Hernando County residents who want to add a competent, insightful, conscientious professional to the School Board are in luck. Their wish will be granted on Nov. 2 when voters elect either Linda Prescott or Pat Fagan to the open District 2 seat.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this race features two of the best prospects for School Board in recent memory. It is unfortunate that one of them must lose.
But voters must make a choice, and so will we, while acknowledging that it is sometimes more difficult to choose between two very good candidates than it is to pick from two inferior ones.
That said, we recommend Prescott, a 56-year-old Hernando Beach resident who has been an educator for 35 years.
Prescott, a Florida native, now teaches computer and accounting courses at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa. She has taught at high schools, community colleges or universities in five other states. She has a master's degree in business education and has almost completed her Ph.D. in business information and systems education.
Prescott has been involved in civic and activist groups, including the Hernando Beach South Property Owners Association and CAUSE, a group that has fought to preserve land and prevent sprawl in the county. She also was a member of a prominent group of volunteers that studied the comprehensive growth management plan and made recommendations to update it.
Prescott's interest and familiarity with development issues should be an asset to the board as it struggles with where to build schools to accommodate soaring enrollments.
That is a bonus to her solid credentials as an educator and her keen awareness that every decision the board makes should be predicated on how it will affect students and teachers in the classroom.
If elected, Prescott says she will advocate:
Enrolling more students in advanced placement and dual-enrollment classes that earn college credits, and working more closely with Pasco-Hernando Community College to meet those goals. That is especially important as plans are made to build a new PHCC campus in Spring Hill.
Expanding vocational education to include so-called low-tech trades such as plumbing and electrical work.
Beginning a Parent-Child-Home program that allows teachers to work with parents outside the classroom to build better study habits and overcome obstacles to learning.
Raising teacher salaries in an effort to meet the teacher shortage created by higher enrollment.
Visiting churches and civic organizations with the hope of creating a grass-roots program with parents to address the needs of African-American students.
Prescott's opponent, Fagan, is the county's parks and recreation director and a Brooksville native who also was a teacher early in his career. Fagan, 54, has done his homework to prepare for this candidacy. He knows how schools are funded and how the budget is put together. His temperament and judgment are reliable attributes.
It should be noted that Prescott and Fagan have set the bar high for other candidates in terms of how to run clean campaigns that deal with issues and individual merits without attacking or discrediting an opponent. It is evident that each candidate respects the other and wants nothing more than to serve his or her community. Such selfless motivation and well-mannered discourse is a rare and refreshing phenomenon in today's aggressive political climate, and partly attributable to the fact this is a nonpartisan race with candidates who share common ground.
Mutual admiration aside, Prescott's experience and scholarly poise make her the best choice for the District 2 seat.
OPPORTUNITY TO REPLY
Candidates who are not recommended by the Times are invited to respond. Replies for this race must be received no later than noon Wednesday, Oct. 20. Replies are limited to about 250 words. Deliver to Jeff Webb, Editor of Editorials, Hernando Times, 15365 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville, FL 34613. Fax to 352 754-6133. Send e-mail responses to webb@sptimes.com
