Ken Gay’s Campaign For Hillsborough School Board Deserves a Much Closer Look
Ken Gay has dedicated a large part of his adult life to public education; he worked for the Hillsborough County Public Schools for 39 years before retiring in 2022 and still assists new teachers nowadays. Everyone I’ve spoken with, even those who know him well, says Gay is a decent, friendly individual.
His many years of service are significant and deserve respect.
With this background in mind, his answers to the 2026 candidate questionnaire stand out even more.
Ken Gay filled out a questionnaire for iVoterGuide, a conservative voter information group. The questionnaire is clearly his, as he is running for Hillsborough County School Board District 6. His profile lists his education, work history, church membership, and earlier School Board campaign. Gay says he is a Republican and describes his political views as conservative.
He goes on to answer the questions.
Gay supports getting rid of the U.S. Department of Education and giving its responsibilities back to states and local governments. I presume that means all financial support from the USDOE. He believes school choice encourages competition that improves public schools. I’m not sure how transferring public money to private schools helps public schools, but apparently, Gay has solved the riddle.
I become more concerned by his answers when the questions involve the students he would serve as a School Board member.
Gay believes sex education should focus on abstinence and human anatomy, and should not include topics about sexual orientation or gender identity. He is strongly against letting organizations that offer abortion or gender-affirming care, like Planned Parenthood, provide materials or services in schools.
He is firmly against allowing transgender girls to join girls’ sports teams or use female bathrooms and locker rooms. He also agreed with the view that gender dysphoria should be “treated, not affirmed” (contrary to the advice of most major medical associations involved).
Gay is strongly against exempting books with literary value from obscenity laws. He supports letting trained and licensed school staff carry guns in schools. He sees marriage as a union ordained by God between one man and one woman, and says the government cannot change this definition. He supports teaching patriotism in public schools and believes Christian principles have shaped the country and should remain part of public life.
These are not other people’s interpretations of Gay’s views; they are the positions he chose to write down himself.
For me, this is much more important than whether Ken Gay is a nice person.
A School Board member is responsible for children from many different families, backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences in Hillsborough County. This includes gay and transgender students, children with same-sex parents, those from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faiths, and those raised without religion.
I agree with Gay that schools should treat everyone with dignity and respect, and I believe he means that. Still, his other answers make me question what dignity and respect would look like for students whose identities differ from his religious and political beliefs.
Follow The Money
Gay’s campaign finances add another unusual aspect to his run for office. A report downloaded on September 14 from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections website indicates that contributions totaled $32,427.54 and spending totaled $41,589.24.
Most of the funding comes from just a few main sources. Almost 90.1 percent of the contributions came from Gay himself or were carried over from his previous campaign funds. Only 9.9 percent, or $3,225, came from other people.
The accounting records show the same amount, $14,601.27, listed twice, so it’s unlikely Gay wrote two separate checks for that sum. Still, the documents show that only a small amount of money came from outside sources.
Out of the few outside contributors, one person stands out. Piero Wong donated $1,000, which is about 31% of the money Gay received from outside sources.
Wong is also the registered agent and one of two managers of Faith in Policy LLC, a Florida company founded on August 20, 2024. The other manager is Robert Matthews of Clearwater. State records show the company is active, but Faith in Policy has little public presence. I haven’t found a company website, a public client list, or other readily identifiable Hillsborough candidates.
Gay’s campaign has done a lot of business with this company. According to Supervisor of Elections data, his campaign made three payments totaling $22,050 to Faith in Policy LLC or Wong. This means that 53 percent of Gay’s campaign spending went to Faith in Policy or Piero Wong.
The figures show that the arrangement is unusual since about 90 per cent of the campaign’s funds are from Gay or carryover funds, 10 percent comes from others (with almost a third from Wong), and over half of the campaign spending goes to Wong or his new company.
There is no evidence that those transactions violate campaign-finance law; it is perfectly legal to finance a campaign yourself. It is normal to hire a political consultant, and such a consultant is allowed to make contributions to a candidate.
It’s also worth noting that Faith in Policy was only set up in August 2024 and has had little public visibility. Still, it quickly became the largest recipient of Ken Gay’s campaign spending.
The Résumé Is Only Part of the Record
When I started looking into Ken Gay, I expected to find an experienced former educator running a typical School Board campaign.
I did find that person. I also found a candidate who has been most open about his politics when answering questions from a conservative audience.
His long career in Hillsborough schools is part of his record, along with his stated beliefs about LGBTQ students, transgender children, books, guns in schools, religion, school choice, and the government’s role in public education.
These beliefs should be understood based on what Gay has said himself. For me, some of these beliefs go straight to what I expect from a Hillsborough County School Board member. The Board oversees schools with children who don’t all fit into one political philosophy, religious tradition, or family definition.
All these children walk through the same school doors.
That’s the standard I’ll use when judging the people who want to lead their schools.
Sources
WUSF Public Media — “Hillsborough County School Board candidates tackle district challenges”
WUSF article
iVoterGuide — Kenneth “Ken” Gay, Hillsborough County School Board District 6 Candidate Profile and Questionnaire
Ken Gay iVoterGuide profile
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections — Campaign Finance Reporting System / Ken Gay campaign finance data
Primary campaign-finance data from the Supervisor of Elections spreadsheet you downloaded and provided.
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections — Campaign Finance Information
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections campaign finance page
Florida Division of Corporations, Sunbiz — Faith in Policy LLC
Faith in Policy LLC corporate record
