Ed foundation suggests looking to business for next superintendent

Before the Pinellas School Board makes a decision on a replacement for outgoing school superintendent Clayton Wilcox, an influential local education group will have its say, the organization's leader has promised.

"I'm sure we'll have a discussion about where we want to be in the process regarding particular traits or leadership abilities," said Terry Boehm (left), president of the Pinellas Education Foundation. "It would certainly be within our right to do that."

One trait the foundation will insist upon from any candidate, Boehm said, is a commitment to increasing career and technical education opportunities for high school students. For more than two years, he said, the group has considered such programs the surest route to reducing the dropout rate and improving Pinellas' sagging graduation rate.

The group is so convinced that the district's future depends on the creation of rigorous career education programs, Boehm said, that its board of directors might suggest that the board look for a new superintendent from among the ranks of business and industry.

"I don't think the board should be short-sighted and discount that possibility," he said. "I think that's certainly something they should look at."

See tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times or tampabay.com tomorrow for the rest of the story.

- Donna Winchester, Pinellas education reporter

Comments

who's askin'?

[just wonderin']

9:38

Hey M. Russell, is that you?

Shelly,

We count on the fourth estate (the press) to provide checks and balances in a Democracy when the elected officials and government leaders lack leadership and ethics.

Unfortunately, the days of local independent newspapers willing to put their resources to work doing investigative reporting are a bygone era. Too often local newspapers are owned by large conglomorates. The few remaining "independent" newspapers are beholden to their advertisers.

Remember, the Times partnered with this unethical superintendent early on to increase their "web hits" and therefore their web advertising rates. The controversial blog was used by the superintendent to advance his political clout. The blog was touted all over the country by the superintendent traveling on your tax dollars and shamelessly plugging the St. Petersburg Times partnership all the while.

Jim Smith sells a piece of property and the Times pushes for a grand jury investigation.

The superintendent of a 1.6 billion dollar school system wages war on elected officials, engages in defamatory statements on and off line, all the while recklessly spending millions and not one peep from the Times.

Why?

Comments to this story will soon be blocked, I'm sure.

[Shelly]

When is there going to be an investigation into the "ethics" of a Superintendent putting thousands of dollars of public school funds/tax dollars into an organization that he then takes a high paying job with?

The Education Foundation's 501 C3 status has not stopped them from political lobbying. They go to Tallahassee, endorse school board members and engage in political debate.

There are FEDERAL laws, including TAX CODE that is supposed to keep not for profit organizations from lobbying. FEDERAL laws that cover lobbiests require FULL DISCLOSURE of operations, donations, spending and gift giving.

The Education Foundation is required to do none of that reporting because it is a non-profit organization. Which, by design, is a charity not a political action committee! Rest assured that school board members that do not comply will be defamed, out-funded and eventually ousted for lack of compliance.

This type of "community engagement" borders on criminal behavior. The least of which may include tax fraud. A fact the SP Times chooses to ignore.

[BBMOM]

I am confused by the statement in the third paragraph; "One trait the foundation will insist upon..."? How can this foundation insist upon anything? Do they really have a say in the decision or is it the Board only, who decides?

[confused]

I am confused. The school board fought over this last time a superintendent was chosen. Nancy Bostock and Jane Gallucci, two of Terry Boehme's friends were the ones that put the brakes on advertising in business magazines or writing a decent job description that made room for non-traditional superintendents.

Did this dude know this when he and his gang supported Nancy Bostock and Jane Gallucci? Will they support Bostock and Gallucci for county commission?

For someone supposed to know about education this dude is way off base.

Loved Wilcox. Pushed the board to pick him. Then he supports board members that don't support him, his ideas or his organization.

Does this dude just like talking? Does he listen to himself when he talks?

Just great, bring in somebody else who doesn't understand how government works. Private business does not equal government skill.