teach1st
05-15-2006, 03:22 PM
Battle of the incumbents -- Pinellas board disagreements prompt a schoolyard fight (http://www.weeklyplanet.com/gyrobase/PrintFriendly?oid=oid%3A40689)
Weekly Planet, Tampa, published 05.10.2006
I hate school board races.
Or at least I did when I was a political consultant.
In what lingers as one of the biggest ironies in a Florida political system wrought with irony, the local school boards have the toughest job in the state, dealing with the No. 1 issue consistently in polling, education.
Yet, due to reforms a decade ago, school boards really have very little substantive power. Standards and assessment issues are decided in Tallahassee, as is much of the funding equation. Principals and parents have been empowered through the school advisory councils. That leaves school boards to deal with such crap issues as rezoning kids out of their neighborhood schools, wrangling with religious holidays on the calendar and cutting jobs from the budget.
Fun.
In politics, school board is an entry-level job. It attracts mostly inexperienced politicians whose passion is education. Sometimes they are angry parents; sometimes angry teachers. Most don't go on to other public offices, and most lack the skills needed to navigate this political minefield. And worst (from my former perspective), they have no ability to raise money for their campaigns. Big special interests have almost zero interest in the school board.
So it is with some surprise that I see that at the Pinellas County School Board, not only do two incumbents want to remain in that godforsaken office, they are running against each other for the privilege to do so. More (http://www.weeklyplanet.com/gyrobase/PrintFriendly?oid=oid%3A40689)
ff
Weekly Planet, Tampa, published 05.10.2006
I hate school board races.
Or at least I did when I was a political consultant.
In what lingers as one of the biggest ironies in a Florida political system wrought with irony, the local school boards have the toughest job in the state, dealing with the No. 1 issue consistently in polling, education.
Yet, due to reforms a decade ago, school boards really have very little substantive power. Standards and assessment issues are decided in Tallahassee, as is much of the funding equation. Principals and parents have been empowered through the school advisory councils. That leaves school boards to deal with such crap issues as rezoning kids out of their neighborhood schools, wrangling with religious holidays on the calendar and cutting jobs from the budget.
Fun.
In politics, school board is an entry-level job. It attracts mostly inexperienced politicians whose passion is education. Sometimes they are angry parents; sometimes angry teachers. Most don't go on to other public offices, and most lack the skills needed to navigate this political minefield. And worst (from my former perspective), they have no ability to raise money for their campaigns. Big special interests have almost zero interest in the school board.
So it is with some surprise that I see that at the Pinellas County School Board, not only do two incumbents want to remain in that godforsaken office, they are running against each other for the privilege to do so. More (http://www.weeklyplanet.com/gyrobase/PrintFriendly?oid=oid%3A40689)
ff