Plavac: Vote for experience in District 1 School Board race
Letter to the editor
In seven weeks, everyone will be going to the polls for the general election to cast their ballot for a variety of offices in our state, ranging from state to local elections. We all have a duty to vote as a citizen of this country, but more importantly, everyone should be knowledgeable about the candidates they are electing to all the offices.
There has been a lot of conversation in the last four months about the candidates, starting with the primary elections. Many candidates have attended forums, community activities, and podcasts and have been interviewed by local media. Everyone in this community has had access to the information, but approximately 25% of Alachua County voters chose to vote in the primary election for School Board on August 18, which wasn’t entirely unexpected. But I challenge our community going forward to vote on November 3rd so we have a true representation of Alachua County’s voice in running our government, from state down to our local offices.
As a current School Board Member who is running for election to remain on the board for the next four years, I earnestly want everyone to remember that the School Board is a non-partisan election — and that is important because the person you select should act and vote in the best interests of the children, staff, and parents of our community, although the moment I was sworn in, in April 2025, it became a partisan appointment to many in our community.
By law, and maybe because the community doesn’t understand, the Governor has to fill a vacant seat on the School Board by appointing a Member. The seat I currently hold (District 5) was vacated because Mrs. Abbitt chose to go back to Boulware Springs, the school she founded, because there was an emergency that needed to be addressed. No matter who the Governor was, from either party, that Governor would have had to choose a replacement because, by state law, the seat cannot be left vacant.
So yes, Governor DeSantis did appoint me, but not until I was interviewed multiple times after completing a very detailed application and committing to the responsibilities of being a School Board Member. He felt that I was the best candidate out of five applicants, and I was very honored to be chosen.
My hope is that everyone in our community votes for my return to the board (District 1) on November 3, based on my performance — not only as a teacher, but as an advocate for our children, parents, and staff. If elected, I will continue to work in our school district with pride, support, and belief that the employees, students, and parents know that I and the School Board “have their back”.
This cannot be a political choice when we go to the polls because I truly believe with my experience as a teacher for 25 years, a parent of three children educated in our district, in both public and parochial schools, as a member of various School Board committees, and a former member of ACEA while at GHS for 17 years, I bring the experience needed to continue on the board.
I appreciate that my opponent has stepped up to run for the District 1 School Board seat, but my leadership skills, classroom experience, community involvement, and commitment to the success of every student are the driving forces that truly make me the best choice for District 1 School Board Member. I am an independent thinker, and politics cannot be the reason to vote for or against me on November 3. It has to be because I am the best qualified candidate.
My hope is that when everyone goes to the polls on November 3, the communities that stretch from Hawthorne to High Springs and Newberry to Alachua, back to Gainesville and all in between, remember that this isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats but who is the most experienced, non-partial candidate who puts the welfare of the students, staff, teachers, and parents in the forefront of all the decisions that are made for the schools of Alachua County.
Janine Plavac, Candidate for District 1 School Board
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Proven performance both within and outside the classroom. Seventeen years of classroom experience is an invaluable asset to our School Board. Demonstrating expertise is fundamentally different from applying it in practice. Janie Plavac is, without question, the ideal candidate to continue serving in this vital position.
I’m voting for Janine Plavac. Thank you for your willingness to continue serving.
I encourage everyone to vote for Janine Plavac in November. Her experience is needed on the board.
You are a person of such high integrity. I pray the board has you on it. The students of Alachua country need you on their side.
I met your opponent on Election Day and told
him I hope you’re not running against Plavac!
I told him I was voting for Plavac!
The look on his
Commi face! 😃
you are the best candidate Plavac! You got my vote!
Plavac emailed critics saying she hoped Rockwell would “voluntarily” remove herself from the board, and wrote that she’d already contacted Gov. DeSantis “because he is the only one that can remove her from the” board. At a packed, tense board meeting on July 31, Plavac followed Rockwell’s apology by reading Rockwell’s celebratory post aloud and called the comments a “clear breach of community values.”
It is Plavac who breached community values by her actions in contacting the Governor about removal of an elected official before hearing from Ms Rockwell and the other school board members. The strife she has brought to the board in her gotcha attempts is not experienced leadership by any measure. Time to move on from this failed member.
There are many reasons Sarah Rockwell should resign. The biggest reason is how she has ignored the schools on the east side. Rawlings is the only F school in the state, and she has done nothing effective about it. Ms Plavac is actively working to improve these schools.
A vote for Plavac is a vote for a Trumper! Have you not seen the flyer going around? It says putting Plavac on the board is giving MAGA a seat on the board.
She already has demonstrated that she runs a one man show. She has no boundaries, no filter, and likes to control! Why did she leave the public school? Couldn’t control them anymore? Read her first paragraph, it is all about her. Wake up, she left the public school, went to a private school, and now wants back on our board! That is a red flag! That is a sign of someone with an agenda! Now I hear she has a sign up in front of the Catholic school sign, is she controlling them now? Guess they are supporting her!
Don’t be fooled!