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Change In Program Has Benedetto Concerned

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By EDDIE DANIELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 18, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - John Benedetto is a man who loves his job.

That's pretty obvious considering this is his 37th year as a physical education teacher. He also seems to be the dedicated type, with his 31 years as the Land O' Lakes football coach.

It's well known when football season rolls around, Benedetto undergoes a bit of a personality change and becomes a bit focused. Nicely put, he has his moments.

On Oct. 2, an e-mail he received from the District School Board of Pasco County put him in one of those moods.

The e-mail notified teachers in the DROP Program, which allows a teacher to continue working for five years before retiring and can be extended annually for three additional years after the initial five, would be changed.

The additional three years are no longer a guarantee in Pasco County as it has been in the past. Instead, teachers seeking the extension will have to reapply for their positions and be retained at the discretion of the Superintendent Heather Fiorentino.

'I have to reapply, I guess, for an extension next spring sometime and then they can make a decision at that point whether they want me to continue as a teacher and coach at Land O' Lakes High School,' said a frustrated Benedetto, who is in his sixth year of the DROP Program. 'That's all I know right now. It doesn't make me feel real good.

'And there was a reasonable assumption that I would be able to do eight years on my part. Apparently the superintendent has decided that might not be the case for anybody any more.'

In the past, the three additional years were automatically approved, and according to Renalia DuBose, assistant superintendent for administration, the decision to do so was a direct effort to retain teachers during a shortage. That shortage is no longer here, which now changes the tactic of teacher retention.

'That was fine as long as all the districts were having exponential growth, but we're not any longer,' DuBose said. 'So districts such as Sarasota, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Leon, none of them were doing what we were doing.

'So we decided we would get in line with the rest of the state and say, rather than giving everybody an automatic roll, we would do what the statute said. The superintendent will examine it and make the decision on a year-by-year basis.'

What doesn't sit well with Benedetto, who has his team at 5-1 thus far and has a career 184-145 record, is his job could be in limbo because of the subject he teaches. He believes there is no longer the emphasis on physical education, and his position could easily be cut.

Benedetto's assistant, Al Claggett, an English teacher also in the DROP Program, is in the same boat, but Benedetto has a feeling Claggett will be just fine because of the subject matter he teaches.

'For us, we've just said we're going to look at it and hopefully we can extend everybody,' DuBose said. 'In Hillsborough, they said if it's a critical shortage area only; Sarasota has said they're not extending anyone; Polk County said they're going to do it on a case-by-case basis, based solely on the principal's recommendation; Manatee and Leon have said the same thing with no guarantees.'

Even with the changes made, DuBose said it keeps Pasco County as the more liberal county practicing the program.

Liberal or not, Benedetto isn't satisfied until he receives a concrete answer on whether he gets an extension or not.

'I'm a complete wreck, I'm unhappy, I don't want to be around people, my life has changed since Oct. 2. My life has changed drastically,' said Benedetto, whose team hosts Brooksville Central tonight. 'The problem is I have a football team that I'm trying to keep at a top level here and it's pretty difficult to do. It's not easy.

'It's a tough situation, but right now I'm still the head coach at Land O' Lakes High School and I love my job and love being around the kids. We're 5-1, we're having a good season, hopefully we can get another victory and still have a chance to get in the playoffs.'

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