NPE Action Endorses Savannah Casto for Highlands County, Florida, School Board, District 5
NPE Action proudly endorses Savannah Casto for Highlands County School Board, District 5, in the August 18, 2026 primary. Savannah is running because she cares deeply about kids, families, and the future of her community — and because Highlands County’s public schools need a board member who will fight for them, not cannibalize them.
The stakes in this race are real. Highlands County has 13 private schools accepting vouchers, and the sitting board has a history of prioritizing school choice policies at the expense of the public school system. The district is currently on a state-mandated fiscal recovery plan, and enrollment has declined for a decade. The communities most dependent on public schools — where more than 56% of students are economically disadvantaged and 70% are students of color — are the ones bearing the cost of that neglect.
Savannah is running to change that. She opposes voucher expansion and believes in full funding transparency, so the community knows exactly where every dollar goes. She believes the best investment Highlands County can make in its kids is in the public schools they actually attend.
Her platform is grounded in the basics that most families want for their children: readers who can read confidently, students who feel safe at school, teachers who care, and classrooms that work. She’s clear-eyed about the academic struggles too many students face today, and she understands that literacy underpins every subject and every opportunity a child will have later in life. Graduates, she believes, should leave prepared for whatever comes next — college, trade school, the military, or the workforce.
Savannah also recognizes that strong schools depend on the people standing in front of students every day. Teachers are being asked to carry enormous responsibilities, and recruiting and retaining good educators requires treating them with real respect. Her guiding commitments are straightforward: parents deserve transparency, teachers deserve respect, and students deserve opportunity. She believes in fiscal responsibility and in a school board that stays accountable to the community it serves, from early childhood all the way through preparing students for adulthood.
At its core, this campaign is about whether Highlands County’s children are learning, growing, and being prepared for the future. NPE Action is proud to stand behind a candidate who understands that these are our kids, our community, and our future — and who is ready to fight for the public schools that serve them.
Vote for Savannah Casto on August 18, 2026.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. Authorized and paid for by Network for Public Education Action, PO Box 227. New York, NY 10156. 646-678-4477.