Susanne Peña
Pena is an educator with more than 20 years of experience teaching at the K-12 and college levels, and is the parent of an Orange County Public Schools student. She is a candidate for the District 3 seat on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot and answered the 2026 News Collaborative/ClickOrlando voters guide questionnaire.
Campaign finance: state and county candidates file with the Florida Division of Elections or the county Supervisor of Elections. Search contributions ↗
Sources last checked 2026-09-18. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Education & school choice Leans disagree· stated position
Pena listed protecting public schools among her top three issues, calling for responsible funding, proactive planning for enrollment decline, and greater accountability for schools that receive public dollars.
"greater accountability for schools receiving public dollars"
Library and classroom materials Leans disagree· stated position
Asked about book challenges and library removals, Pena said decisions should be made by qualified educators, librarians and appropriate review committees, and judged on educational value, age appropriateness and established academic standards.
"qualified educators, librarians, and appropriate review committees"
Teacher and staff pay Mixed / neutral· stated position
Pena calls for competitive salaries as part of recruiting and retaining educators, but said pay alone is not the answer and stressed professional development, mentorship, career growth and supportive working conditions. She did not name budget tradeoffs.
School safety approach Leans disagree· stated position
Pena's school-safety answer called for regularly reviewing and strengthening safety protocols and combining prevention, early intervention and a positive school climate. She did not propose additional police presence or tougher discipline.
"prevention, early intervention, and a positive school climate"
No public position found on 3 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Property taxes, Gender identity laws. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Response to reporting on opponent — Asked about the reporting on Moore's personnel file, Peña said public leaders should meet 'high standards of professionalism, accountability, and respectful treatment.'
Endorsements (as reported)
- U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost
- Orange County Classroom Teachers Association
- U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost
- Orange County Classroom Teachers Association
- U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost
- State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith
- State Rep. Anna Eskamani
- Orange County Classroom Teachers Association
- State Sen. Victor Torres
- Equality Florida Action PAC
- Network for Public Education Action
- Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Action Fund
- Ruth's List Florida
- Hispanic Chamber of Florida
- Orange County School Board members Angie Gallo, Maria Salamanca, Anne Douglas and Stephanie Vanos