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3 School Board Candidates Discuss Roads, Teacher Pay

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By RONNIE BLAIR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Three candidates for the Pasco County School Board covered such topics as teacher pay, student safety and relations with the county commission as they squared off at a candidate forum.

Kurt Conover of Land O' Lakes, Peter Hanzel of Wesley Chapel and Joanne Hurley of Land O' Lakes are vying for the District 2 seat on the board that is held by Marge Whaley, who is retiring after serving 16 years.

The election is Aug. 26. While board members must live in the district they represent, they are elected countywide and all registered voters in Pasco can cast ballots in the election. School board races are nonpartisan.

The debate, sponsored by the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, was held Tuesday evening at Pasco-Hernando Community College.

The three candidates voiced somewhat similar views when asked about the sometimes rocky relationship between the school board and the Pasco County Commission. The two governmental bodies are often at odds over who should pay for needed improvements to roads when a new school is built.

Regardless of who pays, the bottom line is the same, the candidates said.

"It's all taxpayers' money," Conover said, echoing comments by Hanzel and Hurley.

It's important for the two entities to cooperate, Conover said. Otherwise, they aren't doing what's in the best interests of the county, he said.
Hanzel and Hurley, though unwilling to paint the county as the "bad guys" in the scenario, said ultimately it's the county's job to build roads.

On the issue of teacher pay, Hurley said she doesn't think teachers are paid enough. To keep the "best and the brightest" people in the classroom, Pasco needs to offer salaries competitive with surrounding counties, she said.
Hanzel agreed it's important to pay teachers well, but he said the district should be cautious about getting into what could become an escalating salary war with other districts.
Conover said he's uncertain whether teachers are adequately compensated because compensation also includes health, retirement and other benefits, not just salary. He said Pasco needs to be competitive with other school districts on pay, but at the same time remain responsible in spending taxpayers' money.

Asked about safety and discipline in the schools, Hanzel said it's important that the school board support principals when they enforce the rules.

One way to improve safety, Hanzel said, would be for the district to hire a psychologist to screen job applicants. That's a suggestion he made at a school board meeting after there were a series of reports in the Tampa Bay area of teachers having sex with students.
Hurley said a "culture of safety" needs to be started when children first come to school, such as use of a buddy system.

"That's a wonderful thing to do on the school bus," she said.

The school district has done a good job of improving safety through the architectural design of schools, Hurley said, and by placing fences and shrubbery as barriers where needed.

Conover, noting that the school district has about 67,000 students, praised the school district in general for its safety record.

"That is a tremendous number of people they are looking out for, and they do a wonderful job," Conover said.

He also said that about 30 years ago he helped with the building of Safety Town, an educational program in which students learn about safety issues.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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