Tammie McClafferty
McClafferty is a career educator who has taught, founded schools and served as a principal, and who previously ran a private preschool and childcare business with her husband. She is an assistant professor of education at Trinity College Jacksonville and runs Lifework First Coast, a faith-based leadership development organization. Three of her children graduated from Nease High School in District 4. She advanced to the November runoff after the August 2026 primary.
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Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Taxes & spending Mixed / neutral· stated position
McClafferty campaigns on responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and says she would bring in a forensic accountant for a deep dive into district spending, noting the district remains in financial difficulty after receiving new millage funding. She has not called for cutting taxes.
"I would be a proponent of bringing in a forensic accountant to do a really deep dive"
Education & school choice Mixed / neutral· stated position
McClafferty says she supports school choice but not an extensive expansion of vouchers, saying people have not thought through the long-term consequences. She describes vouchers and charter schools as state decisions and says the district needs a stronger voice in Tallahassee on their effect on district funding.
"I don't think everybody thinks through the ramifications of it long term"
Gender identity laws Leans agree· stated position
McClafferty agreed that gender dysphoria should be treated, not affirmed, and strongly disagreed that schools should partner with gender-transition providers. She said gender-identity instruction should be left to families.
"Schools should not promote or partner with organizations that provide or refer for abortion or gender-transition services."
Library and classroom materials Mixed / neutral· stated position
McClafferty agreed that library books with literary value should be distinguished from obscene material. She also said K-12 library content should be age-appropriate and that parents should have a meaningful voice in what is available.
"Parents should have a meaningful voice in what is made available to students."
School safety approach Leans agree· stated position
McClafferty agreed that consequences for bad behavior are essential to a safe learning environment. She strongly agreed that trained, licensed staff could carry guns to respond to an active shooter, as one of several safety measures.
"clear and consistent consequences for inappropriate behavior are essential to maintaining a safe, orderly learning environment"
No public position found on 2 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Property taxes, Teacher and staff pay. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Parental involvement — McClafferty's campaign site says parents deserve a voice in their child's education and that she would ensure families are respected partners in every classroom. She did not describe how she would handle an objection to a specific book or lesson.
- Parental involvement — McClafferty's campaign site says parents deserve a voice in their child's education and that she would ensure families are respected partners in every classroom. She did not describe how she would handle an objection to a specific book or lesson.
- District priorities — In a campaign survey McClafferty named special-needs programs, trade and industry programs, bullying, teacher turnover and the budget as her five priority concerns.