Florida › Marion County › Marion County School Board District 5
2 candidates are tracked for Marion County School Board District 5, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Donald "Donny" Barber and Sarah James. Candidate information follows official Marion County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
August 18 result: incumbent Sarah James (49 percent) fell short of a majority and meets Donny Barber (35 percent) in a November 3 runoff, per unofficial results.
Donald "Donny" Barber
Nonpartisan
City manager of Archer, Florida; chairs the Marion County Board of Adjustments and the Citra Community Center, and formerly served as Public Works & Utilities Administrator for Williston, per the Ocala Gazette and VOTE411.
2026 priorities
- Safer schools, per Ocala Gazette and VOTE411
- Responsible finances - redirect funds from 'administrative bloat' toward teacher compensation, per VOTE411
- Improved student performance with fundamentals, career pathways and accountability, per VOTE411
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-19.
Reported fundraising: $7,847 (county campaign-finance filings).
Campaign site →
Sarah James
Nonpartisan · Incumbent
Incumbent school board member (four years) and current board chair; former teacher and school administrator with a doctorate in educational leadership who owns two preschools generating about $1.5 million annually, per the Ocala Gazette and VOTE411.
2026 priorities
- Recruiting and retaining staff, including fixing pay compression for experienced teachers, per Ocala Gazette and VOTE411
- Student-centered budgeting and planning for district growth, per Ocala Gazette
- Expanding vocational opportunities, per Ocala Gazette
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-19.
Reported fundraising: $41,100 (county campaign-finance filings).
Campaign site →
