The calendar has flipped to January, meaning the holidays are over, and a new year is officially underway. 

But while 2025 may be in the past, several education projects and issues in Alachua County that were kick-started this past year will roll over into 2026, with the outcome of some of these situations still to be determined. 

Here are six major education topics Mainstreet is following heading into the year. 

1.  UF’s president search  

In May 2025, the University of Florida announced then-University of Michigan President Santa Ono as the sole finalist to become UF’s 14^th president following a months-long search. Ono received unanimous support from the UF Board of Trustees but was rejected in a 10-6 vote by the Florida Board of Governors in June 2025. 

Ono’s rejection left UF scrambling, as then-interim President Kent Fuchs was nearing the end of his contract after stepping in temporarily following former President Ben Sasse’s resignation in July 2024. However, just days before his contract was set to end, Fuchs agreed to a one-month extension to stay in the interim role until Sept. 1, 2025, as the Board of Trustees continued to search for a temporary solution.  

In August 2025, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint then-Columbia University professor Donald Landry as UF’s next interim president. His appointment was later confirmed by the Board of Governors.  

The Board of Trustees voted to start the search for UF’s 14^th president during a meeting in December 2024. Board Chair Mori Hosseini said Landry plans to apply for the post. What isn’t clear at this time is the timeline for the search.  

UF recently established a presidential search committee that will be tasked with finding the university’s next president. 

2. ACPS’s superintendent search 

Initial conversations surrounding the search for a permanent superintendent started in October 2025 when the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) held a workshop to discuss the search and what the process would look like. Kamela Patton has been serving as Alachua County Public Schools’ (ACPS) interim superintendent since November 2024. This followed a split vote by the school board to fire former Superintendent Shane Andrew in October 2024.  

Part of the discussion at the workshop was whether a search would begin right away or at a future date. A few board members were in agreement to move forward with the search. Others agreed that a search needed to begin, but also said the district, at the time, was not in a spot to attract the caliber of candidate needed for the role.  

Several of the board members leaned toward the idea of extending Patton’s contract and putting out a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a search company that would help the district find a permanent superintendent.  

During the workshop, Patton said she would “entertain staying on an additional year, if it was needed.” 

The SBAC voted to extend Patton’s contract for another year during a meeting in November 2025. With the extension, Patton will continue to serve in the interim role until June 30, 2027. 

Also, in November 2025, the school board unanimously voted to move forward with the RFP process to identify a search firm for a permanent superintendent. Deborah Terry, ACPS’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said the RFP process would take roughly six to eight weeks to complete, with the cost ranging from $48,000 to $55,000. She said that could increase “depending on the level of service.” 

Once the board chooses a search firm and the calendar and timeline have been set, Terry said, “then the superintendent search or selection actually begins.” 

3. ACPS’s comprehensive planning initiative  

In November 2025, ACPS launched a comprehensive, community-wide planning initiative called “Our Schools – Future Ready.”  According to an ACPS press release, the plan is expected to address several issues facing the district, such as enrollment and school capacity, transportation, educational programs, etc.  

ACPS is partnering with Gainesville-based engineering and planning firm JBrown Professional Group Inc., or JBPro, to implement the plan, which is expected to be finalized and approved by mid-March. 

According to the release, “the plan will outline both short-term strategies for the start of the 2026-27 school year and a long-term roadmap to support strong schools across the district.” 

Public participation is a focal point in the plan. Community engagement sessions were held throughout December on school campuses across Alachua County to get feedback. A second round of sessions will be held in the spring once a draft plan has been developed, according to the release. 

4. Citizens Field  

Discussions between the SBAC and the city of Gainesville about Citizens Field have been ongoing since the spring of 2025. Those talks have centered on renovations and ownership of the stadium, which serves as the home field to all three of the city’s high schools. 

The SBAC asked to own Citizens Field early in the discussions. Gainesville currently has ownership of the stadium, but ACPS manages the property through a 40-year contract. That agreement is set to end in June. 

City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, who has led the effort to revitalize Citizens Field and the surrounding areas, opposed the idea of selling the stadium to the school board, noting that it was not for sale.  

However, if ACPS doesn’t have ownership, capital funds wouldn’t be able to be spent on the property – only money from the general fund. This fund is also used to pay expenses such as materials and supplies and teacher salaries.  

During a meeting in October 2025, the Gainesville City Commission directed staff to begin negotiating with the SBAC for the sale of Citizens Field. Those negotiations continued into December 2025, with a tentative price for the stadium property set at $5.5 million.  

At this time, nothing has been finalized between the two parties.  

5. SBAC elections  

Three seats are up for reelection on the SBAC in 2026. This includes District 1 (Tina Certain), District 3 (Sarah Rockwell) and District 5 (Janine Plavac).  

As of last week, four candidates had already filed to run for seats on the school board, including Rockwell, who is seeking a second term.  

Pamela Marshall-Koons, who ran as a candidate for Alachua County Sheriff in the 2024 general election, had filed to run against Rockwell but recently withdrew her name from the District 3 position.  

Certain will not be seeking reelection to the District 1 seat and is instead running for the Alachua County Commission District 2 seat.  

Meanwhile, Plavac, who was appointed to the District 5 seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April, has not filed to run for the seat as of the publication of this article. She is filling the vacancy of Kay Abbitt, who resigned in December 2024. 

6. Newberry charter school opening  

A long saga to convert Newberry Elementary School (NES) into a charter school – Newberry Community School (NCS) – came to an end in September 2025 when the conversion received unanimous approval by the Florida State Board of Education. Now, school leaders have shifted their focus to getting NCS ready for opening, which is scheduled for this fall.  

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.