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Gorham Best Choice For School Board Change

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 14, 2008

Think for a minute about the challenges facing Hillsborough public schools: nearly a dozen high schools labeled as "dropout factories" because as many as 40 percent of students are left behind, a transportation quagmire that's hurt children and families, and spending practices that leave taxpayers wondering where the money goes.

Now think about the last time members of the Hillsborough School Board proactively addressed these challenges, let alone drilled deep into scenarios that might reveal a better way.

Can't recall? You're not alone.

Individual school board members no doubt care about what they do, but as a group they've developed a complacency that keeps them focused on the little things, rather than the issues that matter most.

That's why voters should pay close attention to the runoff election between incumbent Carol Kurdell and challenger Stephen Gorham - a contest that pits the status quo against a progressive voice that would keep what's most important, most important.

Kurdell wants a fifth term on the board because she says her work is not done. Like many candidates, she first ran as an outsider who wanted to change the culture. But in the long years since, she's become an insider who rubber stamps the superintendent's decisions with nary a question or critical analysis.

The highlight of Kurdell's turnabout became apparent the night she and other board members faced an audience of parents angry about a school boundary change. Kurdell hardly considered the parents' concerns. Instead, she turned to her fellow board members and repeatedly called upon them to demonstrate "courage" in standing up to families.

Since losing the endorsement of both the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association and the Hillsborough School Employees Federation, Kurdell is attempting to cast herself as an activist again.

Just weeks ago, she sent out a press release saying she had solved the district's disastrous transportation problems and that she would be visiting bus stops with district transportation chief John Franklin. Given her role in the district's longstanding failure to fix its troubled transportation system, it's hard to believe she is responsible for turning things around.

Gorham represents change - real change. Having waged a respected campaign for a state Senate seat against Ronda Storms, Gorham would bring a keen eye and a questioning mind to the dais.

Gorham, director of networking and telecommunications at Hillsborough Community College, knows his way around the educational bureaucracy, but would still bring the sensibilities of a parent and taxpayer to the post.

He pledges to challenge the board's spending habits - particularly the high-priced consultants hired for nebulous jobs - by drawing on his expertise with budgets and purchasing.

He also wants to be an advocate for students who are not college bound, focusing on options for other careers.

Gorham also is eager to challenge the district's unprecedented relationship with the College Board, which dotes on students willing to take Advanced Placement classes. He also questions the implementation of the new SpringBoard curriculum, which was sprung on teachers with little preparation. These are questions that should have been asked by Kurdell before new curriculum was approved for all middle and high schools with no objective analysis and minimal input from teachers.

Parents and teachers frustrated with the district's poor communication and the board's disinterested oversight will find Gorham a refreshing new voice.

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