Meet the candidates running for Alachua County School Board

Alachua County School Board candidate qualifying ended at noon on June 12, setting the stage for the November 2026 election, where five candidates are vying for three seats. Gabriel Lopez, a former kindergarten teacher at Terwilliger Elementary, is running in District 1 after claiming wrongful termination following the district’s decision to lay off 88 teachers and close three schools. Lopez previously worked in HR and operations for Target and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Hunter Miller, a 10-year math teacher at Howard Bishop Elementary, and Janine Plavac, the incumbent appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill Kay Abbitt’s resigned term, are also competing in District 1. Plavac, a former health professions director and 2008 Teacher of the Year, has 16 years of experience in education leadership. In District 3, incumbent Sarah Rockwell, a former special education teacher with 20 years of experience, faces Gregory Pelham, a long-time advocate for education and social justice who has worked as a Teen Court case manager for 13 years. Rockwell holds advanced degrees in special education from the University of Florida and remains active in community organizations, including the Economic Development Advisory Committee. Jancie Vinson is the sole candidate for District 5, where she secured a seat on the board. A retired probation supervisor with 36 years at the Florida Department of Corrections, Vinson serves as vice president of the Gainesville NAACP and a member of the Alachua County Local Planning Commission. She previously ran for the seat in 2010 and 2014 but lost both races.