Today's Letters: Schools should get fair share

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published September 6, 2007

Re: Parents' plea nets scolding, Sept. 2 story.

You quoted our new school superintendent, Wayne Alexander, who said the Hernando County school district is one with "haves and have-nots." That perspective apparently underlies the School Board vote this week on whether to deconstruct magnet schools: Challenger K-8, Chocachatti Elementary and Nature Coast Technical High School. By just about any measure, these are some of the best performing schools we have in Hernando County.

As an approach to overcrowding, dissolution of magnet programs is illogical and faulty in its premise; it is a short-term fix for a long-term problem.

Perhaps we are all missing the bigger picture. Hernando County's woeful ranking among per capita student spending, and per capita revenue (federal and state combined) demonstrates the county is not receiving its fair share and the state formula has penalized Hernando County students, teachers and taxpayers for many years. The "haves and have-nots" school districts are determined by the state and the inequity is well documented.

The St. Petersburg Times reported the same on Nov. 27, 2005. It cited a memo from Deborah Bruggink, the school district's chief financial officer, to then superintendent Wendy Tellone, indicating the state formula gives Pasco $335 more per student, and Citrus $258 more per student.

According to the Florida Department of Education's "Financial Profiles of Florida School Districts 2003-04 EIAS Series 2006-07 (published in July 2006), the Hernando school district received $75.4-million, or 48.75 percent of its total revenue from the state. Federal revenue contributed $13.2-million or an additional 8.59 percent. The remaining $66-million was paid by local tax dollars. That means in Hernando County our taxes paid for 42.6 percent of the school district's total budget.

In Hillsborough County, state revenue paid $842-million or 54.19 percent; federal revenue contributed $209-million or 13.4 percent; and local tax dollars paid $502-million, or 32.3 percent.

In Pasco County, state revenue paid $262.5-million, or 58.2 percent of the school district's budget. Federal revenue contributed $40.4-million, or 8.9 percent, and local tax revenue paid $148- million. In Pasco local revenue paid for only 32.8 percent of its school district budget.

Instead of deconstructing successful school programs, the board and our elected representatives might serve the county more formidably by lobbying effectively for a formula that provides equitable state funding for Hernando schools, funding that is long overdue. Ensuring that Hernando County receive its fair share of state education dollars may go a long way in developing a more proactive and manageable approach to growth, infrastructure and more appropriate levels of investment in our administrators, teachers and students alike.

Gregg Laskoski, Spring Hill

Ask what you can do for our county

On Sunday, the Hernando Today newspaper gave its opinion on the announced resignation by Gary Kuhl, Hernando County administrator. The local radio talk show also buzzed last week with opinions of the impending departure of Mr. Kuhl. The Times even put its two cents in on the subject last week. I have reserved my opinion because I believe Kuhl's reason to leave Hernando County is personal, and only his closest friends and family will ever know for sure why he has made this choice.

I think Mr. Kuhl has done a very good job under very difficult circumstances with the current climate in Hernando County.

Hernando Today outlined its opinion about Mr. Kuhl's departure. The editorial relieved anyone from blame for the county administrator's decision. It went out of its way to twist an already convoluted editorial into a fairy tale that relieved the Government Gone Wild series, local talk radio, you and me, and their newspaper for the continued negative climate in this community, and placed all the blame on Commissioner Diane Rowden and Commissioner Jeff Stabins. The editorial alluded to "confidants" who spoke with Gary Adams, our former administrator, to say he would never trust the commissioners again.

I would like to ask Hernando Today's editorial staff just who were these confidants of Adams? Another innuendo in this editorial related to the newspaper's understanding that Kuhl was so hurt by the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District vote in April that he was prepared to turn in a letter of resignation. Where is the letter, Mr. Editor?

National media outlets have several names for this type of spin journalism, using terms like "tabloid journalism" and "drive-by media."

Vince Vanni wrote in a guest column in the Times Sept. 2: "We cannot change the atmosphere in our community, it is what it is." Although Mr. Vanni is certainly entitled to his opinion, I do not share his belief that we cannot change the atmosphere of Hernando County. Mr. Vanni's outlook only gives rise to the doom-and-gloom atmosphere that has permeated our county the past several years. I came to Hernando County 17 years ago because it is a great county, filled with wonderful people. My opinion has not changed about our community.

If someone wants to point the finger of blame on what is wrong with our county government, then look no further than the nearest mirror. Every resident in Hernando County is at fault for the many vacancies left by administrators the past 10 years, from the naysayers to those people fat and happy and lying in the middle of the road.

We have heard a roar from the naysayers with groups like the Government Gone Wild organization and Lower Hernando Taxes. While these groups bring many valid points to the table, they do not speak for everyone in our county. The deafening roar has really come from the silent majority. The silent majority needs to stand up now and be counted among the naysayers. This silent majority needs to say "enough is enough" about the negativity, and it's high time we put our best foot forward as a county.

To have a great community, it takes everyone jumping on board to promote a healthy atmosphere we all can be proud of in Hernando County. We all need to step up to the plate and ask "What can I do to help improve our county?"

Anna Liisa Covell, Nobleton

Your voice counts

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[Last modified September 5, 2007, 20:43:46]