Mike Armbruster jumps into Orange County School Board Chair race

A retired Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) official has jumped into the open race for School Board Chair, making it a three-way contest.

Mike Armbruster, who retired in December as Deputy Superintendent, is running against current School Board members Alicia Farrant and Angie Gallo.

Armbruster said his 36-year career in the District gives him the connections and knowledge to lead on the School Board.

“We’re in one of the most transformational times we can be in and I think I have certain skills that will help lead us through that transformation,” Armbruster told Florida Politics in an interview. “Instead of seeing this as a problem, I see this as an opportunity. I see this as a chance for us to rebuild public education.”

Current School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, a longtime fixture in Central Florida politics, is not seeking re-election. That set the stage for an open Chair race.

Armbruster, Farrant and Gallo are seeking the nonpartisan seat in the Aug. 18 election. If no one wins at least 50% of the vote, a runoff is set for November.

“I’m not a politician,” Armbruster said. “I’m not running against anybody. I’m running for students.”

The School Board Chair is elected by all county voters, whereas the other seven School Board members are elected in their respective Districts where they live. 

Currently, each School Board member is paid $50,000, the same starting salary for OCPS teachers. 

The salary for the 2026-27 school year is currently under negotiation with the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, District spokesman Michael Ollendorff said.

If elected, Armbruster said he wants Orange to pursue more districtwide partnerships.

“In other words, it’s nice for this school to have this thing and it’s nice for that school,” the Winter Garden resident said. “I like to build bridges, and I like to connect the right people to the right things and really look at it much more holistically.”

He also said he wants to work more closely with higher education institutions and preschools to address bigger problems, like literacy.

“We’re not going to accept the fact that kids aren’t reading on grade level by third grade,” Armbruster said. “We’re going to do whatever we need to do. We need to find the resources. We need to do what we’re doing differently if what we’re doing isn’t working.”

He also wants to better communicate that college isn’t for everyone, and to help students find alternative paths to good careers.

“We need to stop some of the myths like there’s only one way to get to where you’re going,” said Armbruster, who was 29 when he completed his bachelor’s degree, since he was working as a General Manager at a country club.

Armbruster, a 1979 West Orange High graduate, started at OCPS as a vocational teacher at what is now Orange Technical College’s West Campus. Over the years, he worked his way up to be principal at both West Orange and Ocoee High schools.

By 2022, he was tapped as Deputy Superintendent overseeing the District’s learning division. During that tenure, the division underwent a major reorganization that led to no OCPS traditional public schools receiving any “D’s” or “F’s” for the first time in the state’s modern grading era, Armbruster said.

Armbruster retired in December from his 70-hour-a-week job after he experienced health issues. He also originally agreed to stay for only two years when he took the job, he said.