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School chief accused of power play

Board members say she is trying to hinder distribution of fliers on whether to elect a chief.

By MARY SPICUZZA
Published November 4, 2006

LAND O'LAKES - Frustrated by their struggles to distribute a one-page informational flier on a Nov. 7 ballot referendum - which asks whether the school superintendent should be elected or appointed - two School Board members have accused the superintendent of playing games and engaging in a power struggle.

Board member Marge Whaley said she feels the board is in a tug-of-war with superintendent Heather Fiorentino. Whaley said Fiorentino has set up obstacles in distributing the board-approved flier. The School Board voted to send the flier home with students, and later voted to put it on the district's Web site.

"Apparently we are in a power struggle here, who has the real power," Whaley said. "Our job is to write the policy and her job is to implement the policy."

And board vice chairman Jean Larkin Weightman says she's now worried about "the trust factor."

"We're not accustomed as a board to have a superintendent who has played all these games with us," she said.

For example, Whaley didn't specifically mention putting the flier on the district's Web site in her Oct. 17 motion to distribute the fliers to Pasco students. Still, she was frustrated to learn it wouldn't be on the site, because the board had discussed it at the meeting. Chairman Cathi Martin then called an "emergency meeting" to put it on the Web.

Then, an e-mail notifying principals about the fliers was sent out late, arriving after the fliers at some schools.

"That was an error," Fiorentino said. "I'm going to take full blame on that. And I forgot to remind the communications office to do that."

This week, Amye Cox of Pasco Parents for Quality Schools and Community failed to get a list of home-schooled students so fliers could be distributed to their families as well.

But does this mean a power struggle?

"I don't believe so," Fiorentino said.

Other board members avoided warlike terminology, but agreed that this hasn't been the smoothest process.

"I think this is more difficult than it should have been, but I do not want to point fingers on who should have done what," outgoing board member Kathleen Wolf said. "But there was not a team effort."

Messy or not, Fiorentino said the fliers have gone home with Pasco school children, so they could give them to their parents.

"I believe that we have done everything that the board has asked," she said.

Mary Spicuzza covers education in Pasco County. She can be reached at 813 909-4614 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4614. Her e-mail address is mspicuzza@sptimes.com.

[Last modified November 4, 2006, 08:25:36]