- June 3, 2026
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Four years ago, when Chantal Wilford ran for a school board seat in the School District of Manatee County, she hoped to help students, to advocate for teachers, and to support the families in her district.
While she lost, she decided to dive even further into the world of education by creating a Facebook page, “Education Matters in Manatee County.”
Since then, the page has grown to 2,300 followers. She posts a variety of educational updates and resources, including summaries of school board meetings.
“When I was talking to people, I realized that a lot of them just didn't know who their school board member was, what the school board did, or why it might matter,” Wilford said. “I started thinking, 'I'm just going to start a Facebook page and put some of this information out there. Maybe I need to meet people where they are and that might be social media.’”
A longtime Panther Ridge resident and mother of four, Wilford is once again running for the District 5 school board seat. Her children were all homeschooled until fifth grade, when they each started attending public schools in District 5. Three of them have since graduated and one will be sophomore at Braden River High School.
She has been a member of the League of Women Voters for four years and has been a substitute teacher for the School District of Manatee County. She subbed between October 2023 and March 2025, with a combination of daily assignments and maternity leaves lasting between 10 to 12 weeks.
She said it is important to her that community members feel heard and not dismissed. Toward that end, she hopes to connect parents and community members with the right people who can address their concerns. She said some parents automatically try to connect with the superintendent or school board members with their issues when starting with a teacher or counselor is the way to go.
Wilford said she has zero political aspirations beyond the school board and does not see it as a stepping stone to become a county commissioner or other local government post. She sees becoming a school board member as a full-time job that carries with it tremendous responsibility.
“Education is my only focus,” Wilford said. “There are no county commissioners or political action committees rushing to give me a check. It's about the educators, the administrators, and friends. It's very grassroots.”
Wilford is an active member of the Lakewood Ranch Little Free Library Club. She sorts through book donations, stamps them, and delivers the books to the locations around the community. She has personally distributed nearly 1,800 books.
She said the number of books in schools has decreased with technology, but she wants to have a focus on reading from physical books while also embracing technology.
“Part of getting kids engaged in learning is finding something that they can click with that resonates with them. This is so important when it comes to books,” Wilford said. “They need to have books around that represent themselves — their backgrounds, family situations, their aspirations. It could be a book about athletes or astronauts.”
Wilford wants to see students have more opportunities in terms of extracurricular activities. She often hears students need to get back to basics — reading, writing, arithmetic are all crucial skills — but she said the school experience is about more.
“At the end of the day, we want well-rounded kids and a lot of kids are coming in for those extras,” Wilford said. “They're not coming for math class, they're coming because they love band or basketball or TSA (Technology Student Association). That's the highlight of their day. We need to continue to make those programs stronger, because we want the kids to come in and learn.”
She said the district should get more creative and proficient in terms of marketing which schools have which programs. She said targeting families earlier — letting them know about high school programs while the kids are in middle or even elementary school — could benefit the students and families in the long run.
Wilford said there are many people with different backgrounds in the schools and community in terms of religion, culture, language, economics and academics. They all bring their own stories and experiences.
“It comes back to the students,” Wilford said. “You want everyone to be able to do the best that they can, regardless of any of that. You want to be able to support each student and I want to be able to support the teachers who do all that work.”
If elected, Wilford said she won't attempt to make changes immediately. She said the district has many strengths to build on, but she said there is room for reflection and improvement.
“It's in everybody's best interest to have educated students who feel supported,” Wilford said. “That's our future workforce. Those are the people who are going to make the world go round. They're going to be our teachers, our doctors, our accountants, our chefs.”
