Fiorentino gets busy

For months, it looked like Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino didn't have much planned for her re-election campaign.

She raised some money and got her name on the ballot. But she wasn't out there boosting name recognition like her lesser-known opponent, Steve Donaldson.

That has all changed in the past week.

Suddenly Fiorentino's red and white signs have popped up all over the county. She's got her brochures at the GOP headquarters. And her campaign Web site, complete with video, is finally up.

Fiorentino explained to the Gradebook that she had been focusing on district issues and waiting for the primary season to end. Now, she said, the time finally is right to get into the thick of the election battle. And having won one city race by just 23 votes, Fiorentino added, she's taking nothing for granted: "Every campaign is an important one."

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Comments

[Patrick Kent]

Dear Scarf Girl Worshiper Observer,

Yes, I do have a suggestion. Purchase those students a full computer system ($1,000 max. from Dell) and tell them for a year they must attend Florida Virtual School at home. If you look at the per pupil spending in FL you will see that this is a massive savings. At the end of that year if they are successful, they can return. If not, then they can not. You are still providing them with a Florida Constitution guaranteed quality public education. Use the alternative school for disruptive students who need an alternative setting other than their regular school, not criminals. You would see a great decline in juvenile crime at school if you forced parents to be accountable and had actual consequences for actions. Make parents accountable for their child's behavior and stop asking me, the taxpayer, to throw my taxpayer money down the toilet because of their child's actions in school that hurt other students wanting to learn.

[Observer]

It makes sense that the students at this Alternative school would have a high number of arrests, as many are arrested when the crime is committed, and sent to the alternative school as a result. An example would be a student caught breaking into a school and vandalizing it. The student is arrested for the breaking and entering and vandalism. The student is probably diverted out of the juvenile justice system (ask your "friends" about juvenile diversion) and also, as a result of the criminal act, the student is sent to the alternative school. The state is responsible for providing students with a free public education until the student reaches age 16. Do you have a better plan for those students? Should they just be sent back to the school they broke into and destroyed?
It is also extremely difficult to support any statements you make, Mr. Kent, when you insist on calling HF by the derogatory name "Scarf Girl". Perhaps you think it is funny.... I think it makes you appear juvenile and unprofessional.

[Patrick Kent]

Just cruising the blogs , and I come upon these interesting little numbers. I have friends who are attorney's who specialize in juvenile litigation or are a part of the juvenile justice community (Guess my profession and insert joke here) that state that Schwettman is out of control. The numbers that they have given to me are staggering. Schwettman is a school that serves students who have been expelled from their regular school for reasons such as drugs, alcohol, weapons, felony assault and battery, etc. These are troubled youth. Schwettman has a population of approximately 250 students total combined from sixth grade to 12th grade. This school last year had almost one hundred arrests according to my friends. Think about that. One hundred arrests in one school year in a population that small is appalling. That is your taxpayer money at work. If the public only knew how much money is spent in the process of making an arrest and bringing it to court they would be angry. These students at Schwettman are the poor and disadvantaged, so Pasco County Schools and the public such as the St. Pete Times turn a blind eye towards these students. Schwettman is Pasco County's dirty little secret that everybody like Scarf Girl desires to keep hidden in their attic. It is a dumping ground for the troubled youth to be forgotten. The administration at the school is a permissive one that allows the students to run the school. I have heard this statement from my friends in the juvenile justice business. If the St. Pete Times investigated this school and interviewed employees, both past and present, they would be shocked to learn about the educational philosophy of Principal Mary Foster. My friends tell me that there is no administrative discipline at that school and that it is the lack of discipline and structure at that school which has caused the problem. This is the same Mary Foster who has engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a fellow employee, Principal Greg Wright, when they were at Hudson. There are many skeletons and rumors in Mary Foster's closet about other sexual improprieties and abuse of power, but Mary Foster's close relationship with Scarf Girl, as exhibited by Ms. Foster's campaign contributions to Scarf Girl, have allowed this person with questionable judgment to be in power and set the discipline for the most troubled youth in Pasco. Do you, Joe Taxpayer, think that Scarf Girl made a good decision with your taxpayer money? Scarf Girl chose Mary Foster as principal at Schwettman and allows her permissive discipline policy to result in the arrests of close to a hundred students in a tiny population? I wonder when somebody in a position of enlightenment will shine a light on this issue and bring it to the public. I bet, unfortunately, that another back will be turned on the most troubled students in Pasco County. What a shame.

[publicschoolteacher]

Merlot is not a drug, right? ;)

And I don't get behind the wheel after "self-medicating!"

[LOL]

Awww, come on. Have some sympathy. How many teachers do you know who DON'T take some sort of drugs to get through the day?

[teacher]

You mean this Angie Presto? Nice...

SHADY HILLS

A teacher at Harry Schwett- man Education Center was arrested early Wednesday and charged with DUI. Angela Marie Presto, 38, of 16342 Connemara Lane, Shady Hills, was driving erratically on State Road 52 near Hays Road when she was stopped by Zephyrhills police officers returning to their city, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. Presto had slurred speech and poor balance, the report said, and said she had taken Xanax, an antianxiety drug. Even though a breath test measured her blood-alcohol level at 0.019, well below the level at which the state presumes impairment, officers can use their discretion in such cases, Trooper Larry Coggins Jr. said. "Evidently the alcohol, plus whatever prescription she was taking, was enough to impair her normal faculty," Coggins said. Presto was held at the Land O'Lakes jail Wednesday afternoon in lieu of $500 bail.

[linda]

When HF campaigned for superintendent the first time, she was very promising, sounded competent and managed to convince the people of schwettman education center she claimed she was a "friend" to the alternative school and to the safety, well being and morale of the entire staff and faculty. She roped them in and they roped me in. I did not know her but campaigned for her, donated to her campaign and walked the walk to get her elected. what a MISTAKE. I'm not at HSEC anymore most of the people I worked with are not there. No they were not fired by HF they were made to leave by her personal Principal M. Foster who is her ultimate puppet and made life so miserable for everyone except the good-looking guys, that they couldn't stand the betrayal and lack of respect. Foster hired her best friend Angela Presto as the Behavior Specialist, she is used more as a spy, was incompetent in her job but had the power to speak for Foster. She was also left in charge often. That is the only thing. Mr. Davis ever put a stop to. Most of the teachers, support staff and maintenance staff who were "forced Out) are still in the county, someone should look them up and ask, I had always said ask the question and everyone will answer truthfully but volunteer the information and lose your job. The alternative schools are falling apart, they need stricter supervision, where is Mr. Davis? If he ignores them does he think the problems will go away? stricter dress codes, what students were allowed to wear besides being in poor taste were also unsafe, of cours what staff wore including Mrs.Foster borders on inappropriate as well. stricter class room management, there was not a class in that school whether it had 4 students or 24 students that didn't need a trained instructional assistant to assist so teachers could actually teach. Stricter consequences for actions of the students. there was no where to place unruly students so they were frequently told to just leave the campus (isn't that illegal Mr. Davis)? Nothing has changed for the better with Mrs. Foster at the helm. Oh wait, the smoking area is real pretty and the front of the building is real pretty, the newly decorated offices are real pretty. There are very few of my friends still there, I sometimes wonder what they are waiting for, as unless these people shape up realy fast Heather, Foster and our assistant superintendent Mr. Davis who should really stand with Heather and accept the blame for what has happened as he was informed of problems several times early on in Fosters tenure. As a much more informed citizen of Pasco County I will be voting for Steve Donaldson

[Pat Connolly]

friend,
You beat me to the punch, but I just got home and I don't blog from school, as I see you don't either. I learned today that Mrs. Fiorentino's "Meet Heather" video was NOT produced in her office and was going to correct my post as soon as I got home.
As to stopping by Heather's office to get my facts straight from a fiscally responsible person, I'm not so sure that would be a good idea. I don't know if I (or any teacher wanting to have their contractual pay scale honored) would be welcome right now or if I'd get "straight talk" from someone who wants us to think that the reserve fund is $120M when the truth seems to be that it's well over twice that. But I could be wrong about that.

[friend of Fiorentino/teacher]

From 11:33 post - "Nice setting too, using her office during the day (of course during a break or on a day off.)"

Once again, Mr. Connolly, you are erroneous in your assumptions and facts.

As a personal acquaintance of Mrs. Fiorentino's, I can guarantee you that the video was shot on a Sunday afternoon in her HOME, a place where I have visited often. (I believe the Superintendent is allowed to do what she wants on the weekend, the last time I checked?!?!) Since you're always so on top of things and "observant" notice her home computer to the right of her in the shot (nothing personal towards Heather/PCSD, but I hope the District gives her a little more updated machine for her District office), a picture of the House Chamber on the wall behind her, and the chair rail behind her desk in the shot! (Yes, the picture is hard to tell what it is, but having been in her HOME office, I am telling you that's what the picture is!)

Hey, I have a suggestion. Why don't you stop by Heather's District Office sometime to get some of your facts straight. (And to see that there is no chair rail behind her desk!) I know she has an open door/email policy and I'm sure would love to discuss many of the issues you raise and share "factual" information, figures, and relevant charts with you.

I do agree with you on one thing - why waste money on a professional videographer when the video is fine the way it is, shot with personal equipment??!?! VERY fiscally responsible, if you ask me!

[Pat Connolly]

I would use the word "smirking". But she wasn't smirking at me when I spoke. If you were there, you'd know why.

I went to her campaign web site and watched her videos.
First of all there is a flat-out lie in her list of accomplishments. She takes pride in "preserving the employee compensation package and avoiding lay-offs". Our compensation package includes the step increases she has written out of the budget. And a custodian or food service worker who has had their hours cut so that they lose their benefits and barely get paid enough to pay for the gas to get to work might wonder about the "no lay-offs" comment; in fact, it would have been better for them to be truly laid off so they could at least get unemployment benefits.

The "campaign ad" video was a joke. The symbolism of the "phantom writer" praising her was appropriate on so many levels it made me laugh. Then a power point presentation with background graphics of meaningless charts. You couldn't actually read them, but using the same four charts repeatedly as backgrounds for completely different messages is a clear sign that they're irrelevant. Maybe she should have had her $84K+ Director of Communication help her out. (By the way, for that much money you'd think the Director of Communication could make sure the microphones in the Board meeting room worked, so that the Board and the audience could hear each other.)

The "Meet Heather" video was a nice touch. Very homey, soothing voice, lots of nice thoughts. Nice setting too, using her office during the day (of course during a break or on a day off) and recording it with her own personal computer (using District equipment would have been wrong) rather than spending her campaign funds on a studio and professional videographers shows her fiscal responsibility.

[teacher]

How about a piece on the fact that HF sat, scribbling on a notepad, laughing and shaking her head, while her devoted employees gave heartfelt speeches about their quality of life. She was very disrespectful. One teacher was practically in tears up there, and HF looked like she was writing her grocery list or something.

[EQP]

And why was the piece on yesterday's rally so slanted in Superintendent's favor? I would like to have seen a response from Mr. Donaldson about the issues that were being addressed. He was sitting right behind you in the meeting, was he not?

[teacher in pasco]

Yes, Jeff. I too wonder why it is that the local news hasn't done a "real" piece on this news worthy topic. How often does a teacher take on their current Superintendent for a job? I bet if he was given a chance to get his voice out there, people would wake up and pay attention. Maybe that is what some are afraid of?

[taxpayer]

Yeah, let's hear how Donaldson will "Save the World" (or Pasco County in this case) and find money by waving his magic wand and "MAKE" Tallahassee do the right thing for education. Nothing against Donaldson personally - just making the point that he'll have no more success in removing the politics from education than anybody else has for years. Reality check, 11:32!

Jeff when will you do a real article about Steve Donaldson that appears in the print media? Heather has been getting her picture and name in the paper on a weekly if not almost daily basis since the end of the school year. Let's hear about what Steve Donaldson will do when he gets elected!

[Ed]

She' taking the teachers and SRP for granted! I wonder if she was on the job when she was using that district computer in her office to make that cheesey "Meet Heather" video ad. Looks like she was doing some political activity on the district's dime and with the district's property. Isn't that a violation of elections law or something. At the very least it is unethical!

It's easy to get your signs out there if you "convince" administrators to put out your signs, just like you "convince" them to contribute money to your campaign. Only problem is that while you can watch them write their checks to ensure their "loyalty", it's harder to watch them place your signs. Maybe that's why they're clustered in poor locations and placed in the weeds for poor visibility.