TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Red Flags On Education Candidate

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2007

The Florida Board of Education today will interview seven finalists for state education commissioner, including someone whose candidacy raises a red flag.

Before applying for the Florida job, Philadelphia schools official William Harner was a candidate for the superintendent's job in Toledo, Ohio. Talks broke down, however, when officials refused his request to pay the cost of sending his teenaged daughter to private school.

Harner didn't want to put his daughter in Toledo public schools because he feared she would become a 'victim of district politics,' a lame excuse that raises questions about his ability to get along with people. In other correspondence, he complained that no single Toledo school could give his daughter the advanced course of study she deserved.

When Toledo refused to pay for the private school or allow him to live outside the district, Harner withdrew from consideration.

Parents ought to be free to choose the best schools for their children, free from political considerations. After all, children don't get to pick their parents' careers.

But when seeking to lead a public school system, it's poor form to ask that taxpayers pay $13,600 to send your child to private school, especially since Harner would have made a generous salary of about $165,000 a year.

In choosing the next education commissioner, Florida should find someone committed to making every public school good enough for his own child.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT