Pasco School Board | District 2

Winner: Joanne Hurley

For the first time in 16 years, this race won’t feature veteran board member Marge Whaley, who has decided to retire. Seeking the vacant seat are three civic activists with little political experience. Kurt Conover, who has participated in dozens of civic groups, unsuccessfully ran for County Commission in the 1970s. Peter Hanzel serves on the Lexington Oaks community development district board. Joanne Hurley has not sought an elected post before. Their campaign is fairly low-key.

	Kurt Conover, 57	Peter Hanzel, 63	Joanne Hurley, 63
Experience	Conover ran unsuccessfully for Pasco County Commission in 1978. He has never held elected office. Conover is a product of Pasco County schools and has lived in the county most of his life. He has been the director of parks and recreation for New Port Richey, an area manager for Florida Power Corp. and most recently director of business development for Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida. He lives in Land O’Lakes.	Hanzel has held elected office as a supervisor of the Lexington Oaks subdivision’s community development district. This is his first run for School Board. Hanzel served in the Army from 1974-77 and was a member of the Army Reserve from 1977-97. He worked as an education supervisor for the Bureau of Prisons from 1977-2002, when he retired and moved to Pasco County. Hanzel has a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree from Emporia State University in Kansas. He lives in Wesley Chapel.	Hurley has not sought elected office before, though she has served on various appointed boards, including the Citizens Advisory Committee that updated the county’s blueprint for growth. She has worked as a teacher in Hillsborough County, recycling coordinator for Pasco County, and, for the past 11 years, spokeswoman for Florida Turnpike Enterprise. Hurley has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from the University of South Florida. She lives in Land O’Lakes.
Opinions on experience	“I’ve given up several opportunities just to remain in this community. I love the community. I think it has a lot of potential. I don’t think a lot of people, especially not from the area, see it like I do.”	“My two opponents have lived here forever. I have had opportunities to see how school systems work in Lexington, Ky., Leavenworth, Kan., and Reno, Nev. ... I think I can bring more knowledge, more vision. I believe I am the most qualified.”	“What sets me apart is the fact that I have always chosen to participate in study groups, fact-finding boards that take research and are accountable for making government better. It’s necessary if you want to get better government.”
Top three priorities	1. Educational efficiencies: The district needs to improve the graduation rate and add career academy programs. 2. Budget: The district must streamline the budget and look for cost efficiencies. “Everything should be on the table for discussion.” Suggests shared services with other governments when possible. 3. Growth: The district needs to improve relations with other government entities to better deal with growth.	1. Budget: The district must keep staff salaries as a top priority, and work with lawmakers to limit unfunded state mandates. 2. School security: More must be done to keep students and parents safe and secure at schools. Suggests a psychologist sit in on interviews for new employees. 3. Growth: Suggests building more classrooms to replace portables.	1. Academic improvement: The district must raise the graduation rate and lower the dropout rate, using such things as vocational programs and mentoring. 2. Growth: The district needs to keep pace with rising enrollment by building more schools while keeping existing schools maintained. The district should work to share facilities such as parks and libraries with other government entities. 3. Budget: The School Board must set spending priorities to meet demands for lower taxes while keeping an emphasis on classroom instruction.
How should the district deal with LFS teacher training?	“I’m not convinced that the program was properly implemented. ... Since a large investment has already been made, I would not make a hasty, uninformed decision about abruptly discontinuing the program.”	“It would be wise to re-evaluate this program and alternate approaches. For example, the cost of hiring substitute teachers is very costly. The district needs to consider training teachers on nonstudent days.”	“No more funding should be appropriated until there is some evidence that the program is producing the desired results.”
Assets	Home, property, investments, savings.	Home, property, investments.	Home, vehicles, investments, savings.
Liabilities	Mortgage, car loans, credit card debt.	Mortgage.	None.
Net worth	$364,952.	$447,000.	$1,919,658.
Source of income	HCA Health Services of Florida	Pension, rental property, interest, Lexington Oaks CDD, Lexington Oaks Golf Course.	Post Buckley Schuh & Jernigan Inc. (which does work for Florida Turnpike Enterprise), investment income.
Personal	He and his wife, Sandra, have two children.	He and his wife, Karen, have five adult children.	She and her husband, John, have three grown sons.
Web site	Yes	Yes	Yes
E-mail	Yes	Yes	Yes

About the job: School Board District 2 is voted on countywide, but candidates must live in the district. Five board members serve staggered four-year terms. They oversee a system with a $1.1-billion budget, 65,000 students and 10,000 employees. Board members make $37,615 a year.