The current District 1 board member, Tina Certain, is running for the Alachua County Commission, so this is an open seat in this election. Three candidates are in the non-partisan race: Gabriel Lopez, Hunter Miller, and Janine Plavac. As it’s a non-partisan race, it will be open to all voters on the August primary ballot. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November.
News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.
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Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.
| NON-PARTISAN CANDIDATES |
Gabriel Lopez
Occupation: I was teaching kindergarten the last 3 years and also own a vending machine business with locations spanning from Pembroke Pines, FL up to Savannah, GA.
Age: 43
Family: My family is everything. I’ve been married for 13 years. My wife is a dietitian. My daughter is beginning middle school and my son is a sophomore at Santa Fe College and he plays drums in the University of Florida Gators marching band. We also have a few too many animals to list.
Education: University of Florida College of Journalism class of 2012.
Political experience: n/a
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Our top three issues begin with teacher retention, leadership development, and improving K-2 literacy rates. Students and staff need a nurturing culture of consistency. This creates positive results and supports growth. Our district has a terrible history of ignoring our K-2 students’ behaviors and literacy progress and then tries to catch them up in grade 3. This is clearly documented in the 2024-25 FTE data from the State. I will begin a new culture of accountability so that administrators will have the appropriate leadership skills they often lack, and teachers will get the appropriate support, as needed, with classroom disruptions. If we consistently build up our teachers and our administrators, we will see the literacy gains our students deserve. This is only possible with a board working together and putting students first. I will advocate for budget transparency, respectful communication from leaders, and genuine community engagement. I can address all of these issues effectively by using the skills learned as a human resources manager and an operations manager. We need to begin holding leaders accountable who are not following policies. This is a great place to start improving our literacy rates and retaining great teachers.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I am the only candidate who is a father of a current student. I relate with parents concerns and show compassion. I have 3 years of recent kindergarten classroom experience and know exactly what our current challenges are, and how we can solve them. I am a successful small business owner. My invaluable business and leadership experience as a former human resources and operations manager also sets me apart. I am the only bilingual candidate and will be able to connect with our neglected and rapidly growing hispanic population. Most importantly, I have been volunteering in my community for almost 20 years with various organizations and am very familiar with the unique challenges our different community groups each face. I am also very proud to be the only candidate not being supported or promoted by local politicians.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
My goals are to improve our literacy rates and close our literacy gap. We can only do this by no longer ignoring our K-2 students. This happens because our local administrators prioritize monetary bonuses that begin at the 3rd grade level. This selfish approach has backfired, and we need to begin early literacy interventions in kindergarten. All of our data proves this, yet, our district continues to neglect and underutilize resources in K-2, and then try to get students caught up in 3rd grade for testing season. I want to change this and would like to look back at this campaign and know someone, anyone, was finally able to change this nonsensical and selfish practice our district has created and perpetuated.
Campaign website: lopezd1.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn
Hunter Miller
Occupation: I am currently a middle school math teacher at Howard W. Bishop Middle School.
Age: 27
Family: I am the first born American in my family. My 2 sisters, my dad, and my mom are all from Canada. Now everybody except for one of my sisters lives in the US.
Education: I currently have a bachelor’s in Middle Grades Math Education from Indian River State College.
Political experience: None. I am just a teacher.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
My top three issues are teacher support, school safety, and literacy. I want to make sure the training provided for our programs are effective and that teachers feel supported by their admin and the district. I want to make sure we have safe schools by having adequate staffing of guidance counselors and working with local organizations to mentor our students. With literacy, we need to embrace the science of reading and focus on K-2 literacy so that our students start off on a strong foundation. This includes early interventions and providing the right resources to our elementary school teachers.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I am the only candidate running that works for our public schools. I know what it is like in our classrooms first-hand and what pitfalls we have in our system.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I want to be remembered for making the correct choices that bettered our community, despite how tough they may be.
Campaign website: huntermillerforschoolboard.com
Campaign social media: Facebook
Janine Plavac
Occupation: Teacher/Nurse
Age: (No response)
Family: 3 children
Education: University of Miami, BSN
Political experience: Currently serving on the School Board of Alachua County, District 5, Governor appointee April 2025
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Accountability, Unity, Progress
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
As a former public school teacher for 17 years, and currently teaching in our Catholic high school, I bring a vast knowledge of both public and private education.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
Integrity, honesty, accountability, and putting children first
Campaign website: janineplavacforalachuacountyschoolboard.com
Campaign social media: Facebook