Maria Salamanca (Florida)
2022 - Present
2026
2
Maria Salamanca is a member of the Orange County Public Schools school board in Florida, representing District 2. She assumed office on November 22, 2022. Her current term ends on November 17, 2026.
Salamanca ran for election to the Orange County Public Schools school board to represent District 2 in Florida. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Salamanca completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Maria Salamanca was born in Bogotá, Colombia. Salamanca earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2015. Her career experience includes working as an entrepreneur and investor. Salamanca founded LatinxVC.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Orange County Public Schools, Florida, elections (2022)
General election
General election for Orange County Public Schools school board District 2
Maria Salamanca defeated Heather Ashby in the general election for Orange County Public Schools school board District 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Maria Salamanca (Nonpartisan)  | 50.6 | 22,718 |
| Heather Ashby (Nonpartisan) | 49.4 | 22,181 | ||
| Total votes: 44,899 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Orange County Public Schools school board District 2
Maria Salamanca and Heather Ashby defeated Chad Aaron Spence, George Collins, and Jose Vicente in the primary for Orange County Public Schools school board District 2 on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maria Salamanca (Nonpartisan) | 32.7 | 6,652 |
| ✔ | Heather Ashby (Nonpartisan) | 27.4 | 5,572 | |
| Chad Aaron Spence (Nonpartisan) | 20.3 | 4,120 | ||
 | George Collins (Nonpartisan) | 10.1 | 2,050 | |
| Jose Vicente (Nonpartisan) | 9.5 | 1,932 | ||
| Total votes: 20,326 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Salamanca's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Maria Salamanca completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Salamanca's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I had the incredible opportunity of attending U.C. Berkeley, learning many lessons about student outcomes while in college.
After graduating, I was eager to return to Orlando and support our children. I founded the OCPS Super Scholar Success Initiative, inspired by my own experience as a first-generation college student. The initiative provides a peer network to students pursuing out-of-state education, while also giving parents additional resources and support.
But since moving back to Orlando in 2020 I have been dismayed by what the last couple of years have been like for teachers and their students. Instead of focusing on education, FL school boards have become a battleground for politics and are at the front line of culture wars.- I am student success centered, and I want to search for new and innovating ways to educate and prepare our students for a prosperous future. I founded the OCPS Super Scholars Success Initiative in 2016, which supports hundreds of our district’s highest achieving students every year by preparing them for the nation’s top 20 colleges and universities. It still supports students six years later today.
- I bring a unique perspective to the school board as an entrepreneur and student's voice. There are four teachers, seven parents, and even two politicians, but zero recent students. It’s time to send a student perspective to the school board.
- I am the ONLY Latina running in this race, and representation matters. I will advocate for inclusive education for all students, regardless of who they are.
I am dependable - I get things done that I said I will get done. I am ambitious and will hold the highest bar for the people around me - I will push myself and the rest of the board to always reach for the best possible outcome for students, parents, and teachers.
The Superintendent should carry out the goals and aspirations of the School Board, including those of my District’s constituency, as the head executive of the public school system such as expanding innovative solutions to preparing students for the workforce.
According to Everytown, several studies have found that schools that have used threat assessment programs like investing in school-based mental health services by hiring a sufficient number of psychologists, social workers, nurses, and counselors see as few as 0.5 to 3.5 percent of students carry out a threat of violence or attempt to.
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
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 31, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johanna López |
Orange County Public Schools school board District 2 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
