Francesca Wernisch

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Francesca Wernisch

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 20, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Florida, 2007

Personal

Birthplace

West Palm Beach, Fla.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Francesca Wernisch ran for election to the School District of Palm Beach County school board to represent District 1 in Florida. She lost in the primary on August 20, 2024.

Wernisch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Francesca Wernisch was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 2007.

Elections

2024

See also: School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, elections (2024)

General election

General election for School District of Palm Beach County school board District 1

Matthew Jay Lane defeated Page Lewis in the general election for School District of Palm Beach County school board District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Matthew Jay Lane (Nonpartisan)	54.6	58,805
	Submit photo	Page Lewis (Nonpartisan)	45.4	48,871

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 107,676
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for School District of Palm Beach County school board District 1

Matthew Jay Lane and Page Lewis defeated Francesca Wernisch in the primary for School District of Palm Beach County school board District 1 on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Matthew Jay Lane (Nonpartisan)	40.6	13,498
✔	Submit photo	Page Lewis (Nonpartisan)	37.3	12,416
		Francesca Wernisch (Nonpartisan)	22.1	7,370

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,284
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Marlo Beth Larsen (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wernisch in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Francesca Wernisch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wernisch's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born and raised in Palm Beach County, I’m a mom with children in elementary school. As a deeply involved parent, I understand the demands on principals and teachers and strive to create a safe environment where all students can reach their highest potential. I believe this can be done through a holistic approach that involves prioritizing students, engaging parents, and supporting teachers.

My degree in Construction Management, my work experience, and parenting have all fostered in me a strong work ethic, empathy, and powerful problem-solving skills. My most valuable experience for this particular role comes from being an involved mom with two children in a Palm Beach County School District school and serving as PTA treasurer.

I’m running for Palm Beach County School Board District 1, with the endorsement of current District 1 board member Barbara McQuinn. I believe all children deserve an excellent public school education and am committed to being every parent's voice.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My priority is student achievement, which means ensuring our students reach their highest potential in a safe learning environment and graduate high school ready to be successful adults. Achieving this starts with early learning; I support creating a fully-funded Pre-K program to provide a strong foundation for children entering Kindergarten, easing the transition for both students and teachers. Additionally, we need the State to increase funding to improve salaries to help us retain and recruit the best instructional and non-instructional staff.
• Safety is a top priority because we cannot educate our children if they feel unsafe at school. By ensuring our facilities are adequately funded, we can enhance safety infrastructure, meet security requirements, maintain one school police officer per school, and fully invest in mental health training and resources for all personnel. Me continue to seek improvements and as technology evolves, we must take the opportunity to grow as an organization and learn best practices from other districts nationwide.
• Fiscal responsibility is a concern for many and I plan to work closely with our CFO and the experts hired by the District who prioritize how the money we receive from the State and taxpayers is allocated. I commit to being a watchdog for our tax dollars.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education funding. Adequate funding is crucial for maintaining and improving school facilities, hiring qualified staff, providing necessary resources and materials, and supporting enrichment programs.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, empathy, problem-solving ability, accountability, communication skills, strong work ethic, adaptability, courage

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Empathy, problem-solving skills, a strong work ethic, integrity, strong listening skills, humility

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Policy development, budget oversight, legal and ethical compliance, ensuring equity and inclusion, community engagement, accountability, performance assessment, overseeing development and implementation of curriculum

What legacy would you like to leave?

As many people as possible felt that I gave them a voice and a say in their public school experience and I left things better than I first encountered them.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked for a Land Planning firm for the summer between 10th and 11th grade. It was a great learning experience personally and professionally.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To be the voice of our community and ensure the decisions being made are in the best interest of the most students and families possible.

Who are your constituents?

District 1 which includes North Palm Beach, Juno, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, and parts of Lake Park and Jupiter Farms.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

By engaging with and listening to my constituents and being their voice on the school board.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Continual community engagement.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Educators need to feel valued and supported to bring their best into the classroom. This starts with adequate salaries and a supportive school culture. The measurement is the success of our students which is reflected not only in their test scores but in their overall well-being. I support all proven advanced teaching methods and approaches that students engage with and teachers feel confident implementing.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I would love to see more emphasis on technical training, internships, and any opportunity that gives our students a chance to find a passion and understand what it means to work in that field.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

Encouraging an expansion of the mental health support we have in each school through curriculum implementation and physical presence.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would love to see funding for a high-quality, full day pre-K program.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Barbara McQuinn, Current PBC School Board Member D1 (Retiring)

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Safe and supportive.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Continual community engagement and an open door / phone / email policy to encourage all to reach out with their feedback.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Asking the State to increase our funding for salaries so we can recruit and retain quality educators and staff.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Our stakeholders should have the ability to understand how resources are being allocated and used. Fiscal transparency and government accountability ensure that the District is effectively serving their students, responsibly managing resources, and maintaining the trust and confidence of their communities.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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School District of Palm Beach County school board District 1

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