Where I Stand After Four Months on the Campaign Trail

By Curtis Campogni, Candidate for Pinellas County School Board, District 3 (At-Large)

As we approach 2026, now four months into my candidacy, one thing has surprised me most: how much common ground exists when people are actually willing to talk.

After countless conversations with parents, educators, and community members across Pinellas County, I’ve learned that most people want the same things.

Safe schools.

Supported teachers.

Informed families.

Kids who are prepared for life beyond the classroom.

Where we often differ is not the destination, but the lens we start from.

This is a nonpartisan race.

That matters.

But pretending that partisan ideas don’t exist, or that people don’t often approach school issues through a political lens, would be naïve.

Both things can be true.

One moment during door knocking really stuck with me. A man told me he believed teachers were indoctrinating kids. I’ll be honest, my first reaction was internal.

My mom is a teacher. That hasn’t been my experience. But instead of debating or dismissing him, I asked a simple question:

What do you mean by that, and why?

We talked for about twenty minutes.

By the end, we still didn’t see the issue the same way.

But we did agree on something important: parents deserve transparency, trust matters, and schools work best when families feel informed rather than shut out. We shook hands and kept it moving.

That conversation reminded me of something I’ve believed for a long time.

Listening doesn’t mean agreeing. It means taking people seriously enough to understand where they’re coming from.

I’ve seen that same commitment show up in other ways.

Sitting in on a book review meeting, I watched parents and community members give up a weekday night to make thoughtful, passionate arguments about what belongs in our schools. Regardless of where anyone landed, what stood out was this: these were people who believe a community only works if you stand for what you believe in and actually show up for it.

The number of people in Pinellas County who quietly show up for kids after long workdays is something we should all respect.

Through this experience, I’ve become more aware of how schools and communities truly come together.

I’ve seen how many people, every day, are working behind the scenes to ensure children receive not only a strong education, but the rights, supports, and opportunities they deserve.

That work crosses political lines.

One thing I’m proud of, and something that matters more to me than winning, is this: what I say publicly about the issues, positions, and direction of our schools reflects what I say in private as well.

I don’t say one thing on a doorstep and another behind closed doors. That matters to me, as a father, as a professional, and as someone asking for the trust of this community.

I hope it matters to you as well.

Let’s Keep It Real

This work isn't easy.

If we’re being real, everything I’ve done for the last twenty years has been rooted in empathy, understanding, and change.

Yet, as we get closer to election season, I’m curious to see how the partisan angle gets navigated. I spent time studying the 2022 school board races, and I saw how quickly conversations about kids can get pulled into distractions that don’t actually help classrooms or families.

I don’t believe the candidates themselves intend to turn this race into personal politics, rather than productive policy......

But let’s be honest, it’s often the people working behind the scenes who try to turn complexity into conflict.

Here’s what I want to be clear about.

Empathy is not weakness.

Empathy does not mean being naïve.

Empathy does not mean being a pushover.

Empathy means listening first, thinking critically, and acting with intention. It means being strong enough to hear perspectives you don’t share without losing your own.

It means keeping your focus on outcomes, not outrage.

I’m not running to perform politics. I’m running to help schools work better for students, families, and educators.

I’m interested in ideas, not labels.

Solutions, not slogans.

No matter where the next eight months take us, voters will know where everyone stands, and more importantly, why.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of Curtis Campogni, Candidate for Pinellas County School Board, District 3 at Large, and do not represent the official position of any organization or governing body.