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Five grapple for District 2 School Board seat
Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 |
PINELLAS COUNTY - Five candidates are vying for the District 2 at-large School Board seat.
Besides their biographical information, the candidates provided answers to two questions: “What would you do as a School Board member to ensure that the school district is spending its money wisely?” and “What programs and services would you like to address?”
Minetha Morris
Minetha “Minnie” Morris is a reading instructor at Hillsborough Community College and the owner of Customs Creations in St. Petersburg. She has several years of teaching experience and has been an interim supervisor at St. Petersburg College. Morris lives in St. Petersburg.
Community activities, committees: Riviera Middle School Parent Teachers Association president; Tyrone Elementary School Parent Teacher Association president; black history program coordinator; Save Our School, Riviera Middle School; new teacher program mentor; textbook adoption committee; school improvement team; Pinwheels for Peace organizer; multi-cultural fair community event organizer.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in elementary education, University of South Florida; master’s degree, elementary education, University of South Florida.
Spending money wisely: Be conscientious of spending limitations and keep a full picture view of spending; defer from contracts and hiring of personnel that will bring small improvements that cannot be continued for at least three to five years; monitor policy that has a large financial impact and focus on ways to earn dollars.
Programs and services: Programs that address middle school-aged students need to be improved. More opportunities for extracurricular activities and rigorous academia needs to be provided at this level also.
Nina Hayden
Nina Hayden is an assistant public defender in the Pasco-Pinellas Public Defender’s Office. She lives in Clearwater.
Community activities, committees: Lawyers for Literacy Program; Great American Teach-In and Doorways Program; boards of directors, Your Place, a youth development center and the St. Petersburg Seventh-Day Adventist Church; judge, Stetson University College of Law Trial Team Competition.
Education: Doctorate degree from Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, and bachelor’s degree in English-pre law from Columbia Union College, Tacoma Park, Md.
On spending money wisely: The mission statement of the Pinellas County School system is to align all resources to assure that each student achieves at her or his highest level. To do this we must ensure that our district is more efficient with the use of our dollars by streamlining management at the top level and reallocating funds to the schools through school based management. Funds can then be used to provide a high quality standard-based curricula, involve all school teachers in planning and implementation and provide a professional culture that both students, teachers and administration can thrive in.
Programs and services: The service that we must provide to our students is a professional culture that is committed to achieving the highest level of learning for all students. We must promote the value of receiving a diploma and provide an atmosphere of interest with the expectation of success for all our children. This can be done by creating a curricula that is relevant and motivating and utilizing technology as a teaching tool for all individuals involved.
Ron Walker
Ron Walker served as a purchasing manager for an apartment renovator, has managed apartments in three states and owned a mobile home maintenance company.
Community activities, committees: Pinellas Planning Council; Pinellas County Charter Review Board; Keys to Living Family Counseling Center, president, board of directors; Countryside High School, School Advisory Council, chairman.
Education: Bachelor’s degree, political science, University of South Florida; masters of religious education, New Orleans Theological Seminary.
On spending money wisely: Because of the passage of Amendment 1, serious decisions are having to be made on budget issues. I support a look at the whole system to put a priority on keeping programs that work and making cuts by eliminating programs that are not working. Making across the board cuts where every program/person is treated the same is not the way for effective School Board members to conduct business. They need to get down into the details of the budget to make the correct, though hard choices.
The board needs to re-focus itself on its final product: Students graduating from high school with a diploma with meaning, skills to succeed in college and/or the workforce. The programs that don’t contribute to that focus can and should be cut.
Programs and services: We are failing to graduate a third of our students on time. Many who do graduate are not equipped for college or the workforce. The whole focus of the School Board needs to be on this problem. Stop saying we are a wonderful place to go to school if when we finish we are failures. I have been using the computer game, Lemmings, to describe how I see the school system addressing this problem. Not one more Lemming should be allowed to go over the cliff while we wait to address this.
Sean O’Flannery
Sean O’Flannery of Pinellas Park is a history teacher and head volleyball coach at Lakewood High School. He also has taught economics, American government and other courses. He has military experience with the United States Marine Corps reserves and Florida Army National Guard
Education: Associate of science degree in criminal justice, St. Petersburg College; bachelor of arts degree in history, University of South Florida.
On spending money wisely: I’ve met with Tax Collector Diane Nelson’s office to find out about how much tax revenue that Pinellas County should get for 2009. I’ve also met with Pinellas County’s CFO to find out the budget and the problems that are ahead. Also, I will be bringing budget saving plans and ways to generate more money in the county.
Programs and services: Improve graduations rates, reduce suspensions, retain new teachers that leave within three to five years of first getting into teaching, provide safer schools, come up with a better evaluation for teachers so that they can be better held accountable.
David Archie
David Archie is the executive director for Citizens Alliance for Progress.
Community service, committees: Former city commissioner, Tarpon Springs, mentor for students, Role Model and Doorways programs; school district literary committee; code of student conduct committee; district steering committee, school advisory committee, safe school task force; Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority Board.
Education: Bachelor of science degree in business administration, Florida A&M University.
On spending money wisely: As a School Board member, I would meet periodically with the superintendent and the finance department to determine the financial condition of the district and where money is being spent. An assessment of the programs that are making an impact on the education of students needs to be done in order to eliminate those programs that are not producing positive results.
My pledge is to extensively research financial information, analyze the information, and then make a fiscally responsible decision. We have to seek ways to ensure that the greatest asset the district has – its teachers – do not have to bear the brunt of a budget crunch.
Programs and services: Pinellas County Schools’ mission is “ … to assure that each student achieves at her or his highest level.” This mission should be the focus for each decision that is made. It is our responsibility to ensure the well being of all of our children. We need to continue supporting extracurricular activities, especially the Arts, which could help reach children in innovative ways. Our centers of excellence and academies, which connect curriculum to the world of work, should be expanded.
Also, we need to seek ways of encouraging parental involvement with schools – a key factor in student achievement. We need to also explore opportunities to strengthen our relationship with the community and to establish partnerships with community organizations and faith-based programs. These community partners could assist by providing a support structure for parents and students. They also could provide After School Programs which would enhance the instruction students receive in school.
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Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008
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