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Hillsborough County School Board

By THE TIMES RECOMMENDS
Published October 25, 2006

District 6 (countywide)

April Griffin

This race is framed as a contest between the in-house candidate, school administrator Ken Allen, and the outsider, political activist April Griffin. In reality both candidates are up to speed on the issues, more moderate than their detractors claim and reasonable in their assessments of where the district falls short and can improve.

Allen, 57, will retire in November as director of adult and community education programs. His 35 years of experience give him a valuable grasp of how the school system operates. He is candid about how the district failed to make school choice more convenient to parents and right to worry about the re-emergence of racially identifiable schools.

Griffin, 37, takes those views further, laying the foundation that public schools exist, in part, to "instill civic values" and prepare children to become effective citizens. She would bolster school choice and voluntary integration by involving parents in school boundary decisions and creating more niche academic programs to diversify school populations. Griffin also wants to strengthen vocational programs and services to students with special needs. She is right: The district can work to raise academic achievement and help middle-performing kids simultaneously. This is not an either/or.

Griffin has a sharper edge, which the board and school bureaucracy could use, provided she does her homework and is collegial in seeking reform. She is a fresh voice, though her point about the schools' societal role is worth remembering, and she seems genuinely committed to making the district more accountable. That's a full bill for a candidate in an open seat. In the nonpartisan race for School Board District 6, the Times recommends April Griffin.

[Last modified October 25, 2006, 01:38:55]