3 candidates are tracked for Hillsborough County School Board District 6, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Kenneth "Ken" Gay, Karen Perez and Sally Harris "Ms Sally" Williamson. Candidate information follows official Hillsborough County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
August 18 result: incumbent board chair Karen Perez finished just over 48 percent, short of a majority, and faces Kenneth Gay in a November 3 runoff, per the Tampa Bay Times.
School board member. The school board is the governing body of a public school district. It hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts the district budget, sets policies on curriculum, discipline, attendance boundaries and facilities, and approves contracts and collective bargaining agreements. Day-to-day operations belong to the superintendent; the board sets direction and holds the administration accountable.
This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. The sitting officeholder, Karen Perez, is on the ballot.
Florida › Hillsborough County › Hillsborough County School Board District 6
Nonpartisan
Per the campaign site.
Kenneth Gay is a retired educator with 39 years in Hillsborough public schools as a teacher, instructional leader, and assistant principal, holding a doctorate in child and youth studies, per his campaign site.
$30,953 raised · county campaign-finance filings
Nonpartisan Incumbent
Per the campaign site.
Karen Perez is a licensed clinical social worker and certified traumatologist who runs a private wellness practice, and the incumbent countywide District 6 board member, first elected in 2018, per her campaign site.
$40,382 raised · county campaign-finance filings
Nonpartisan
Per the WUSF questionnaire/interview.
Career counselor and founder of Circle C Ranch Academy, a Tampa preschool established in 1985, per her campaign site. She served on the Hillsborough County School Board from 2014 to 2018 and as board chair from 2018 to 2019, a tenure during which graduation rates rose 15 percent to 83 percent, per WUSF. Sally Harris "Ms Sally" Williamson appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Hillsborough County School Board District 6, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list.
Who is running for Hillsborough County School Board District 6 in 2026?
3 candidates are tracked for Hillsborough County School Board District 6, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Kenneth "Ken" Gay, Karen Perez and Sally Harris "Ms Sally" Williamson. Candidate information follows official Hillsborough County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
When is the Hillsborough County School Board District 6 election in Florida?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Florida are on the Florida election hub at theballotbrief.com.
How do I see my exact Hillsborough County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.
Candidate roster from official Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections filings, last verified September 29, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.
Cross-check with the official Florida election office, or see the full Hillsborough County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.
16 tracked races in Hillsborough County, Florida. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.