Elected Or Appointed School Superintendent? Escambia Commission To Consider Ballot Referendum

March 3, 2026

The Escambia County Commission will take the next step this week to potentially a referendum on the ballot in 2026 to again ask voters if they want an elected or appointed superintendent.

The Escambia County School board voted 3-2 on February 18, 2025, to place a referendum on the general election ballot to send the question back to voters. The referendum was introduced by District 5 member Tom Harrell, with Harrell, Kevin Adams, and Paul Fesko voting in favor. Board members Carissa Bergosh and David Williams were opposed. The school board then sent the referendum to the county commission for approval.

The county commission will vote Thursday on scheduling a public hearing for 5:32 p.m. on April 1 to consider an ordinance authorizing the countywide referendum to determine if the Superintendent of Schools of Escambia County, should be an elected position to be placed on the statewide primary election ballot on August 18, 2026, as requested by the school board.

“I feel very strongly about this,” Harrell, who campaigned on a return to an elected superintendent, said last February. “The county, I think, feels very strongly. There’s never anything wrong with letting the people decide. When you have a democracy, it’s all about people making decisions.”

“Deep down in my heart, having been here in this district for 60 years, that’s what the people of this district want,” Harrell added. “It’s the right time; it’s the right thing to do.”

A final vote from the commission will come at a later date.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES