A successful public education system is one part administration, one part teacher, one part student, and one part parent. This must be supported by a Public that embraces its obligation to enrich the lives of its future citizens, and recognizes the importance of an educated citizenry. Granted, the Pinellas School System has many problems, but in the midst of its issues are many students that are growing and thriving within a flawed system. The notion that the system can be fixed through starvation is (at best) naive, and (at worst) a contempt of the students and teachers working hard to fix the system from within. You claim conservative credentials, and as such may feel justified opposing all taxation. But I would ask you to check your history: public education was part of the original promise of this country and should be a prime tenant of conservative thinking. You should be joining me in strongly supporting public education and working hard at finding solutions to its problems, instead of adding to its burdens.

Jon:
Thanks for the comment.
I agree that there are many students that thrive in spite of the Pinellas County school system, but an equally valid question is how many are thwarted in their efforts, by teacher incompetency, and an administration and teachers union more focused on their own preservation than the promises of public education?

Public education is one of the great pillars of this country, but what public education, as envisioned by our founders, did not imagine was a system that coddles the incompetent, uses its public funds to support unnecessary administrative overhead and is too self centered to recognize its own short comings.

When public organizations fail to respond to the public need, and when they refuse to correct their own problems then the public that pays them should restrict their ability to continue.

The way to start that process is to vote no on the school system property tax amendment.

I agree with the well-reasoned comment by Mr. Crawfurd. I would emphasize It is indeed naive to "starve" the Pinellas school system because of a "teachers' union" you dislike. I have not seen evidence presented anywhere by you, "Doc" or by any local source that the Pinellas teachers' union and or the "incompetency" of Pinellas teachers are the major reasons for the Pinellas school system "failing to respond to public need". I believe your irrational dislike of any union is clouding your judgment and invalidating your conclusions. Just where do you hold the elected School Board accountable? Where do you hold Pinellas parents and students accountable? Public schools in Florida have not been treated as a "great pillar of this country" for decades. Support has been given to private schools organized around religion or race. And, now, virtual schools have been added as competition. Public education in the USA is being killed by people who rig the standards so public schools "fail" and then (using circular reasoning) refuse resources because schools have failed!. I agree that more money is not the only answer. A renewed commitment to public education must come first.

Hi Doc, I will guarantee you that a motivated student will find a way to thrive in the Pinellas system. They will always find a motivated teacher and they will not let the system get in the way of their education. The notion that the system is full of incompetent teachers and administrators focused on job security is a myth. Yes, I get it … there are bad apples and (at times) the Unions get in the way of reform. But a solid, overwhelming majority of teachers are dedicated to the kids and doing their job in a very tough environment for very little pay. Your solution to “punish the school system” via starvation is punitive and dangerous. It ignores the good that is being done, does nothing to address the real issues, and ignores fundamental problems looking for creative solutions. Let’s start by trying to understand why we can’t keep a Superintendent around long enough to effect real change. Let’s start by scraping the dysfunctional/confusing/misleading school grading system. Let’s start with adequate funding of the system. Let’s start by listening to the good ideas of our school professionals. Let’s get started!

Lynda:
Thanks for the comment.
I think in reality you help make my case. I was a card carrying union member for a portion of my professional career and, I firmly believe unions have a significant role to play. The problem is unions have morphed in to agencies to protect even the most incompetent.

Teachers unions are a classic example. If they would professionally manage their own members, provide standards of accountability and cooperate with management when obviously incompetent members should be eliminated they would have the public support they long for.

Further, the growth of private schools, regardless of what their organization motivation, and virtual schools has occurred because the public school system cannot provide a quality environment and/or education.

The recent reaction by teachers to VAM as reported in the Tampa Bay Times is interesting, but click on Comments at the bottom to get a good look at teacher reaction.

The best thing citizens can do is give the new Superintendent the tools to reduce the size of the administration, by reducing the amount of money the School District has to spend by voting NO of the School Board Property Tax Referendum.

"Doc" do you have a child currently enrolled in Pinellas County Public schools? If you did, you would know better what was happening directly to the students. We as parents see what our children have to deal with. Teachers on a budget so low they can't get enough supplies to last the entire school year. Did you know that if amendment 4 passes we are looking at a further shortage of $631 million dollars in this county? So we are looking at a millage rate increase either way. Why should our children's educational resources suffer because you want to make a mean-spirited point to a group of administrators.

QueenDalek
Thanks for the comment.
No I don't currently have a child in the Pinellas County school system, but I do have one who graduated from the system a number of years ago. It has not gotten any better.

To me the very fact that the District administration cannot manage its budget sufficiently to provide the needed supplies to classroom teaches is the most obvious tragedy in this whole discussion.

What is their job? What else are they responsible for? If the goal and function of the school system is to provide an education, teachers would not need to buy supplies from their own funds.

No single statement condemns this School District, the administration and the School Board more than yours. The lack of sufficient funds to do the work of teaching should be appalling and unacceptable.

The administration proposes and the School Board blindly goes along with excesses in every conceivable area accept the supplies needed to deliver the educational service.

The only way to affect the change is to limit the resources and demand those remaining resources go to education of students not to the administration and the bureaucracy. That's why you should vote NO on the School Board Referendum.

I agree with many of your assertions regarding bureaucracy, waste, etcetera. However, the real problem is management, starting with the superintendent. While $240k sounds like a fortune to the average Joe, it is a far cry from private sector compensation for leadership roles of similar complexity. The school superintendent manages thousands of employees, millions of public dollars, while serving a constituency of student and their families. It requires an incredible amount of management skill and experience to preform successful in this role. Unfortunately, the pay is so poor relative to the private sector, those with those chops and skills would never seriously consider the position. Combine that with the strong bias to hire from academia, and what we are left with are less than optimal candidates- who are in over their head on day one.
Unfortunately, raising pay to levels comparable to the private sector is such an unpopular notion to average Joes, it will never be done.

Interesting article, although not really based in fact. My family has been here since the 1930's I alone have 4 kids in our public school system here. It is true there is waste in our system but now is NOT the time to cut off funding to programs that are working. What must happen is to stop the onslaught of Charter Schools and reinvest in what really works. That would be cutting out the fat! The fat lies at the top and in the middle. Our School Board should lead the way by being a working school board with assigned jobs and tasks full-time. Principal's should be in charge of every aspect of their school and held accountable for it. Lose the Human resource Dept, Security, the Lawyers the bloated central staff. Let the Board set the guidelines and allow the Principals to handle their own schools. This is in fact what charter schools are doing however to continue funding religious charter schools is a clear conflict with the separation of Church & State. I say take a lesson from the few independent Charter schools that really work and get schools back where they belong! In the hands of teachers not preachers and not administrators. I do see this kind of plan working in every single Fundamental School throughout the county and that is your real answer. The question really is: Are we brave enough to handle success? So in the end don't punish real programs by voting no, vote yes then turn around and do something about the real problem. But Hey! What do I know, I'm just a plumber!

Sorry Teresa, I did not mean to come down hard on Charter Schools, you are right they themselves are not the problem, they are in fact what some have felt they needed to do to solve the problem. While this was an interesting idea it opened the flood gates to the point of taking money away from current public schools. It is simple math, there is only so much money to go around. When you remove more students and more money the end result will be the collapse of the public school system. As a country we have been there before and it did not work, standards, once out of control were not able to be maintained. With our history of racism, sexism, and our worshiping of the all mighty dollar, the Public School System was born to create standards of learning not based on Religious beliefs, hairs standing up on the back of your neck or the flip of a coin, but real science, math, reading and the arts. It actually put us in position to be a world leader when money or armies did not. Public schools do not solve all our woes but they can and do address the majority of them. That is why I voted Yes.

I voted no on the Tax Referendum because I remember when the state pushed the lottery as a way to create additional funding for our schools. Then when it was up and running the cowards in our bi-cameral legislative bodies voted to decrease funding from the budget and replace that funding with monies from the lottery. This referendum is just another way of continuing to put the burden on the property owners in our county. I believe in the value of education and have a daughter that graduated from a Pinellas County school. She did fine in her school and graduated with honors. She is going to graduate from a state school in May and has done well in completing her undergraduate degree in four years. The problem is not public schools, the problem is our legislators that want to privatize schools through vouchers and charter schools. It is well past time that our representatives make education a priority in Florida and fund it properly instead of on the backs of individual property owners.

Mr David while I agree with almost all your points, the problem today is that by voting no, the current vital programs will be closed, which will lower school scores and allow more charter schools to come in and suck out more money and students.

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