 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Unhappy parents join race for board
By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- Candidates already are lining up for three open School Board seats this fall, spurred by a desire for change and frustrated by allegations of wrongdoing that have rocked the district for months. Seven candidates have filed papers to run, which is more than were on the ballot four years ago. Several said they want to bring more accountability to the district in light of a whistle-blower's allegations of financial mismanagement and shoddy construction. "Every single thing needs to be looked at," said Jennifer Faliero, 39, a parent and first-time candidate who is seeking the District 4 seat in eastern Hillsborough County. "There's just waste everywhere you turn around." More candidates are expected to join the field before filing closes in July. Incumbent Carolyn Bricklemyer said she will file soon, while Joe Newsome, who represents District 4, has announced he will not seek re-election after 24 years on the board. Other district seats up for election are incumbent Candy Olson's in District 2, which includes southern Hillsborough, and the countywide District 6 seat, now held by Bricklemyer. The primary is Sept. 10. Although many candidates are focusing on the district's perceived mismanagement, some political observers say they expect voters to care more about other concerns. "The issues currently facing the school district, the School Board isn't being blamed for," said Patrick Manteiga, editor and publisher of the weekly newspaper La Gaceta. "I don't know why anybody would run against a sitting member that really isn't being assigned the blame." But candidate Melissa Hernandez, 34, said she faults board members for some of the problems. "I don't think they're putting in enough time on the job," said Hernandez, a parent and substitute teacher who is running in District 6. She ran unsuccessfully as a write-in candidate in 2000 against School Board member Carol Kurdell. "If they had put in more time," she said, "we wouldn't be having these management problems." Even if voters aren't blaming School Board members, the widely publicized allegations of wrongdoing are certain to play a role in the campaigns. Former administrator Doug Erwin has said the school district is responsible for $100-million in waste. Earlier allegations he made led to two investigations that found district funds were misused in the grounds and maintenance departments. The two other candidates in District 4 are school employee John F. Werner of Brandon and retired school administrator Larry Martin. Martin said he wishes Erwin's charges had been handled more quickly and conclusively. "If anyone brings a complaint to the school system, I really feel we need to look into that complaint," said Martin, 68, of Plant City. Also running for the District 6 seat are Carmen Bothwell and Lynn A. Isaacson, a corporate trainer, sales manager and singer. Isaacson, 33, said the management allegations are one of her biggest concerns. She is appalled that funds may have been wrongly used, yet her children don't have adequate textbooks at school. "They've got money that may have been misappropriated, but they don't know," said Isaacson, who has three children in Hillsborough schools. "We need to take a look at where the money is going. If money is not being spent correctly, something needs to be done." Two-term School Board member Candy Olson agrees. So far, she is running unopposed. "The real issue for me is we are still not moving as quickly as we should in getting information," said Olson, 54, a former grant writer and stockbroker. Bricklemyer, 55, also is a two-term board member. She said she doesn't want to leave the board with unresolved allegations hanging over the school system. It is one of the reasons she expects to seek a third term. She said she wants to "get that behind us and focus on what we need to be doing: educating children." -- Melanie Ave can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or melanie@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
