The crowded race to replace former District 1 School Board Member Steve Gallon will go to a runoff.
With no candidate clearing the 50% threshold to win the seat outright, top vote-getters Katrina Wilson and Linda Cothiere will move onto the Nov. 3 election to decide who becomes the next school board member representing the predominantly Black North Dade district.
Though Wilson did not clear the threshold to clinch the seat, she came out to an early lead over the field and held onto her first-place finish as election results came rolling in Tuesday night, clearing 32%. Cothiere’s second-place position was much tighter, with her eking out a win over candidate Joy Jackson by less than two percentage points, garnering more than 20% of the vote.
There are nine seats on Miami-Dade’s school board, which oversees Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is one of the largest employers and landowners in the county.
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Wilson, a former principal who resigned from her spot on the city council of Miami Gardens to run for the school board seat, earned Gallon’s endorsement to replace him on the board.
Cothiere, a Haitian-American public school educator, excelled in precincts located in North Miami and North Miami Beach, where there are significant Haitian communities.
Jackson, a retired teacher who worked in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 51 years, had the endorsement of the United Teachers of Dade, Miami’s largest teachers union.
On election night, Wilson told the Herald that parents and families in District 1 were open to embracing “options” for their children.
“Overall, people are looking for ways to improve education. They are looking for options for their children as they are deciphering what’s best for them as families. I think the choice movement is part of that,” Wilson said.
Wilson holds a place in Florida’s history with the school choice movement. She was principal and CEO of Liberty City Charter School, Florida’s first charter school, which was co-founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
She said her experience will help her navigate changing tides in education, such as the increased use of technology.
“I’ve been on the forefront before with change, and I’m pretty good with it, I believe,” Wilson said.
Cothiere did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the results Tuesday night.
The board is currently navigating a season of change. Superintendent Jose Dotres is set to step down after nearly five years leading the district; the board has tapped South Region Superintendent Rafael Villalobos to replace him, with his start date to be determined later this week.
Declining enrollment has led the board to tighten its budget as well as close and consolidate schools. State government policy favoring the school choice movement, including the passage of an essentially universal private school voucher system, has also changed the shape of the district in recent years. Immigration has been a thorny issue, too, given increased federal enforcement and the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants in the United States.
Wilson and Cothiere bested some qualified competition on the ballot. Other candidates aside from Jackson included Erhabor Oghodaro, former vice mayor of Miami Gardens; Bernard WH Jennings, a former county Democratic Party official; James Barry Wright, the former police chief and city manager of Opa-Locka; Catholic school teacher Wrendly Mesidor and write-in candidate Thera Johnson.
Three other school board members who were on cycle for reelection campaigns — Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas, Roberto Alonso and Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall — did not draw challengers and therefore were not on the ballot.
Board Vice Chair Monica Colucci, of District 8, drew a write-in challenger, Samuel Joseph. Colucci garnered almost 92% of the vote to Joseph’s 8%.
This story is part of a statewide partnership of 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 at floridaelections.org.
