It is time for term limits for school board members.
The
Pinellas County School Board was back in the news this recently. Here are a
couple of interesting articles.
John
Romano Tampa Bay Times Columnist: Romano: It's 52 years later, and Pinellas
still searches for the right answer in schools
Colleen Wright, Tampa Bay Times Staff writer: Pinellas
school district faces another discrimination complaint.
From the Pinellas County School Board District Bylaws and Polices
Manual
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Term
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(1) Members are elected
for a term of four (4) years.
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(2) Board members shall
be elected at the general election in November for staggered terms of four
(4) years arranged so that, of seven (7) members, four (4) members shall be
elected at one general election and three (3) members shall be elected at the
ensuring general election.
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(3) The term of office
shall begin on the third Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the
year in which the member is elected.
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F.S. 1001.35, 1001.371
Adopted 12/9/09; Revised 7/26/11
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If you're not sure who the elected members of the Pinellas County
School Board are here is a list from the Pinellas
County School Board Web site. You can click
the link for more info.
Carol J. Cook was elected
to the School Board in 2000 and re-elected in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Mrs. Cook
served as Vice Chairperson of the Board in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2009-10, and
2011-12. As Chairperson of the School Board, Mrs. Cook served in 2005-06,
2010-11, 2012-13 and 2013-14 school year.
Linda S. Lerner, was elected to the School Board in 1990, re-elected in
1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010; and, served as Chairman, 2002-03 and 2014, and
Vice Chairman in 1997-98.
Janet R. Clark was first elected to the School Board in 2004 and
re-elected in 2008 and 2012. Ms. Clark served as Vice Chairperson in 2008-09
and Chairperson, 2009-10.
Rene Flowers was elected to the School Board on November 6th, 2012, to
complete the term of deceased School Board Member Lew Williams
Terry Krassner, Vice Chairperson, was elected to the
School Board in November 2010 and re-elected in 2014.
Peggy O’Shea, Chairperson,
was elected to the school board in 2006 and re-elected in 2010; and, served as
Vice Chairperson, 2007-08, Chairperson, 2008-09 and Vice-Chairperson in 2014.
Dr. Ken Peluso was elected to the School Board in 2014.
There are no term limits for those
elected to the Pinellas County School Board.
The old saying, "Insanity is
doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" seems
to apply here.
I have come to believe that the
blaming teachers for failed students and teachers and the school board blaming
parents for failing students while making no overt attempts to deal with these
issues and the people causing the problems in new and practical ways is the
real reason for our failing schools.
Governance is the real problem in
the Pinellas County School district. Yet we re-elect the same people who caused
the problems and expect different results.
It is time for term limits for
school board members. We need to force new blood and new thinking into the leadership
of the Pinellas County school district.
Do not give me the old governance continuity
argument. Look around. How has that worked out for our students?
We can start now by voting out the
incumbents and demanding a change in the governance of the Pinellas County
School system starting with setting up enforceable term limits.
E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com
or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like
or share on Facebook.
See Doc's Photo
Gallery at Bay Post Photos.
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff
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