Barbieri Makes Endorsement for School Board Race; More on Delray Budget

Not long after he decided not to run for a fifth term on the Palm Beach County School Board, Frank Barbieri told me that he didn’t plan to endorse anyone to be his successor. That has changed.

Barbieri, whose District 5 includes Boca Raton and West Boca, has endorsed Mindy Koch. She’s one of five candidates running to succeed Barbieri, who has been on the board since 2008 and served as chairman during the chaotic days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, Barbieri told me that he endorsed Koch because he’s worried about the conflict of interest he believes that Gloria Branch would present if elected. Branch, a Boca Raton resident who has raised the most money, is the daughter of Art Johnson. He was principal at Spanish River High School and served as superintendent from 2001 until 2011.

Two years after the board—with Barbieri in the majority—removed him, Johnson became executive director of the Palm Beach County School Administrators Association. It’s not a union, but it represents principals in negotiations and during disciplinary proceedings.