Three seats on the five-member Collier County School Board are up for election this year. Districts 1 and 3 were uncontested: newcomer Jeffrey Donaldson and incumbent Kelly Mason, respectively, will be deemed elected. District 5 is the only contested School Board race, with incumbent Timothy Moshier facing challenger Ford Dalusma.
Unlike many local offices, School Board members are elected countywide. Every Collier County voter may cast a ballot in every School Board race regardless of where they live.
This post will summarize each candidate’s background and professional experience, and, for the contested race, each candidate’s stated priorities, campaign finances, endorsements, and publicly available resources.
To help voters learn more about all five candidates, I asked each of them to complete a questionnaire. Only Ms. Mason submitted a response by the requested deadline. I also attended and recorded the candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Collier County, Naples Better Government, Greater Naples Chamber, CBIA, and NABOR (the Collier Forum Coalition) on June 9. The audio recording, transcript, and position grid linked below provide additional detail about the candidates’ views.
What Does the School Board Do?
The School Board is responsible for governing one of Collier County’s largest public institutions. Its decisions affect nearly every aspect of the public school system, including curriculum implementation, district finances, capital construction, employee contracts, student discipline policies, and the selection and evaluation of the superintendent. While Florida law determines many education policies, local School Boards retain significant authority over district operations, finances, strategic planning, and implementation of state requirements.
For more about the School Board, see the Collier County School Board: A Sparker’s Primer Post.
District 1
Jeff Donaldson (unopposed)
Jeff Donaldson is the Senior Pastor of Christ Community Naples, a non-denominational church in Naples, FL. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute and is pursuing a Master of Theology at Liberty University. He and his wife Bethany have raised five children; three attended Collier County Public Schools, and their youngest is a senior at Marco Island Academy.
District 3
Kelly Mason (unopposed)
Kelly Mason is the incumbent representative for Collier County School Board District 3, having been previously elected in 2022. She earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Baldwin Wallace College and a master’s degree in Social Studies Education from Nova Southeastern University. She completed doctoral coursework in instructional leadership at Nova Southeastern University through April 2013. Mason’s professional background includes work as a high school teacher (US History, Economics, Government) and work with special needs children. She also served as the founding board president of Mason Classical Academy, a public, tuition-free Collier County charter school, from 2012 through 2025 in an all-volunteer capacity.
District 5
In District 5, incumbent Timothy Moshier is facing Ford Dalusma.
Timothy Moshier
Tim Moshier is the incumbent representative for Collier County School Board District 5, having been previously elected in 2022. According to his 2022 campaign materials, Moshier is a graduate of Northwood University in Midland, MI, which he described as “a conservative free-enterprise college.” In 1994, he began a 27-year career with Ryder System, transferring from Ohio to Miami in 1997, where he worked in the transportation and logistics division until 2021. Of his decision to run for School Board in 2022, Moshier said his interest began during the COVID-19 mask debate: “It all started with the mask mandate. I didn’t think we should be masking our children.” (NABOR Forum at 00:15:36)
Moshier’s campaign theme is “Back to the Basics: Strong, Responsible Leadership.” His website emphasizes fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets, safe classrooms, strong academic outcomes, parental involvement, and support for students in academics, athletics, and the arts. (campaign website) At the forum, he was consistent with those themes, pointing to the board’s debt reduction, teacher-pay efforts, school safety measures, dual-enrollment opportunities, school visits, and his view that Collier County Public Schools is moving in the right direction. (candidate forum)
Endorsements
- Collier County Republican Executive Committee (CCREC) (Florida’s Voice, 6/4/26)
Website and Social Media
- Campaign website: timforcollier.com
- Facebook: Tim for Collier
Ford Dalusma
Little background information about Ford Dalusma is available on his campaign website or through publicly available online sources reviewed for this post, nor did he return my candidate questionnaire.
Ford Dalusma is a graduate of Collier County Public Schools. He comes from a family of educators and is active in his church and as a translator (candidate forum).
Dalusma’s campaign theme is “Putting Students and Teachers First.” His campaign’s “Priority #1” is to “fight for competitive teacher salaries,” and his website lists specific proposals, including experience-based pay, housing subsidies, stronger regional competitiveness in teacher recruitment and retention, and making teacher retention a budget priority (website). At the forum, he returned to the same theme while also emphasizing career and technical education, student safety, and mental-health support (candidate forum).
Endorsements
No endorsements identified as of June 20, 2026.
Website and Social Media
- Campaign website: ford4schoolboard.com
- Facebook: Not found as of June 20, 2026
Candidate Forum
- June 9, 2026 School Board Candidate Forum – Audio (MP3)
- June 9, 2026 School Board Candidate Forum – Transcript (PDF)
- June 9, 2026 School Board Candidate Forum – Position Grid
Campaign Finance
Moshier raised contributions from 49 donors. Seventy percent of Moshier’s contributions came from Collier County, including a $100 contribution from Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro. He also received contributions of the maximum $1,000 from State Attorney Amira Fox, and veteran Florida education lobbyist Thomas Cerra and his Doral-based K-12 consulting firm, Florida School Services, Inc.
Dalusma’s sole contribution came from a retired donor.
In the News
- Tim Moshier looks to continue ‘back to basics’ approach in Collier School Board re-election bid (Florida Politics, 1/12/26)
- Collier County Schools: Teacher pay finalized; board slams union ‘circus’ (USA Today Network-Florida via Naples Daily News, 5/7/26)
- Collier GOP announces endorsements in local races as Alfie Oakes backs Jeff Donaldson (Florida’s Voice, 6/4/26)
- Two Collier County School Board seats decided early (Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News, 6/20/26)
