EYE ON SCHOOLS: All four contenders for a retiree's seat have had a hand in education or still do, but their priorities differ.
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published August 24, 2004
The nonpartisan race to replace retiring Hernando School Board member Gail David has drawn four candidates with different goals for the education system.
Pat Fagan is the county's longtime parks director. Steve Galaydick works for the Florida Lottery and served on the board in the mid 1990s. Lewis Jones drives school buses and is an official of the district's 400-member noninstructional employees union. Linda Prescott teaches at Hillsborough Community College and leads one of the county's main environmental groups.
Fagan jumped into the fray first, announcing his election bid more than two years before voters would be asked to choose the District 2 board member. Early on, he listed as priorities the need to raise teacher salaries, place greater emphasis on "basics," increase science education in elementary schools and provide more magnet schools.
He has not strayed from that initial message, though after attending two years' worth of board meetings, Fagan has added other issues to his main platform. Primarily, he lately has called for a closer working relationship between county government and the School Board in planning for growth.
He also is pushing for an overhaul of the district's middle school curriculum, suggesting that the state's grading system indicates whatever is being done now does not work.
"We have to put more emphasis and money in the middle schools," he said.
Galaydick, widely known for his attention to detail but also considered prickly by some, has been trying to return to the board since he lost his 1998 re-election bid.
His platform, which includes a call for increased academic standards and for scrutiny of district spending, differs little from his past priorities. He also wants to see more neighborhood schools in densely populated areas, and wants to eliminate all portable classrooms.
In a tacit admission that his past demeanor rubbed many the wrong way, Galaydick focuses much of his commentary on the need for a cohesive board, seeking consensus as it works for the public good.
"One member trying to do it alone doesn't work," he said.
Jones, a district bus driver for 13 years, is running a low-key campaign based primarily on his knowledge of the school system and his willingness to serve as a full-time board member.
"If I am elected to this position, it would be my only job," said Jones, who is secretary-treasurer of the Hernando United School Workers.
He does not intend to take campaign contributions and does not plan to attend most public forums. Jones explained that he does not want to jeopardize students' lives by driving a bus while too tired from running for office.
Despite his union ties, Jones said he would represent the children - "the 94 percent, and their parents, and the taxpayers, who really want education."
He wants to see stricter discipline in the schools, saying zero-tolerance policies do not go far enough.
Prescott, who has spent a lot of time fighting for controlled growth in Hernando County, decided to run for the School Board in part because of her displeasure when the district razed specimen trees to begin building its new school on Elgin Boulevard.
She said the board and County Commission need to work more closely to ensure that growth does not overrun Hernando.
Prescott, a longtime educator, wants to see the district improve student participation in vocational, advanced placement and dual-enrollment programs. She also wants to get parents and civic organizations more involved in education and policymaking.
She singled out the need to assist minority students, whose test scores as a group lag behind those of white students.
"There is a lot of expertise out there we're not taking advantage of," she said.
If no one surpasses 50 percent of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters will face off in the Nov. 2 general election.
THE JOB
School Board members are elected to four-year terms. They must live in the district they represent, although all county voters can vote for them. Board members hire the superintendent, revise and approve the district budget, make education policy and award construction contracts. The board sets its own salary each November. The current pay for the nonpartisan position is $29,208 a year.
THE CANDIDATES
CHARLES "PAT" FAGAN, 55, of Spring Hill is a Brooksville native who has worked as Hernando County parks and recreation director since 1978. Before joining the county government, Fagan was a teacher and coach in the Hernando school district for seven years. He also served one term on the Brooksville City Council during the 1980s, including one year as mayor. Fagan is a member of the Chocachatti School Advisory Council and the Berkeley Manor Property Owners Association. He also belongs to the National Park and Recreation Association and the Florida Recreation and Park Association. Fagan has a bachelor's degree from Saint Leo College. He is married and has two daughters who go to Chocachatti Elementary School and two adult sons from a previous marriage.
STEPHEN E. GALAYDICK, 50, of Spring Hill was born in Scranton, Pa., and moved to Hernando County in 1989. He served one term on the School Board, from 1994 to 1998, and lost his re-election bid. He waged an unsuccessful attempt to win back the seat in 2002. He is able to run in the District 2 race because redistricting placed him in a new School Board district. Galaydick is a multiple accounts coordinator for the Florida Lottery. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from William Patterson College. He is married and has one son.
LEWIS L. JONES, 62, of Spring Hill was born in Burlington, Vt., and moved to Hernando County in 1983. A school bus driver, Jones is secretary-treasurer of the Hernando United School Workers, which conducts contract negotiations for noninstructional employees. He is a member of Sons of the American Legion in Brooksville, and formerly belonged to the Spring Hill Lions Club. He sold real estate in Spring Hill for five years. Jones has not sought public office before. He has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Vermont. He is divorced and has no children.
LINDA K. PRESCOTT, 56, of Hernando Beach was born in New Orleans and moved to Hernando County in 1998. An instructor at Hillsborough Community College in Ybor City, Prescott has taught school and been a member of teacher unions for more than 30 years. She is president of Coalition for Anti-Urban Sprawl and the Environment, and served for two years as secretary of the Hernando Beach South Property Owners Association. She has not run for public office before. Prescott has a master's degree in business education from Middle Tennessee State University and has worked toward a doctorate in business and information systems, and education, from Utah State University. She is married and has no children.
