Local businessman Carl Brewer, Jr., a political conservative, is challenging incumbent Teresa Jacobs to head the Orange County School Board in the Aug. 23 primary. Another consevative candidate, Demensio Barton, is also in the race.

On Brewer’s campaign site, he said that he’s running for the seat “because you deserve someone who will actually listen to your concerns and will welcome your input on decisions that affect their children, rather than hiding behind a wall of bureaucracy. As a fresh voice, I will break apart the current establishment that has held back real progress and real change in our schools for ages."

Brewer lists general priorities including “advocating for parents involvement in policy-setting,” transparency in educational materials, empowering teachers, health and fitness and financial literacy.

But there’s little online about his views and alliances. Influence Magazine recently described Brewer as a “parental rights activist” who may be aligned with conservative organizations like Moms for Liberty and Gov. Ron DeSantis — “angry about COVID-19 mandates, and fearing that liberals in schools, administrations, and School Boards, might be pushing critical race theory and other anathemas to their beliefs.”

On Oct. 26, 2021, Brewer retweeted a video of Jacob Engels reading a book titled “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” at an Orange County School Board meeting, shortly before Jacobs had him removed. Brewer wrote: “This is the file [sic] garbage they are allowing our children to read in school!  Unacceptable.  Fire them all!!!”

In the nonpartisan school board race, if no candidate gets more than 50 percent on Aug. 23 then the top two finishers will have a runoff election on Nov. 8.