we solve problems together. Instead, political labels and culture-war talking points have divided our community while the everyday needs of our schools remain unresolved.
A child struggling to read is not a Republican or Democratic problem. Neither is an overcrowded bus, an understaffed special education classroom, a teacher who cannot afford rent or a district that cannot accurately forecast its own finances.
These are community problems, and we will not solve them by listening to only one side.
As a School Board member, I will work to lower the political temperature and bring the focus back to students. I will listen to parents and employees across the political spectrum. I will judge ideas by whether they are legal, responsible and good for children, not by which party or organization supports them.
I will ask Board members to debate the facts without attacking the people presenting them. I will push for workshops and community discussions where residents with different views can be heard before major decisions are made.
I will refuse to let national political arguments distract us from the local work voters elected us to do.
We do not need to agree on everything to agree that our children deserve safe schools, strong academics, qualified teachers, responsible spending and leaders who tell the truth.
Bringing Accountability to the Budget
That same commitment to honest governing must begin with the budget.
I will push for clear, line-item reporting so taxpayers can see what was budgeted, what was actually spent and why. I will call for a full forensic audit and a thorough review of administrative departments, legal expenses, consulting contracts, construction projects and other spending that does not directly support students.
Before cutting teachers or school employees, the Board should require unnecessary administrative hiring and wasteful spending to be addressed first.
I will also call for more realistic financial forecasting. When projections are wrong, the Board should not simply move money around and move on. We should find out what happened, determine who is accountable and explain it clearly to the public.
Most Importantly, I Will Listen
Parents, teachers, employees and taxpayers should be treated as partners, not interruptions.
No one should have to attend meeting after meeting just to convince their elected representatives that their concerns matter.
The people of Lee County work hard. You watch your spending. You protect your families. You solve problems. You expect people to keep their word.
You deserve a School Board that works the same way.
My journey began with one bus stop. I kept showing up because I learned how many other families were still waiting to be heard.
Now, I am running to make sure they are.
Voting Information
Voters who have received vote-by-mail ballots should complete and return them as soon as possible.
Early voting for the August 18, 2026, primary election will take place from Saturday, August 8, through Saturday, August 15, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Election Day polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18.
Vote India Palencia for Lee County School Board, District 6.
“Political advertisement paid for and approved by The Committee to Elect India Palencia for Lee County School Board, District 6”
