Have you met your Alachua County school board candidates yet? Here's who is running

School board seats in Florida have been thrust into the political sphere like never before since the COVID-19 pandemic sparked debates over masking policies and banning of textbooks.

Alachua County is no different.

The county's school district has become a focal point of Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration after he removed a school board member last year and replaced her with a local Republican activist.

This year, the board could see a major shift, as four of its five seats are up for grabs, pinning known Democrats against Republicans, despite the seats being nonpartisan.

With just two candidates set in each race, the primary election on Aug. 23 will decide the makeup of the new board.

Here are your Alachua County School Board candidates:

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District 1

Board vice-chair Tina Certain is running for re-election in District 1.

The Gainesville native, who was first elected to office in 2018, graduated from Gainesville High School, went on to attend Santa Fe College and later the University of Florida where she received her bachelor's degree in Accounting. Certain was a previous employee for the Gainesville Regional Utilities and was an accountant at a local healthcare company.

Certain is also a board member of the Children's Trust of Alachua County, a tax initiative where voters agree to tax themselves an extra half mill on property taxes for children programs.

While in office, she has vowed to create accountability for every tax dollar that is spent on students, and advocated for equity and more community involvement within the district.

Her opponent, Daniel Fisher, is a retired air-force veteran. He attended West Orange High School in Orlando and said becoming a board member is a great way for him to serve the Alachua County community.

As a board member, Fisher says he wants to make sure that he and his colleagues are focused on student achievement and making sure that there is equal opportunity for all.

District 2

Is arguably the most controversial race in recent years in Alachua County.

Mildred Russell, though not elected, serves as the incumbent and faces a candidate who won the seat she holds. Russell, was appointed by DeSantis in August after he removed her predecessor for not living within her district as required by state law.

Russell said her priorities as a board member are closing the learning gap, improving student transportation and continuing the search for a new superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools after the termination of Carlee Simon, a firing Russell spearheaded.

Russell also has a political history, serving as a local GOP activist prior to taking office. She was the local county chair for John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008 and co-chairing the local George W. Bush and Dick Cheney campaigns in 2004. She and her husband, Henry Russell, who is also a faith healer, are occasional donors, including his 2016 $250 pitch-in to the federal "Stop Hillary PAC."

Diyonne McGraw, however, is hoping to unseat Russell after previously being removed from office by the governor last year. McGraw recently lost her lawsuit against DeSantis  after claiming she was unconstitutionally removed for not living in her district.

She narrowly won the seat in August 2020 with 52% of the vote, but only served eight months due to living 350 feet outside the district lines. With redistricting, McGraw's home is now inside District2, making her eligible for the seat she once served.

If elected, McGraw said she will work to increase workforce development for students, improve reading skills and increase transparency amongst the district and community.

District 3

With longtime board member Gunnar Paulson no longer running for office, his District 3 seat is up for grabs and two candidates are vying for it.

Raymond Holt Jr. is the owner of the C-Bar Ranch, a working farm and agri-tourism center in northeastern Alachua County. He has a masters in public administration and is a member of the Alachua County School District Advisory Council.

Holt is a Jacksonville native, throughout his time in the city he worked in early education at Family Support Services of North Florida, a foster care facility. He moved to Alachua County with his family eight years ago.

As a school board member, he wants to focus on early learning to make sure kids are proficient in reading and math by enriching the after-school and summer programs. He also wants to focus on teacher retention by dealing with student behavior problems at the schools.

His running opponent is Sarah Rockwell.

Rockwell is a former special education teacher and the mother of two children with disabilities. She's also a Girl Scout Troop leader and chairs the advisory school board for the First United Methodist Church Preschool located at 419 NE 1st Street.

She hopes to close the achievement gap among students and improve special education services. She also said she wants to make sure that teachers and staff feel supported, while also increasing transparency for parents and what happens in the classroom.

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District 5

Board chairman Rob Hyatt is no longer seeking office, leaving his District 5 seat open for the taking.

Kay Abbitt had been an educator within Alachua County for 10 years. She's a mother of four, all of whom attended the Alachua County Public School district.

She later opened Boulware Springs Charter School, at 1303 Northeast 23rd Ave. in Gainesville, and was recently retired as principal of the school.

She said she would like to examine what's working with high-performing schools within the school in comparison to the low-performing schools that have low grades of a D or an F. She would also try to increase teacher retention by tackling the behavior issues amongst students at each individual school.

Prescott Cowles, her opponent, currently serves as the special projects manager for the district's office of accountability and data analytics.

He has been an employee of the district since 2014 and became a full-time employee in 2019.  At the beginning of 2021, he became the leader of the COVID-19 response team and spearheaded the district's COVID-19 dashboard, while working with every school to implement guidelines to keep students safe.

As a kid, Prescott attended Talbot Elementary, Lincoln Middle and Eastside High School. He later graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa where he majored in science education. He taught middle school science for two years before returning to Alachua County.

He said he wants to address the challenges that contribute to the "lack of connection" between what happens at the district level and what happens inside schools. Cowles also seeks advice from parents, students and staff for solutions to ongoing problems the district faces.

Key dates for the 2022 Primary Election

Voter registration deadline: July 25

Early voting: Aug. 13-20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mail ballot request deadline: Aug. 13, 5 p.m. (Must be received by Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted)

Election Day: Aug. 23, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Key dates for the 2022 Primary Election

Voter registration deadline: July 25

Early voting: Aug. 13-20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mail ballot request deadline: Aug. 13, 5 p.m. (Must be received by Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted)

Election Day: Aug. 23, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Candidates set to battle for 4 seats on Alachua County School Board