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DIFFERENT VISIONS FOR SCHOOLS

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By RONNIE BLAIR rblair@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 26, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Superintendent Heather Fiorentino says the Pasco County School District is headed in the right direction and wants voters to give her another four years to build on her successes.

Challenger Stephen Donaldson, though, sees problems in the school district, especially wasteful spending, and believes fresh ideas are needed.

Whoever wins Nov. 4 faces some tough challenges. The district already had to trim $16 million from general revenue and faces more state funding cuts before the end of the year. The election is happening as the school district struggles with a tight budget and is anticipating additional funding cuts from the state.

The school district and United School Employees of Pasco are at an impasse in contract negotiations and a special master will be called in to hold a hearing and make a recommendation to the school board.

Fiorentino, a Republican, seeks to return to office by touting the accomplishments of her first term. During that time, the school district became an A district under the state's grading system for the first time.

The district has built 15 schools under Fiorentino, added classroom wings to some schools and embarked on major renovation projects at older schools.

The district is also adding career academies to high schools where students are able to earn certification in a vocation.

Not all has been well on the schools front, though. Fiorentino has clashed often with United School Employees of Pasco, the union that represents teachers and other school workers.

She also had a strained relationship with school board members early in her term, though that has improved some as new faces came onto the board.

Fiorentino's challenger comes from within the ranks of her own employees. Donaldson, a Democrat, is a social studies teacher at Gulf High School, where he instructs some of the best of the best - students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes.

Before going into education, he served in the Air Force, retiring with the rank of major. He also owned a telecommunications business.

This is his first run for public office.

Here's a look at the two candidates:
STEPHEN DONALDSON
Donaldson said he decided to run for superintendent in January after he read a newspaper article about Fiorentino's campaign contributions.

She was amassing a large amount of contributions, even though at that time she had no opponent. The article quoted her as saying she hoped she wouldn't have any competition.

Donaldson said he pointed out to his wife that there was nothing in the article about education.

"I sensed some arrogance, like, 'Don't anyone dare run against me,'

" Donaldson said.

He told his wife he was going to run.

"I've always found public service is a passion," Donaldson said. "No political cliches here. It just is."

Donaldson said he saw tax dollars wasted in the military and he sees it now in the schools. One way to combat that waste, he said, would be to try something similar to what the Air Force did. People who came up with money-saving ideas were rewarded with a portion of that savings.

Donaldson talks as if he wouldn't mind a few pointed questions from school board members if he is superintendent. He views the relationship between the school board and the superintendent as one of checks and balances, but doesn't see that carried out in practice enough.

"I see a lot of rubber stamping going on," he said.

Budget workshops he attended this year are a case in point, he said, because board members didn't question the budget numbers presented by the superintendent's staff as much as they should have.

"I wish they'd get a little more into it," Donaldson said. "No, I wish they'd get a lot more into it."

Donaldson would like to reorganize the superintendent's office in at least one significant way. Right now, the district has assistant superintendents who help oversee schools based on their academic level - one assistant for elementary schools, one for middle schools and one for high schools.

Donaldson would rather those assistant superintendent positions be based on geography, dividing the schools by east, central and west Pasco. He said the county is too large for the same assistant superintendent to be responsible for a school in Hudson and a school in Zephyrhills.
HEATHER FIORENTINO
Learning Focused Strategies, a teaching method implemented under Fiorentino, has drawn criticism from some employees who blame it for low morale.

Donaldson has said LFS would become a teacher option, rather than a requirement, if he's elected, but Fiorentino still defends the method.

"It is actually working well," she said.

Fiorentino does acknowledge there were problems with the implementation and said she takes responsibility for that.

Fiorentino has had a testy relationship with United School Employees of Pasco, the union that represents teachers and most other school workers. The union endorsed Donaldson.

She said she expects the relationship to remain strained at least until after the election.

"I want to have a good working relationship with the union," she said. "It's important to the district."

A couple of factors will play into improving the relationship, Fiorentino said. For one thing, both parties need to work on the relationship, she said. Also, a superintendent and the union have a natural conflict because the union's priority is the employees and the superintendent's priority is the students, Fiorentino said.

The latest rift between Fiorentino and the union is over stalled contract negotiations. School employees haven't received raises this year or even the annual step increases they typically receive for years of service.

These are tough budget times, though, and other governmental bodies aren't giving raises either, she said.

"The finances are what they are," Fiorentino said. "This isn't just a Pasco problem. The economy is a global problem that we need to be aware of."

Fiorentino said her priorities for the budget were to make sure classrooms have the resources they need, keep everyone employed and provide fully paid health benefits for employees.
STEPHEN DONALDSON
Age: 50

Education: Bachelor of science degree in political science, Bellevue University; master of education in educational leadership, Saint Leo University

Family: Married, three children, two grandchildren

Professional experience: Gulf High School teacher; retired Air Force major; owned telecommunications business

Political experience: None

Candidate Web site: www.donaldsonsuperintendent2008.com
HEATHER FIORENTINO
Age: 50

Education: Associate of arts degree from Pasco-Hernando Community College; bachelor of arts degree in elementary education from the University of South Florida

Family: Married, two children

Professional experience: Teacher in Pasco County from 1984 to 1998

Political experience: Four years as schools superintendent; elected to state House of Representatives in 1998, 2000 and 2002; elected to New Port Richey City Council in 1993, 1995 and 1997.

Candidate Web site: www.HeatherFiorentino.com

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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