Greg Filak handily won the open District 1 seat on the Osceola County School Board Tuesday, while the race for the District 3 seat is headed to an automatic recount after Alyssa Noel and Natalie Guzman finished separated by just 29 votes.
Filak defeated former School Board member Jay Wheeler with 4,810 votes (60.3%) to Wheeler's 3,173 (39.7%), succeeding longtime School Board Vice Chair Terry Castillo, who did not seek re-election.
Filak, 48, of Celebration, serves as chairman of the Celebration Community Development District and vice chairman of the Osceola School District's Business Advisory Board. After Tuesday night’s victory, he said his immediate focus will be providing steady leadership while addressing budget challenges, teacher pay and the district's long-term financial planning.
"The biggest thing is really just getting the stability in the organization," he said. "I want to focus on making sure there's some financial stability there and just making sure the organization's getting resourced right."
Winning by more than 1,600 votes, Filak said he intends to represent students and families across Osceola County.
"It's being able to support all the kids ... not just in District 1 that I represent, but all the kids across Osceola," he said. "We're voting all together on behalf of all the students and all the teachers through the district."
In District 3, Noel led Guzman by just 29 votes — 3,597 to 3,568 — after unofficial results were posted Tuesday night. The margin falls within Florida's 0.5% threshold for an automatic machine recount, leaving the race undecided pending the recount. The winner will succeed School Board member Jolene Shieve, who did not seek re-election. Neither candidate could be reached for comment by press time.
The nonpartisan races were open to all registered voters in their respective districts regardless of party affiliation. Because only two candidates qualified in each race, Tuesday's primary effectively decided the District 1 seat while leaving District 3 awaiting a recount.
During his campaign, Filak emphasized managing the district's rapid growth, strengthening school safety and expanding career and technical education opportunities.
He also highlighted his background as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, police officer and community volunteer, saying he wanted to bring collaborative leadership and accountability to the board.
"I have shown that I can bring together different people from varying viewpoints to focus on what is most important: our students and our children," Filak told the News-Gazette during the campaign.
Filak also said he wants to help the district prepare for continued enrollment growth while maintaining accountability and fiscal responsibility. He pledged to continue supporting School Resource Officers on every campus and expand career and technical education programs through stronger partnerships with local businesses.
Wheeler, 67, of Kissimmee, sought a return to the School Board after serving from 2002 to 2018. He campaigned on his previous experience overseeing rapid district growth, expanding career and technical education, increasing voluntary prekindergarten participation and restoring transportation options for after-school activities.
In the unsettled District 3 race, Noel, 38, of Kissimmee, campaigned on restoring trust in public education through transparency, fiscal accountability and increased parent engagement. A former mental health professional, she serves as chair of the Bellalago Academy School Advisory Council and on the Osceola County School District's School Safety Committee.
Guzman, 40, of Kissimmee, a business owner making her first bid for public office, focused her campaign on financial literacy, career readiness, school safety and teacher retention while advocating for stronger partnerships between schools and parents.
