Alachua County School Board

There are three open seats on the Alachua County School Board: District 1, District 3 and District 5. While candidates represent a specific district, these races are voted on at-large by county voters.

In the August primary, Tina Certain won a majority of the votes in District 1 and Rob Hyatt won a majority in District 5. With three candidates in District 3, no candidate won a majority and the two who received the most votes appear on the general election ballot.

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DISTRICT 3 (includes a western portion of Gainesville)

District 3


Gunnar Paulson 

Gunnar Paulson is a nonpartisan candidate running for Alachua County School Board, District 3. He was first elected to the position in 2010 and has been re-elected since. He is the current board chairman.

This candidate has not responded to the News4Jax survey.

Campaign website: gunnar4schoolboard.org


April Tisher

Age: 41

Candidate's family: Husband-Christoper Tisher, step-daughter Olivia Tisher (20), sons Andrew Tisher (14) Nicholas Tisher (11) and daughter Samantha (7)

Occupation: Writer and account execuitive for Irving Publications (publishes Giggle and Wellness 360 Magazines)

Education: Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Political experience: Member of the Junior League of Gainesville's State Public Affairs Committee for 4 years.

Summarize your political platform in 10 words or less.

Fresh prespective to be a parents voice on the board

What do you see as the top three issues in this race?

school safety (including mental health) for all
racial disparities in Alachua county
facilities improvement and expansion (and the funds to do so)

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot? 

I can be a voice for parents on the board to advocate for ALL children. I am the only candidate with my own children currently attending Alachua county public schools; one in elementary school, one in middle school and one in high school. I am plugged in to what is going on in the classroom, in the schools through the PTA and at home with my own children.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office? 

I would hope to be remembered for being a voice and advocate for all parents and their students. I would hope to be seen as a board member that everyone can relate to and can truly represent those who elected me. I would like mental health issues to have been effectively addressed and for school safety to have greatly improved. I would like more career and technical opportunities to have been added to schools all over the district and for extracurricular activities, especially at the middle school level, to have much more district support. 

Website: None found
Social media: Facebook