The Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies

School Board Study

A Review of Proposed Legislation, January, 2004

Amy Donley, Department of Sociology & Anthropology Researcher
Shalimar Lane, Department of Public Administration Interviewer

Faculty Committee

Roger B. Handberg, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Political Science
Montgomery Van Wart, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Public Administration
Paul J. Hagerty, Ph.D., College of Education
Marilyn E. Crotty, Director, Institute of Government
Linda W. Chapin, Director, Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies

Executive Summary

Public education (K-12) is a major area of concern for communities across America. In order to try to improve educational systems, school districts around the country are facing turmoil and demands for reform. This has included a broad range of actions and proposals: everything from mayors seizing control of school systems; school districts relinquishing some control to the state in exchange for increased funding; and even a few cases where school boards have been abolished altogether. The success of these attempts has and continues to be debated.

Representative Andy Gardiner of Orlando (District 40), the immediate past chairman of the Orange County Legislative Delegation, has proposed a governance change for Florida's school boards. The Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies at the University of Central Florida was asked to examine the concept. The legislation, which was initially introduced in the 2003 session of the Florida Legislature, provides for the chair of a school board to be elected by the vote of the citizens in a countywide election. Under the current model, the chair is elected on an annual basis by the other school board members, and in most counties, is responsible for developing agendas with the superintendent and chairing the meetings. The legislation that is being proposed would provide an option for change, not only to the method of selection, but also to the role and powers of the chair.

This report is a summation of the pertinent findings of the research. To fully understand the changes being proposed the bill was analyzed, other models that are in use across the country were researched, and interviews with school board members and local business people were conducted.

Key Findings

Some of the issues examined in the report include:

The Proposed Bill

This legislation would allow for the district school board chair to be elected by the voters.
The legislation would only apply to counties in which the superintendent is an appointed, not an elected, position.
This is an optional change which would need to be approved by the voters of a county in a referendum.
Some of the powers of the chair under this model include serving as Chief Executive Officer of the school district, having the ability to hire and fire district employees, and overseeing all operations of the school district.
The chair would be limited to two four-year terms and would be paid at least four times what the other school board members are paid.

Other Models

In most, but not all, districts, the chair is elected by fellow members.
This proposed model is not widely seen around the country.
Other models that are similar in nature allow for the chair to be elected at large; however, the chair does not have the increased degree of authority that is being proposed.

Florida

Of the 100 largest school districts nationwide in terms of student enrollment, thirteen are in Florida.
Florida has relatively large school districts because of the state constitutional provision which mandates one school district per county.
School board members in Florida are currently some of the most highly compensated in the country.

Interviews

Of the six school board members that responded, four were opposed to the concept while two were undecided.
Of the seven business people that responded, six were in favor of the concept and one was undecided.
All of the respondents said that they had heard of the proposed legislation before beginning the interview.

Major Issues

There is a widely held view that Florida school districts face difficulties, in part, because many of them are unusually large. Some would argue that the state is a logical candidate for such reforms.
Proponents of the change express the belief that the proposal would provide the public with a singular, focused position of leadership (similar to the office of Orange County Chairman created in 1988) and would offer the school superintendent and staff more defined direction from a clearly designated authority.
Opponents to the proposed change express concerns that such a position would be an extra expense to the citizens and an additional layer in an already burdensome bureaucracy, and that the position could undermine the effectiveness of the appointed superintendent.

Conclusions

It is clear that the proposed legislation will benefit from greater discussion and debate. Although this review provides helpful information with regard to school board models in use around the country, our time frame and resources did not provide for sufficiently varied or extensive interviews of stakeholders and citizens. We regret that this has not made it possible to fully explore the many issues involved in the proposal.

Introduction

President John C. Hitt of the University of Central Florida was contacted by Representative Andy Gardiner with a request for assistance in analyzing the concept of a countywide elected school board chair. The Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies agreed to direct the research. Under the current system, school board members are elected by district and the members then select the school board chairs and vice-chairs from their numbers. The legislation that is being proposed by Representative Gardiner would allow for a change in certain counties from the current system. First, the chair would be elected by voters across the county and he or she would serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the school board. The chair would be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the board, in addition to having the power to hire, fire, and take other personnel actions. Also, the salary of the chair would, by statute, be at least four times the amount paid to other board members.

To oversee the review a faculty advisory committee from the University was formed. Members were; Marilyn E. Crotty, Director of the Institute of Government; Dr. Paul J. Hagerty, former superintendent of the Seminole County schools and now a faculty member in the College of Education; Dr. Roger B. Handberg, Chairman of the Political Science Department; Dr. Montgomery Van Wart, Chairman of the Public Administration Department; and Linda W. Chapin, Director of the Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies. The committee met initially with Representative Gardiner and his assistant, Stacy Van Kamp, and met thereafter with the researchers to discuss the progress of the project and to suggest further aspects for investigation. The concept of a countywide elected school board chair was researched thoroughly in order to present the pros and cons of this model in addition to discussing other pertinent factors, but it was agreed at the outset that no final recommendations regarding the proposal would be forthcoming. Amy Donley, a graduate student from the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, was contracted to research the proposal in addition to writing the report. Shalimar Lane, a graduate student from the Department of Public Administration, conducted all of the interviews.

Purpose of Project

The purpose of this project is to analyze the concept of a countywide elected school board chair. Proponents believe that this position will provide more accountability and strong leadership. It is sometimes equated to the strong mayor form of government that is currently in place in Orange County. Those opposed to the idea believe that this change will make the system more political, taking away focus from student achievement. In addition, it is believed by some to be similar to the system in which the school superintendent is elected.

To understand the concept, it was necessary to examine educational systems at the national, state, and local levels. Because the exact concept proposed by Representative Gardiner is not in operation anywhere in the country, we looked at other governance models that are somewhat similar in structure. It also seemed important to have input from current and former school board members, and from some in the local business community who are familiar with the school system. Their opinions are necessary to fully understand the perceived impact of the proposed legislation on a community and also to raise issues that may not have been considered.

It is the goal of this project, therefore, to examine the other educational systems in the nation, recent changes and reforms that have occurred elsewhere, and to present other models that are most like the model that is being proposed. We hope this information and the insights offered through the interviews can provide assistance to the legislative process.

Methods

The methodology consisted of three distinct components. The first step was to analyze the proposed legislation. This involved dissecting the original bill (HB1221), the recommendations made by the legislature, and the second version of the bill (HB1221C1). The focus was on the unique components of the bill and the changes from the current system that it entails.

The second component involved researching other models currently in effect in other school districts. Due to the limitations of time and resources, this research was mainly conducted over the internet and by telephone. To determine the scope of national models, the National Association of School Boards was contacted. The majority of the statistical data came from the United States Census Bureau. Information on other systems was obtained by searching the archives of newspaper articles and editorials, contacting reporters and school district employees in other states, and by reviewing articles in educational clearing houses. The research focused on areas where the concept being studied was a part of the educational system. The data presented is not meant to be an inclusive listing of all models in practice. Instead, it is meant to present a brief scan of the diverse systems that are currently in place in this country while focusing on some of the models that are most like the model being proposed.

The final method that was used focused on gathering opinions from those involved with education in Orange County through an interview process. Twenty-one people were identified, selected because of their knowledge of education and the school board system in Orange County. A letter informing the potential interviewees was sent out and one week later the participants were contacted by telephone. The survey (See Appendix) consisted of eight open-ended questions designed to be asked in telephone interviews, although, at the participant's request, the survey was sent via e-mail. The participants are either affiliated with the school system or are members of the local business community, and the results are coded with one of the two distinctions, school board member or business member.

Data

Section 1 - Analysis of Bill

The proposed bill, HB1221C1, provides for a school board chair to be elected at- large in counties in which the superintendent is appointed and in which the voters have approved the change by referendum. The change can be approved by one of two methods. The first method would entail the school board adopting "...a formal resolution directing an election to be held to place the proposition on the ballot." The other method would allow that the "...electors of the school district may petition to have the proposition placed on the ballot by presenting to the school board a petition with signatures from at least 10% of the duly qualified electors residing in the school district."

The chair would retain the same right to vote as the other school board members, and would have additional responsibilities that are laid out in the bill. They include: 1) serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the school district; 2) overseeing all school district employees with the power to hire, fire, and take other personnel actions; 3) preparing district school board meeting agendas and chairing those meetings, and; 4) taking all other actions that are executive in nature. The compensation for the school board chair would be at least four times the amount compensated to the other board members. The chair would be limited to serving two four-year terms.

Section 2 - Review of Other Models

Overview of Nation: In the United States, there is no single national model for school boards. In researching different forms of governance across the country, a wide degree of diversity is very apparent. On one extreme there is Hawaii, which consists of a single school district which is run by the state, without any school board. At the other extreme, in several very large, urban school districts, city mayors have seized control of school boards. These districts are generally in serious financial straits and the takeover is generally viewed as an action of last resort. One of the first and best-known mayoral takeovers of a school board occurred in Chicago, in 1995. Similar actions have taken place in Boston, New York City, and Detroit. There are also two large school districts, Philadelphia and Baltimore, which have relinquished a significant portion of the control of their school operations to the state, in return for large increases in state funding. While Florida has many large, urban school districts, neither city nor state control has become an issue.

Florida: The educational system in Florida is unique in several ways in comparison to the rest of the country. One reason for this is the state constitutional mandate that there be one and only one school district per county, for a total of 67 counties and school districts. This constitutional provision has been challenged in the past by counties in the southern part of the state but it has not been a major issue in over a decade. This constitutional provision partially explains the preponderance of Florida districts in the United States Census ranking of the most populous school districts in the country. Florida has 3 school districts in the top ten, with six of the state's school districts listed in the top twenty (See Table 1).

Table 1 Top 20 School Districts by Student Enrollment

Rank	District	Rank	District
1	New York City	11	Detroit
2	Los Angeles	12	Dallas
3	Chicago	13	Fairfax County, VA
4	Miami-Dade	14	Palm Beach County, FL
5	Broward County, FL	15	Orange County, FL
6	Clark County, NV	16	San Diego
7	Houston	17	Montgomery County, MD
8	Philadelphia	18	Prince George 's County, MD
9	Hawaii	19	Duval County, FL
10	Hillsborough County, FL	20	Memphis

Of the top one hundred largest school districts, thirteen are located in Florida (See Table 2). This makes Florida unique among the fifty states.

Table 2 Florida School Districts in Top 100

4	Miami-Dade
5	Broward County, FL
10	Hillsborough County, FL
14	Palm Beach County, FL
15	Orange County, FL
19	Duval County, FL
21	Pinellas County, FL
35	Polk County, FL
46	Brevard County, FL
58	Volusia County, FL
59	Seminole County, FL
65	Lee County, FL
84	Pasco County, FL

Other Models: The so-called "chairman-at-large" model was found in the District of Columbia, Georgia and Virginia. The District of Columbia differs from other jurisdictions, as it is controlled by the Federal government, so we do not consider it a suitable point of comparison. Although Georgia differs from Florida in many important ways, that state is relevant to the scope of this investigation. Georgia has 183 school districts, and 17 have a countywide elected school board chairperson. One of the counties determined to be worthy of further research was Columbia County, which includes the city of Augusta, because they are currently debating the idea of changing from an appointed school board chair to having a countywide elected chair. A task force assembled to study the benefits of the proposed change concluded that there would be little or no benefit and that the county should instead study the benefits of increasing the number of school board members. The Republican legislature, however, still backs the idea and plans to move forward and take the issue to voters.

The Savannah-Chatham County school district in Georgia is the largest and most urban of the school districts that have adopted a county wide elected chair, and we looked further at their operations. The model at work in Savannah-Chatham County is not exactly the same as the one proposed here. Specifically, the chair is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the board and organizing the meetings. However, the chair does not have the authority to hire and fire without a majority vote from the board. The salary compensation is higher for the chairman. It is approximately $12,000 annually as compared to $8,000 annually for the other board members. A telephone interview was conducted with the school board chair-at-large of the Chatham-Savannah School District, Hugh S. Golson, to discuss the functionality of the model. He stated that "...it is not a silver bullet" but added that in Savannah it has worked very well and provided for strong leadership.

Until 1992 Virginia was the only state in the country that did not provide for elected school boards. This changed in 1992 with the General Assembly approval of legislation authorizing the direct election of school board members in Virginia. As of 2002-2003, 101 of the school boards were elected, 30 were appointed and 3 consisted of a combination of the two forms. One of the school districts in Virginia with an elected chair-at-large is Prince William County. We are interested in this example because the school district ranks 70th in the country in terms of student enrollment. In this county the chair has been elected at large since 1995. The chair's duties in Prince William County are the same as those for the chair in Savannah, i.e. the chair in Prince William County cannot hire and fire school district personnel without majority board approval.

The models that have been presented are not directly comparable to the model that is being proposed. The countywide chair under the proposed legislation would have more authority than those examples discussed have. The countywide chairs in Florida would also be compensated at an amount greater than that received by any of the chairs in other locations. The models are similar in that like these chairs, the elected executive in Florida would set the agenda, chair and vote at the meetings, and have the professional district personnel reporting to them.

Appointed vs. Elected Superintendents: The proposed bill would only affect school districts with an appointed superintendent. Although no exact figures exist, it is estimated that 98-99% of superintendents nationwide are appointed. In a telephone survey of states conducted by the Panama City, FL News Herald, only four states in the nation continue to elect their school superintendents. The states, all located in the south, were South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama and, of course, Florida. In South Carolina only one of the 86 school districts elected their superintendent. Currently in Florida, 23 of the 67 school districts have an elected school board superintendent (See Appendix). The districts with an appointed superintendent are generally more urban and populated as compared to those districts with an elected superintendent. This is important to note for two reasons. First, as the bill proposes, only counties in which the superintendent is appointed would be affected by the legislation. Secondly, as mentioned earlier, some respondents in our process believe that the proposed change would simply be the equivalent of returning to an elected superintendent.

School Board Member Salaries: A final point that warrants discussion is the salaries received by school board members in Florida. According to a report written by the National School Board Association in 2002, two-thirds of the respondents to their survey received no salary at all. In large districts, which had a student enrollment of at least 25,000 students, only 13.3% of school board members received more than $20,000 a year. In Florida the range of school board salaries is from a high of $35,782 in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, to a low of $19,984 in Lafayette and Liberty counties. This means that overall school board members in Florida are compensated at a very high rate when compared to school board members in the rest of the country.

Section 3 - Interviews

Twenty-one people were chosen to be interviewed for this project. A letter was sent to those chosen informing them of our task and requesting their participation in the survey. Initial contact was completed with nineteen, and thirteen completed the survey. Of those, six are current school board members in Orange County, and the remaining seven respondents are business people in the community. Although the response rate is not as high as desired, the balance between the school board members and the members of the business community is appropriate.

Of the school board members that responded to the survey, four were opposed to the concept and two were undecided. Of those opposed, a strong area of concern was the respective role of the superintendent relative to the chairman. Some expressed concern that the taxpayers could end up paying two large salaries for people that were tripping over one another.

Of those undecided one respondent said that an advantage of the proposal is that there would be a "...single point of contact..." and the chairman could "bridge the political and administrative worlds." On the other hand the respondent said that the proposal could potentially "...lessen the power of the school board members..." and it could lead to "...too much power in one person's hands."

Of the business community members, six were in favor of the concept, one was undecided. The undecided respondent expressed concern that the model being proposed is not seen in any leading school districts and suggested a review of those districts for consideration of alternative models. This respondent also said that there needed to be a great deal of dialogue on the subject, stating that when there is broad discussion, people are more inclined to accept any changes.

Of those in favor of the change, the most commonly cited advantage was the strong leadership that this model could provide. In addition, some mentioned that there would be a point of contact for parents and other citizens. All of the respondents from the business community said that they believed that this proposal would bring more accountability.

Two of the respondents said that the system would become more politicized if this change was enacted, but that it could be a good thing (in the data matrix this is coded as "political-pos.").

The data matrix (See Appendix) provides a synopsis of all of the interviews that were conducted. Each interview is given a number which is in the first column. The other 7 columns contain the summations of the responses from the questions. The question is given a title in the heading for reference. The second question has been omitted from the data matrix because all respondents said that they had heard about the proposal before the interview. All of the interviews, in their entirety, are also included in the Appendix to allow for a deeper understanding of the respondent's opinions.

Findings

Due to time and resource constraints, this effort could not provide as complete a review of the proposal as we would like. Suggestions for further investigation might include professionally conducted opinion polls to gauge the views of the citizens and to determine their level of satisfaction with the current system. Because Florida is unique in its school districts, and because the proposed model is not in operation in comparable districts, it is very difficult to make any statistical comparisons or draw firm conclusions as to the efficacy of such a change.

Because the proposal mirrors, in some ways, the change in Orange County Government which occurred fifteen years ago, it might be beneficial to do more comparisons with that model, and to also look at other forms of municipal government, such as the Council/Manager, with an elected mayor, that is widely used in Florida. In this type of government, the members of the city council may be elected from single member districts or at-large, with the Mayor being elected at large. The duties of the elected mayor usually include setting council agendas, presiding at meetings, and representing the city in intergovernmental relations. The mayor has a vote, but does not have any administrative responsibilities. The mayor is viewed as the "leader" of the city and may use the position to promote issues. The professional city manager is charged with the day-to-day management of the organization and reports to the Mayor and City Council. This might alleviate some measure of the concern about the role of the superintendent, or professional manager as opposed to an elected chairman, that was expressed by a number of respondents.

An open forum for citizens to express their views might provide further insights as to the perceived advantages and disadvantages.

Maxwell, Scott, Want strong leadership? Sorry. Orlando Sentinel column, 4/8/03.
A lesson to learn, Orlando Sentinel editorial, 9/18/03.
HB 1221, Florida Senate, 2003.
Personal Communication with, Dottie Gray, National School Board Association, 10/08/03.
Todras, Ellen, The Changing Role of School Boards, Educational Resource Information Center, 5/93.
Gewertz, Catherine, N.Y.C. Mayor Gains Control Over Schools, www.edweek.org, 6/19/02.
Chaddock, Gail Russel, Mayors, States Push School Boards Aside, The Christian Science Monitor, 2/26/02.
Bousquet, Steve. Downsize Districts, Educators Urge, The Miami Herald, 10/21/97.
Hall, Melissa, Group Objects to Voting for School Leader, The Augusta Chronicle, 6/11/03.
Hall, Melissa & Fetter, Donnie, Chairman Vote to Get Hearing, The Augusta Chronicle, 7/6/03.
Interview with Hugh S. Golson, 11/13/03.
Blount, David ed., Public Participation in Education Policy: Changing Roles, Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute, 2000.
www.pwcs.edu
Croft, Tim, Elected School Superintendents rare Breed in U.S., The Panama City News Herald, 12/21/00.
Hess, Frederick M. School Boards at the Dawn of the 21 st Century: Conditions and Challenges of District Governance, National School Boards Association, 2002.
Hegarty, Stephen, Boards Learning Curves? Salaries, St. Petersburg Times, 12/7/2002.

Appendix

Comparison of Florida Counties

Appointed Superintendent	Elected Superintendent
Alachua	Baker	Lake **
Brevard	Bay	Leon
Broward	Bradford	Levy
Charlotte	Calhoun	Liberty
Collier	Citrus	Madison
Dade	Clay	Marion
Duval	Columbia	Martin
Flagler	DeSoto	Monroe
Hernando	Dixie	Nassau
Hillsborough	Escambia	Okaloosa
Indian River	Franklin	Pasco
Lee	Gadsen	Polk
Manatee	Gilchrist	Putman
Okeechobee	Glades	Santa Rosa
Orange	Gulf	Sumter
Osceola	Hamilton	Suwannee
Palm Beach	Hardee	Taylor
Pinellas	Hendry	Union
St. Johns	Highlands	Wakulla
St. Lucie	Holmes	Walton
Sarasota	Jackson	Washington
Seminole	Jefferson
Volusia	Lafayette

Survey Instrument

Let's begin with some background information on the proposal that we will be discussing. The current school board system in Orange County consists of seven elected school board members that all share equal power. These seven board members then elect their own chair. It is now being proposed that this system be changed. Under the new proposal, voters would continue to elect school board members but there would also be direct popular election of the school-district chairperson, who would then be the leader of the school board. This proposed new structure would mirror the strong-mayor form of government currently in place in Orlando and Orange County. This proposal would only pertain to the school districts that have an appointed, not elected, superintendent. Finally, it would be an optional form of governance - each county, that is, would decide whether or not to adopt this new proposal.

Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?
Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?
What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? PROBE: Anything else?
What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? PROBE: Anything else?
Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?
Do you have any suggestions for how the current method might be improved?
Some people believe that changing to an elected chairman of the school board would foster more accountability to the citizens of Orange County. Others believe that such a change wouldn't really make much difference. Which of these views comes closest to your own?
Some people believe that changing to an elected chairman of the school board would make the school board too political. Here too, others believe that such a change wouldn't really make much difference. Which of these views comes closest to your own?

Thank you very much for your time!

Data Matrix

#	Relation	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	Board	None	DK
2	Board	Accountability Efficiency Point of contact	Lessen power of school board
3	Board	Somebody full time	Power struggle, If members did not agree w/ chairman board would be ineffective overall
4	Board	Needs more information	Possible adversarial relationship between chairman & other board members
5	Board	Rectify problem created w/ single member districts	4 yr term for chair as opposed to 1 yr, paying 2 salaries for super. & chair who are tripping over one another,
6	Board	None	Compromised focus on student achievement due to political pressure, 4 yr term for chair
7	Business	Leadership that has been elected at lg.	Politicizing student agenda, Satisfied confusion of roles of chair & super, no models of this nationally
8	Business	Strong leadership for board	No
9	Business	Accountability	No
10	Business	Continuity, permanence, instill confidence	No
11	Business	Strong leadership w/ public mandate	Lack of continuity of leadership
12	Business	Structured leadership w/power	Temporary problems in transition from old form to new
13	Business	Point of contact	Does not go far enough

#	Sat/Dissat	Suggestions	Accountable	Political
1	Satisfied	Chairman needs to receive constant training	No difference	Too political
2	Dissatisfied	Add or subtract a school board seat with chairman elected county wide	Accountable	Can't get rid of politics
3	Satisfied	To elect chairman input needs to be given by admin team	No difference	Too political
4	NA	Board members need to study similar issues in the same depth	DK	Already is political
5	NA	To correct single member districting 5 single member districts, 2 members elected at lg. Articulate what is being fixed	NA	Too political
6	Satisfied	No	No difference	Too political
7	NA	Need dialogue between community leaders	Accountable	Too political
8	Dissatisfied	No	Accountable	No difference
9	Both	Adopt proposal	Accountable	No difference
10	Dissatisfied	Adopt proposal	Accountable	Neither
11	Dissatisfied	Don't decide chair amongst peers	Accountable	No difference
12	Dissatisfied	No	Accountable	Political-pos.
13	Dissatisfied	Break down districts into smaller entities	Accountable	Political-pos.

DK= "Do not know"

NA=Respondent did not answer question directly.

Interviews

Time of Contact: 10/03/2003 10:30-10:52

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

Yes, best friend on school board (elected official) and another friend retired, and second close friend on board; has personal relationship w/ school board; professionally serves as partnership chair of the mayor of Orlando education action counsel; charged w/developing relationships b/t school systems and community of Orlando.

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes, much per school system rep who is opposed?

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Conflicted, undecided; pros-would have leadership that citizens would have elected. Thinks Orange County would be better, revolutionizing if goes with elected. Better way to hold accountable the school system for student outcomes and school system.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Cons-politicizing student achievement and she's concerned about that. Can end w/chairman who has political agenda, conservative/liberal agenda, but not looking out for best interest of children. Second, understanding how elected superintendent and appointed individual would work together. Third, when looking nationally, you don't see leading school systems using this model, new model. Thinks should look at school systems that are successful and if this is the model then ok, but should be looking or modeling successful school systems. Concern admin people will become politicized may be out campaigning for people on the sly.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

May be the right system with the wrong people running for it.

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

Thinks when the key leadership in this community works together to form solutions 90% is satisfied with solutions they create. Thinks everyone in community needs to have serious dialogue about issue. Need to talk about what is the best system for addressing these issues. There is no doubt there are pieces of the system that are broken, but there are trends that there are improvements in student success. FCAT numbers up, although numbers still bad, but better than it was; Orange County has lowest admin costs in state; teacher pay is much higher than in most places; classroom size-grades K-3 in Orange County better at addressing these issues, and dropout rate improving, less dropouts.

7. Some people believe that changing to an elected chairman of the school board would foster more accountability to the citizens of Orange County. Others believe that such a change wouldn't really make much difference. Which of these views comes closest to your own?

Citizens would have more accountability

8. Some people believe that changing to an elected chairman of the school board would make the school board too political. Here too, others believe that such a change wouldn't really make much difference. Which of these views comes closest to your own?

Makes school board more political.

Summation:

Time of Contact: 10/14/03 from 11:30-12:00

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

Board member and retired teacher.

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes, all in legislation in last session

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Hard to see advantage b/c now you have another popularity contest. Superintendent will have another person to boss them around. Thinks people need to be heard. It diminishes power of people. Bureaucracy can get cut up and tied up. Superintendent is accountable to seven people from each district. 7 people are the voice of the people and they can hold the board members accountable and can remove them/retain. Have 7 voices already, where would you place them and who would they represent. You have equal voice now, who are they going to side with. Where does it end? What is the role of the person? And what is the purpose? Puts school in another political entity.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

I don't know how arrangement would work.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

Think it's non-partisan. 4 members on board get to choose who they want to lead them. Chairman elected from board members and all they do is chair the meeting. They don't have quasi-power.

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

Chairman of the board needs to be out on parliamentary procedure; needs to know what their role is; needs to know they speak for the board; person needs to be on top of things; chairman speaks for the board so they need to be up on what's happening. Needs to be well trained and up on issues and how board feels about the issues; they are really all one voice. Chairman speaks as one voice for board. Chairman must be in constant training on all levels (state, regional, national_ and imperative they attend these affairs); hard but chairman needs to attend all these meetings (conferences or training nationally, regionally, state-wide. Improve by chairman's attendance to various affairs, training on all levels, and relationship w/fellow board members.

Chairman would still have to build relationship with board and staff. When you have a voice and overall voice you run into conflict. Such a change wouldn't make much difference. Main goal is and should continue to be student achievement; shouldn't play games w/student achievement.

Would make too political; instead of 7 elected voices you would have 1 who feels they're more powerful then elected chairman and 7 members who are the voice of the people. People would be overpowered by elected officials, etc. student achievement is main goal. Chairman could see one way and board would see another. Superintendent; who would he listen too, board or elected official; too many bosses.

Summation:

People should have a voice to say if they want this to happen. It should be a need coming from the people. Now paying person same thing or more than you pay superintendent; why. Are they creating position for friend? Money could be used for children (ex computers and textbooks, library books) offer chair position for 30,000 and see if that works or offer at no cost; let it be a service position at no cost to taxpayers and see who runs; will have two people from one community voting.

Time of Contact: 10/14/03 12: 05-12:20pm

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

Occurs on several levels; past candidate of school board; serves for foundation for orange county public schools; non-profit organization that represents business community and involvement w/school board; historically chairman for advisory board for Orange County Public Schools that doesn't exist today and parent of 3 kids in schools.

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes, heard a little about proposal.

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Currently, none of board members elected county wide; concern you would have single member districts operating in parochial fashion. If elected countywide, you would have one person elected countywide. Sees as advantage. The school board historically has not had strong leadership; chairman would have stronger head representing school board.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

No, nothing significant. In favor of elected chairman.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

Dissatisfied; nature of system creates petty politics and doesn't result in having chairman that has support of entire board and doesn't have the mandate of the community behind them.

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

No, it's (problems) just ingrained in current system

Foster more accountability to the citizens of Orange County.

Wouldn't politicize board.

Summation:

Clearly have system that is inverted pyramid where school board make few policy decisions where the staff is authoritative that runs systems. Thinks it's hard to be a member in current school system. There have been school board members that have risen to the challenge.

Time of Contact: 10/17/03 8:53-9:25am

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

Member of school board, elected from single member district.

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes.

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

An elected school board chair would bridge the political/admin worlds and lead to greater efficiency in decision making, in addition would be greater accountability to the electorate. There would be a single point of contact or gov'tl entity for community members that have an interest in the school district.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

You could have wrong person elected "knucklehead", with a position as powerful it is unlikely that will occur; people will probably pay more attention to the election, whereas now voters don't pay much attention to it. Too much power in one person's hand.

Other disadvantages speculative- would lessen power of school board members; in county it enhanced power of county commissioners. Used to have 7 school board members elected county wide; there was a façade of cooperation b/c school board members knew they needed voters from other districts to get in. When went to single-member districts, it makes it look as though there is less agreement but there is more freedom for debate; they only need the people in their district; elected county-wide chair over all districts, they will look at school board members as constituencies b/c they will have to work w/everyone. County elected chair will be more responsive to school board members. Thinks it will enhance influence of school board members.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

No, we have an electorate that wants to exercise control over the school district; on other side have unresponsive bureaucracy headed by unappointed CEO; b/t two groups we have 7 school board members who serve part-time and are expected to form a consensus in order to oversee the workings of the institution. OCPS has thousands of students, 20,000 staff, and 1billion dollar budget; next to impossible to expect school board members to exercise control over this institution. This particular form of governance, may work for smaller institutions w/smaller districts. Once a gov't subdivision reaches a certain mass you've got to strengthen citizen control over the institution.

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

Elected county wide chairman, add or subtract a seat school board members; the superintendent would be under the direct supervision and control of elected county chairman. The chairman could fire superintendent at his discretion, but the chair would need school board approval to hire.

More accountability

Depends on how political is defined; there's politics everywhere; are you going to have the people control politics or "backroom" politics that currently controls orange county; you can't eliminate politics but you can change the nature of the political culture.

Summation:

If you have elected county-wide chair that the school system will be infused w/politics. System is already influenced; its bureaucratic politics that's not answerable to electorate; while its true system will become responsive b/c county chair elected; doesn't believe it's a bad thing; already politics just depends on what kind they have; if school system more responsive to pressure, that's what we want; only way to reform things and give people what they expect from system.

The current system doesn't work. The school district is too big, and it's growing by 5,000 students per year. 14th largest school district in U.S.; have to consolidate authority and power in order to make system work as it should and make it more responsive to electorate and less responsive to bureaucratic turf protection.

Time of Contact: 10/20/03 4:40-4:50pm

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

As a parent and as a former elected official; on occasion run into them

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes.

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Accountability

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Don't see any disadvantages.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

Satisfied with method in choosing school board members; dissatisfied w/current method to choose chairman

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

No other than adopting proposal to elect county wide chairman

Foster more accountability to citizens

That it wouldn't make much difference.

Summation:

Time of Contact: 10/22/03

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

School board member

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

It would be someone who'd be involved full-time from the perspective of school board responsibility.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Making position political where you'll have someone sitting in position of great importance who may be more concerned with political then worrying about educational enhancement of students in Orange County. 7 board members could choose to not follow the direx the person tries to take board in and have person in role who is ineffective. Ex county chairman can take forth issue to members and county members may vote no. if you get someone who runs for office and gets elected and has an agenda of their own that is to undermine authority of superintendent, power struggle, you can end up w/nothing happening b/c of political battle. Many negative aspects. Not against chairman as long as they have clear role/responsibility.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

With 7 members it works well enough to agree to see who is most capable of serving as role of chairman. The only authority chairman has is est of meetings and time; runs the meetings; meets w/superintendent. Satisfied that it's worked

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

Outside of having popularity contest; the chairman for school board should continue to be elected by board but there should be input given from admin team. If you had a ballot, mini-election, based on staff/administrators as to who they feel would best serve the district as chairman. Almost like merit system, here's the ratings on what would make a good chairperson, now vote or rate who you think would make best chairperson, and let that speak. If you have elected chair, they're good campaigner but dud and your stuck w/them for 4 years. Now if chairman a dud only have to put up w/for one year and can re-elect new person.

Wouldn't make much difference; even if elected accountability up to one person. If one person elected, good speaker, out for community then there's value for person in that role.

Make it very political. All of sudden you have someone elected county-wide. They may not have any knowledge of what's going on. Unless they are a great teambuilder and persuade people then it's not going to accomplish anything.

Summation:

There could be good w/elected official but it just depends on who is in position or it can run like a good team depending elected. See more cons than pros.

Time of Contact: 10/23/03 4:00, 4:20-4:30

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

Know all school board members and superintendent and school admin senior management staff

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

It would be a identifying; someone to "be in charge" rather than having a rotating chairman from a single member district; it'd be better to have someone elected by county then by colleagues. Continuity; in that elected chairperson would be there for at least four years, as opposed to selected chairperson who only serves for one year term.

Having elected chairperson also gives some confidence; the public would be more confident with a permanent chair then temp b/c ensures stability in governance. It lends more credibility in the public's mind that there is some permanence w/a four year chair as opposed to rotating chair.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Don't know of any.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

Dissatisfied.

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

The school board members should continue to be elected by single member district except for chairperson who should run at-large. If orange county has a strong chairman form of gov't and if city has strong-mayor form, it would seem logical that another gov'tl entity w/2billiion dollar budget should have same structure of governance.

Would foster more accountability.

Neither.

Time of Contact: 10/30/03

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

Have done business w/school regarding development

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Read in paper, yes.

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Stronger leadership w/a public mandate separate from that a current full-time school board admin.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

Lack of continuity of leadership

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

Dissatisfied

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

Don't think it should be decided amongst their peers.

Foster more accountability.

It wouldn't really make much difference.

Summation:

Time of Contact: 10/24/03

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County school system?

Interested observer. Children are in Catholic schools, but I did graduate from a public high school

2. Prior to today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any?

It creates a structured leadership position, with powers - and accountability - needed for leadership to be exercised properly on the school board.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any?

Only temporary ones - the transition will be rocky. After that, the system will, on balance, work much better than the current one.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

Mildly dissatisfied - it's a structurally defective system for a county like Orange.

6. Do you have any suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

No. It is structured for failure in a high-population, high-growth county.

The former; foster more accountability

It would make the school board far more responsive, which will result, inevitably, in the school board being far more effective and trustworthy. If being more responsive to the voters is being more "political," then, yes, it will be more political, but it will be a good thing. It most certainly will not make the school board "too political." Instead, the school board will approach being "just right."

#10

Time of Contact: 11/04/03

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

I am an elected school board member.

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes, I have heard of it.

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

I would have to see the specific powers of the elected chair position. It would help to see how they overlap or complement the Supt. position. How would the 7 member board operate with this new role on board?

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

At present the board chair really has no authority over other board members. The role runs meetings and is a front person with the media.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

An adversarial relationship with the single board members would be a disaster for the general public.

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

In my opinion, the current system would be stronger if more or all board members studied similar issues in the same depth. Problems can arise when one member dives into an issue and the others choose to avoid it. This could be done in a number of ways but presently board members are free to do as they please when it comes to issues important to persons in the public.

There is no doubt that accountability could be a plus. The elected chair would have to respond to the public, but needs the power to do so. At this point I don't know what kind of decision making he or she would have.

The school board is already political...

#11

Time of Contact: 10/31/03

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County School System?

I am a school board member.

2. Prior to our conversation today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes. Quite a bit. In fact, I attended a meeting run by Rep. Andy Gardiner, Tom Wilkes and Dick Batchelor to discuss this with the community.

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

With the move to single member districts, communities gained the ability to guarantee that a local district winner would become the school board member. (There had been two instances where this was not so). However, the community of each district lost the ability to significantly influence the outcome of the other six races. Suddenly, from electing all 7 members, voting on 4 in presidential election years and 3 in gubernatorial election years, only one vote was cast every four years. Representative Gardner acknowledged at the meeting I attended that his bill was in part to rectify a problem created by single member districts (which were initiated by the Orange County legislative delegation).

Not only have single member districts resulted in the above change, they have brought a more parochial and territorial approach to the behavior of school board members. Having a member or members elected at large might be helpful, but, as I write this, I caution that 'the devil is in the details.' The way a proposal is structured will determine whether the benefits are substantial and the unintended consequences not severe.

The introduction at the beginning of this survey hardly gives anyone unfamiliar with the proposal itself any information on which to judge the advantages or disadvantages.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any? Probe: Anything else?

To answer this question, one must define the role. Currently, the role of the chairman is to assure the integrity of the board's process and, secondarily, occasionally represent the board to outside parties (as in be the spokesperson communicating the board's actions). The chair runs the meetings, approves draft agendas and signs all contracts on behalf of the board. Most of the jobs delegated to the chairman in the proposal's strong-mayor approach are by statute delegated to the superintendent. (The version of the proposal submitted at the end of the last session that left all the "details" of the job description up to a committee -designed by structure to come to the same conclusions as the original proposal did-is less a change than a political deferral.) Since I think the current role of both the superintendent and the chair is an appropriate one, I believe the process works most of the time. There is the possibility of a board electing a chair who does not have the capacity to do the job. However, since whoever is elected chairman has already won at least one community election, there is no guarantee that a countywide chair would automatically eliminate this potential problem. To the contrary, the chair would then serve for 4 years as opposed to one.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied w/how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

As described by Representative Gardner (and as inferred from your brief description of this as akin to the County and City of Orlando models (which are different in some fundamental ways), this position would become the defacto elected superintendent. Even some municipalities are moving from this model, and it clearly isn't the only one in use in this area. This chair also would be the 8th voting member (quite awkward). What happens on a 4 - 4 split vote?

First of all, school districts have consistently moved from elected to appointed superintendents. (Seminole is certainly a prime local example.) Besides the fact that the very popular football coach (or in the case of one small district, a second grade teacher) could be elected for 4 years to run a school district, it is a given that every 4 years (beginning at least a year before an election), education stops. I saw this first hand in Manatee County a number of years ago. The mission of employees becomes to get the superintendent reelected. I remember when principals in Seminole used to switch into election mode to get Bob Hughes reelected. It was how they kept their jobs. The flip side of this is that an elected superintendent (which is, in reality, what this creates) does not remove low-performing principals or administrators easily if those administrators can deliver votes.

Second, I think the comparison to the County and the City of Orlando is a flawed one. While the job of the County and the City are similar-e.g., provide infrastructure (roads, sewers, parks); provide and enforce code issues; maintain an appropriate level of public safety, etc.-the job of a school system is fundamentally quite different. Both municipalities work through a series of departments municipality-wide. Neither has a network of institutions like schools, each of which has its own leadership and its own identity. What might work well for one type of organization might not be appropriate for another. (Should a hospital, with its complicated structure of administrators and doctors, each of which has a particular level of expertise, be run exactly like a theme park? Both cater to the public.) And why is there an assumption that the governance models of the City and the County work so well? If a strong mayor type of leader is supposed to be able to rally the electorate and provide vision and leadership, what happened to the 1/2 cent for transportation? Leadership isn't always yelling "Charge!" Among the reasons for the passage of the 1/2-cent for schools was the two years of grass roots work done by the school board and the superintendent before the Change 4 Kids campaign ever began. Is leadership in this community defined only by the media and the "downtown" crowd or by a broader definition that may resonate with a broader constituency?

Would we be paying (by school system standards) two high salaries, so that there could be two "superintendents" tripping over one another? This proposal plays to the concept that life is a zero sum game. The best governance is a strong superintendent and a strong board, not (by design) a weak superintendent, weak board, and strong chairman.

6. Do you have suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

If the intent is to remedy a problem created by single member districts (as opposed to any number of other motives that are currently circulating or could be speculated upon), then there are many possibilities besides a strong-mayor form of chairman. As an example, perhaps 5 single member districts with 2 at-large members would give both voice and balance; however, this would require redistricting. What is the real issue here? No one has yet articulated what we are trying to fix, short of creating a political focal point.

Accountability? I go back to my question of "What do you want to accomplish?" Accountability in what way? More student achievement? Better instruction? More parent involvement? More funding (which comes from the legislature)? Having someone to blame who, if the electorate remembers 4 years later, can be fired? Having someone who will insure that lucrative contracts go to political friends, who contribute at election time to all the right candidates? Accountability is important, but it becomes a meaningless sound-byte unless you define what you are accountable for. As far as business functions, the current superintendent has increased the level of outside business expertise brought to bear on every major decision-from construction to technology to food service. Is one of these areas of concern to the community at large (or is the vocal community not necessarily representative of the community at large)? If it is, what is the concern and is this the most appropriate, effective way to address it?

Watch any governmental body from a local one to Congress-and any high profile elected person-as an election cycle nears. When elections become paramount, decisions are often made based on what is politically expedient rather than on what constitutes sound public policy. Right now, the school system is, to a great extent, immune from the process because the superintendent, while impacted by elections, is not actively in the middle of them. With the powers of the CEO in the hands of an elected official, whether the title is superintendent or chairman, you will have put the students, through their schools, in middle of that political environment. Is that what we really want in this community?

#12

Time of Contact: 10/31/03

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County school system?

I am an elected School Board member.

2. Prior to today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes, as a School Board member I attended Andy Gardiner's presentation on his legislation. I have also had discussions at the state level about the proposal with members of the Florida School Boards Association, and I've read some articles in the media.

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any?

None

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any?

As a member of the Board, I have the responsibility to choose a leader who can help the Board achieve its outcomes. The Chair sits for a one year term. Each year the Board can vote for a new leader. It is the entire board that sets policy. That is our responsibility and I do not take that lightly.

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

The focus on student achievement would perhaps be compromised as a result of political pressures that are far more pronounced with an elected Chair.

Recently, the elected Superintendent of Lake County Schools wrote a My Word column in the Orlando Sentinel about the need keep politics out of leadership decisions pertaining to schools and the safety and achievement of our students. I believe in her statements decisions needed to be made about a Principal.

In this form of management does the Superintendent become nothing more than a Chief of Staff? Our Superintendent is our education leader.

I believe that individual schools would become caught up in politics. They'd be viewed as places in which to build a coalition of votes, and principals, teachers and other school employees might become unwilling pawns in this process. As a result, the primary focus on enhancing student achievement would be lost. Look into Seminole County Schools prior to voting for an appointed Superintendent. Polk County Schools has just switched to this form of government as well.

6. Do you have any suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

The voters should be electing School Board members they feel will effectively represent the children in this county at any level of leadership on the Board.

I believe there is already more accountability to the citizens of Orange County since voter approval of Single Member School Board Districts. I was elected in 2002 because my constituents were not happy with their representation on the Board and did not elect my predecessor to a second term.

I agree with the former statement.

Summation (any closing thoughts):

Student achievement is not and should never be a political issue. It is the responsibility of all members of this community to work together for children, not political agendas.

#13

Time of Contact: 11/19/03 12:00

1. Can you please describe for me your relationship or contact with the Orange County school system?

Have been a community advocate for school system reform for 13 years; served on task force groups; recently chaired Mayor's Educational Task force II- 6 month process which resulted in cities creation of advisory board and an extensive report "Renaissance of Public in City of Orlando; worked on behalf of developers; boards established by commission to cause school system to be proactive, locating schools where they should be, and schools financial responsibility in providing good, efficient schools in Orange County.

2. Prior to today, had you heard or seen anything about this proposal?

Yes

3. What do you see as the advantages to this proposal, if any?

It would give the entire county the opportunity to elect someone who has true responsibilities, to have someone rep entire county and interests and being a better steward of that particular authority. Provide more accountability and give community one person to look to (reform needs to happen); person has responsibility to make changes.

4. What do you see as the disadvantages to this proposal, if any?

Doesn't go far enough; need change from state of Florida down; change in state constitution. Needs to break counties into smaller districts; will make job smaller, people responsible would have less problems to work with (make into manageable size).

5. Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with how the current method to choose the school board and its chairman is working?

Dissatisfied

6. Do you have any suggestions for how the current method might be improved?

Current method is broken; doesn't work at all. Need revision to state constitution that allows counties to break school districts down into smaller districts. Need real leaders and people who can direct, lead and manage a school system. Can attract better people if make system manageable. Reactive people (school board members) who receive information/decisions from staff. Districts are too big.

Believe it would foster more accountability

Anything that makes it too political makes it better.

Summation:

The problem is with the system, not superintendent. The entire system needs to be fixed. There is a disconnect with people and school board members. All about their authority (school board members). They're careful with not approving charter schools that will help. System needs to be broken and put back together. The culture that has developed is them against everyone else. Culture is impossible to change unless system changes. They're unlike county commission that respects the people.

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