Savannah Casto, a candidate for the Highlands County School Board District 5 seat, says she wants families to pay closer attention to decisions being made throughout local government and how those decisions affect students. Casto did not attend the Aug. 3 Lake Placid Insider candidate forum, but she has remained responsive to questions during the campaign.
“I want families here paying attention to every level of local government, not just the school board, because these decisions shape our kids’ daily lives more than most people realize,” Casto said. Casto has said she does not believe a single School Board member can promise sweeping changes. “As a board member, I’m one vote out of several, so I can’t promise to overhaul anything alone,” she said. “What I CAN do is show up prepared, ask the right questions on the record, and vote every single time with kids and families first.”
Transparency has also been a recurring part of Casto’s campaign message. She said families, teachers and district employees should have information about how decisions are reached and how money is being spent. “The families, teachers, and staff of Highlands County deserve transparency,” Casto said. “They deserve to know how decisions are made, where the money goes, and who is being held accountable for outcomes.”
Casto has also commented publicly on employee health insurance and FLEHT. In responding to a question about the issue, she acknowledged that she was still learning the details and described what she understood about the district’s financial situation. She said she had heard concerns from employees about the financial burden created by increasing health care costs, particularly for lower-paid workers. “A bus driver or a cafeteria worker facing thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs is in a very different situation than someone in a higher salary bracket,” Casto said. “That gap matters, and it needs to be part of the conversation.”
Casto said the approach she would bring to the School Board would include preparation and sharing information with the public.
“What I’d bring to this seat is simple: I want to show up, do the homework, and tell people the truth about what’s actually happening with our schools, even when it’s not the easy answer.”
