After upsetting incumbent Diyonne McGraw for the District 2 School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) seat in Tuesday’s election, challenger Thomas Vu is expected to tilt the board’s scale on a few key issues, including the future of the superintendent. 

Although McGraw had won elections to the school board the last two election cycles, Vu defeated her by about 2,600 votes, 54% to 46%. Long-time SBAC Member Leanetta McNealy easily won reelection, making Vu the only new member of the school board, but he could have an outsized impact.  

In a post-election interview with Mainstreet, Vu said he hopes to bring an air of transparency and community engagement to the school district. He named a national superintendent search, policy changes to increase public discussion, rezoning, and fiscal evaluation as top priorities when he joins the board in November. 

Most of all, Vu said he wants the community to feel heard and known, pledging to follow through on his campaign commitments and to work for more school board visibility and accessibility, including a plan to work from local schools at least two days a week. 

“We have to get back to that type of governance to where your elected officials feel like your neighbors,” Vu said. “If people feel cynical about their elected officials and about the institutions that represent them, any type of real positive change will be impossible.” 

McGraw, whom Vu will replace, also put a heavy emphasis on visiting schools and “showing up” for community events. She said Vu, who formerly worked for Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) as a teacher, then data department employee, will need to be able to set aside personal feelings about the district and prioritize the students. 

“You’ve got to believe every child can learn,” McGraw said in a phone interview. “And they can, but you’ve got to provide those opportunities, and for so long we have not done that in this district, and so he has to come in and understand that he has to be for all children.” 

Both Vu and McGraw emphasized the importance of success for children of all backgrounds, not just a particular subgroup, and of not letting politics interfere with care for the children. 

Vu said he has heard too often from the district a condescending attitude that blames parents for their children’s academic struggles. He said he does not think the district understands how hard parents work. 

“I just want to stop that narrative,” Vu said. “Because it hurts parents to hear that, to constantly be told that no matter what you do, and how much you do, or how much you want for your kids, it’s not enough.” 

Vu said he is fully committed to introducing a national search for a new superintendent, which he said is a commitment all current board members had made in the past, though a split board approved a permanent contract for formerly interim Superintendent Shane Andrew in February. 

McGraw, who was part of the 3-2 majority that approved the permanent contract, said she stands by her vote and still believes the district needs stability. She said together with the current board, Andrew has made history by raising five out of seven schools out of turnaround status. 

McGraw said she hopes the new board in November will be able to work cohesively, as the school district has already had job candidates who have changed their minds at the last minute after watching the drama of a school board meeting. 

In November 2023, the SBAC voted to make McGraw chair of the board, and she said she has used that position to maintain an air of professionalism at meetings, which she said will be important in any hiring process. 

Vu expressed concern over moments when district staff has moved ahead with initiatives prior to board approval. He calls it “excessive delegation of board powers to the superintendent,” and said it does not matter who the superintendent is, board policy should not allow the school board to avoid publicly discussing and voting on difficult topics. 

McGraw was first elected in 2020. She was removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021 for living outside the district she was elected to serve in, then won her seat back two years ago. She said she has accomplished much in her tenure, including the addition of two barbering classes at Eastside High School, community partnership initiatives, shrinking the achievement gap and changing the culture and climate at ACPS. 

Vu says the achievement gap has actually gotten worse, and his time as an ACPS data department employee opened his eyes to see trends that run deeper than school grades. 

“More and more people have left the system,” Vu said. “Student performance, relative to the state, has gotten worse. And they love to point out the whole window dressing of school grades, but I’m sorry, do a deep dive into the data. We’re actually getting worse.”