Memo to staff: Let's work together

It's no secret that the Pasco employees association and superintendent Heather Fiorentino have not gotten along in the past. Much of the recent acrimony has turned on contract negotiations.

With the latest budget news indicating that the financial picture is turning for the worse, Fiorentino is seeking to put the us vs. them mentality in the past so everyone can focus on making it through lean times. She sent a memo to all employees at the end of business Thursday.

In it, Fiorentino talks about tough times and reiterates the board's primary goals. But what stand out are her repeated calls for unity:

"It is crucial that we unite during these challenging times and put aside any differences that may exist in order to prioritize the needs of our District."

"These circumstances necessitate a spirit of cooperation and teamwork."

"I look forward to working with you and thank you for your dedicated service to our students and the District."

It will be interesting to see whether employees rally together, or if they view this as a cynical effort by the leader they opposed in the November election. Stay tuned. And to see Fiorentino's memo in full, read on.

From: Heather Fiorentino <hfiorent@pasco.k12.fl.us>
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:05:22 -0500
To: All Employees <hfiorent@pasco.k12.fl.us>
Cc: Marge Whaley <mwhaley@pasco.k12.fl.us>, <kestarkey@gmail.com>, Cathi Martin <cmartin@pasco.k12.fl.us>, Frank Parker <fparker@pasco.k12.fl.us>, Frank Parker <frank@stoneparkercpa.com>, Kathryn Starkey <kstarkey@pasco.k12.fl.us>, Allen Altman <alaltman@pasco.k12.fl.us>, <suncoastjbh@verizon.net>
Conversation: Important Budget Information
Subject: Important Budget Information

Dear Staff,

Earlier this week, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) notified our District of its intention to withhold $9.1 million in funding from Pasco Schools. The District also anticipates a reduction of at least $3.5 million due to lower than projected FTE counts.  In addition, FDOE has announced a possible reduction in the spring.  These new reductions come after the District has already passed its budget, which included $16 million in reductions. 

We understood at the time we passed the budget that future reductions were likely and we identified areas within the budget for possible cuts.  Unfortunately, these new dollar amounts are higher than we expected.  Therefore, we will have to carefully review every current expenditure and consider all previous suggestions for savings (we have kept all of the employee-generated solutions for potential savings that were submitted earlier this year).  If you have any other suggestions you would like for us to consider, please submit them to me by e-mail as soon as possible.

As we navigate through this difficult economic situation, we will continue to work toward the following three goals the Board and I have established:

·           Protect classroom spending
·           Avoid employee lay-offs
·           Maintain the employee compensation package

It is crucial that we unite during these challenging times and put aside any differences that may exist in order to prioritize the needs of our District. Difficult decisions will have to be made in order to develop a balanced budget that meets the needs of students. I will make every effort to facilitate open communication and dialogue with all stakeholders throughout this process.

These circumstances necessitate a spirit of cooperation and teamwork.  It is important to remember that we are not alone in this situation, as many organizations and companies throughout the nation are also facing financial challenges.  One of the qualities that makes our District unique is the level of professionalism and commitment among our staff.  With the support of all of our employees, I have every confidence that we will be able to meet this challenge and secure the long-term success of our District.

I look forward to working with you and thank you for your dedicated service to our students and the District. 

Sincerely,

Heather Fiorentino
Superintendent

Comments

Public Ed- you are very uninformed! READ THE BUDGET. Use your own brain, look for yourself. There is NO 120 million dollar surplus. I have looked for myself and can say that with CONFIDENCE. I am not just reporting what other people have told me. Also, the union list (the exact same list Marge presented by the way) was FULL of things that violated federal and state restrictions. The actual amount they presented represented about 300,000; much of which was already cut during the last budget cut. Perhaps you should educate yourself on the state of public education and stop spewing false information. You seem jaded by the misinformation you've been fed.

[Public Ed]

Hey Sally,
The funding of Steps and a modest would come from the $120,000,000 that is in the UNRESTRICTED RESERVE! Or, if not there, the $20,000,000 cushion that Ms. Fiorentino has built into the INSTRUCTIONAL SALARY category of the budget. Or, she could have forgone the slick advertisement that was sent out with the St. Pete Times the weekend before the election or the ad that was sent home with students before the election. She could have taken the long list of recommendations that was sent to her back in May by the Representative Council Of the USEP, or the lists that were sent to her by various others including Marge Whaley. There are plenty of options that Ms. Fiorentino and the School Board could have taken to provide the Steps to the teachers and School Related Personnel of our district. Instead, she has chosen to increase the administrative costs of the district and not support the employees that she claims to be the most important aspect of the district.

Heather Fiorentino speaks with a forked tongue! Has done so for at tleast the ten years or so that I have been acquainted with her!!!

[linda]

I can't believe how many schools are putting class room teachers in charge. Whoever described it as someone who stands in the hallway with a cup of coffee in their hand and ignoring all the violations of cell phones, mp3players, dress code, hoodies, tummys showing, foul language, spitting on the floor, etc., had to be talking about my school but alas my teacher is a male, his students he leaves with a substitute are primarily special ed students the ratio is supposed to me 1/3 ese and 2/3 basic ed but not so at my school. The changes are not easy for these students the subs are not in control and the students go wild.

As a parent of children in Hernando County, I am always disappointed by the lack of news coverage in my county. Our leader is a real jerk....maybe he is related to scarf girl. There are many things wrong with Hernando County schools but I can finally see why they are not reported on; Jeff is too busy with Pasco. I do not like HF but things could be worse. Here in my district we are having flocks of veteran teachers leave schools due to poor administration and lack of support.

Hey Jeff, go north once and a while. Come one, try it once a week. You never know, you may even start us creating interesting posts such as these.

[Not A Freiend of Jeff!]

Jeff S. is a "butthead".... plan & simple!

A little worm that has the power of ink!

[Patrick Kent]

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY! Well, it looks like Sally is another member of the What Would Scarf Girl Do Knitting Crew. Either that, or ironically, Scarf Girl herself has chosen a ghost writer name of the actress who played Cybil. Sally is another person who needs her hand held as we connect the dots. LA, LA, LA, CONNECT THE DOTS! Dear Sally, I am no stickler for grammar. I am not going to tell you that you should have used a comma here or there. Especially in a blog. But for God's sake, please use some basic rules of grammar, especially when you are calling other people ignorant in a blog. A sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark of some kind. Please don't tell me you were using stream of conciseness writing such as Faulkner's or Hemmingway's. Who is the ignorant one? DE DA DE! Secondly, what are these lies about which you are writing about? Blanket statements with nothing to back them up? Great logic! Fact #1: Scarfatino signed a legally negotiated contract between the School Board and the USEP representing the Teachers. Fact #2: By signing the contract, Scarf Girl gave her word that she and the Board would honor the terms of that legally negotiated contract. Fact #3: Terms of that contract consisted of step increases for this year and bonuses for attendance for SRP's. Fact #4: Scarfity and the School Board did not provide for those things in the budget. Fact #5: By not including these items in the budget, Scaf Girl and the School Board have broken their word to the teachers by not honoring and fulfilling the terms of that contract. Fact #6: When you break your word you have lost honor. You have disgraced not only yourself, but those in your family who bear your name. You have shown that your word can not be trusted. You are a liar. Your word is the most valuable thing you have in the world. No excuse is acceptable in breaking it, EVER! Hey Sally, I served in the military, how about you? Donaldson was a NCO for roughly eight years before he decided to undergo the training to become a CO. To reach 1st Lt. from Second Lt. takes roughly 2 to 4 years. To reach Capt. from 1st Lt. takes roughly 5 to 10 years. To reach Major from Capt. takes roughly 5 to 10 years. Do the Math Genius, before you try to discredit the honorable service and sacrifice that Steve Donaldson gave to this country for 25 years of his life. Dear Sally, 57 D, 2 I, 38 R with 3 TBD. Can you say FILIBUSTER PROOF! Beef up on your political knowledge before you enter intro this arena. The teacher's do not have a union, they have an association. Unions are illegal in right to work states. But, that will change when Congress passes the union card check law and Obama signs it into law. Then the teachers will have a union that can do such things as strike when the other side breaks the terms of a legal contract. It is coming. DE DA DE!

[Al]

I'm done with this blog.

[Sally]

Jeff should post on the Pasco School District every day, it always brings out the best in people

Of course, that is satire. The venom in these blogs, the insults, the lies, the lack of constructive criticism makes it worthless.

Despite all the yelling by people in the unions against HF, look at this: the 6 candidates who ran countywide, and you throw out the Sheriff's close election, the other 5 won with 53-57%. HF ran ahead of Hildebrand. Even though McCain won the county, the Obama effect did effect the results. All the yelling and screaming by the unions did not matter

If you want to defeat HF next time, you need a stronger candidate than Donaldson. He was not a persuasive candidate, he was not in command of the facts, and his lack of school experience made him a liability.

The public really doesn't care about the lofty "educational leadership" masters. HF worked through the ranks and was effective as a city leader in NPR and the Legislature. This is a political job. She is hurt more by some of her hires and underlings, than by her policies. A more ruthless manager would have fired a whole bunch of people at the last cuts - noone gives her credit for that. She probably has no choice with the next cuts.

It also hurt Donaldson that the union to keeping screaming about raises, when the economy is in the tank, noone is getting raises, including local government employees - and they are screaming about step increases that average at least $300. Come on!

He never showed where the money would come from for raises. He pointed to funds that were restricted, really showing his ignorance.

if Donaldson runs again, expect more attention to his DUI, what his business experience really was, and his military advancement that was stalled by never being promoted past major for decades. Ask a miltary guy what that really means.

[Jeff Solochek]

I look forward to receiving your emails, any time, so I can do my job of covering the school district. I would just like to point out that I do not write the Times editorials or headlines, and try to provide information without judging it. My email address is solochek@sptimes.com. Send away.

[vetteacher]

To"why now?" Yes I applaud Mr. Solochek for his efforts and the award he recently received as an Educ editor, was well earned. However, he is a journalist, and he still has to "entice" the reader, which he can do with HF as his choice, since she so clearly stirs up controversy.

Controversy sells, and when it sells, he stays employed. Let's not forget that obvious issue....$$$.

Yet the SPtimes endorsed her despite all the evidence showing that she cannot justify her many issues, that clearly has caused the decline in morale.

And Joe Q. Public does trust the paper's opinion and her close re election, 53/47 clearly shows that there are some problems that she needs to address.

This makes the SPtimes, and to some degree its staff , guilty of perpetuating a candidate who clearly is not doing what is best for our community and students.

But doesn't the newspaper also have the duty to show that despite her re election, it needs to be the one entity, to keep her to her word, and truly seek the truth in her emails/propaganda?

Will she really keep her word and make amends? Or is it another email full of garbage that she knows Mr. Solochek will publish and use as a means to do his job....getting us to keep blogging, and thus keep his rent paid.

I am hopeful that professionals like Mr. Solochek, will keep HF on her toes and to her word, with all of this controversy, because if he does not, we, the bloggers....(pst,PKent,PConnolly,vetteacher,et.al.)
will make sure that he does so by sending him emails/issues that he needs to look into.

[why now?]

Yes Al, many of us did get it!

Don't blame Jeff Solochek for fostering and baiting constant negative feelings about HF. She does that all by herself by sending us her inane emails. If you don't work for the District,
Jeff might be your only source of her "communication" skills.

[Al]

To respond to a few posts:

To those of you who contributed money and/or time to the campaign against HF, you got it (as to how politics works).

To those of you who are not school district employees and/or who volunteer at schools and contribute monetarily to our schools, you are the best.

Jeff Solochek, fostering and baiting constant negative feelings about HF may make this forum "lively," but it does not get us anywhere. Maybe we can focus on improvements rather than the lousy past. My focus is on trying to do what I can for the benefit of all Pasco County residents and not just my family. The education of all citizens is what drives our entire community. We need expert leadership to move us in the right direction. If one is not satisfied with our elected leaders, then he or she must write to these local, state and/or federal officials and hold them accountable for their actions. Also, School Board meetings are open to the public. Attend them and speak before the members. You might have a positive impact on our school district. Also, make an educated decision in the voting booth.

I want Pasco County to thrive and be an even a better place to live. Am I dreaming?

Disagree,
That's not what pst is saying. She's saying her post is in the best interest of students, but people will disregard it.

[I disagree]

It is not in the best interest of the students to have the administrators out at trainings 2-3 days a week. Emails and calls pile up and parents get mad. Then they call the teachers and yell and they, speaking for myself, hard feelings start to build at the lack of support being shown.

[publicschoolteacher]

Now, let me set the record straight on my last post. The teachers who fill in for administrators are fine educators who are really pitching in when times are tough at our school. They do handle some referrals and help "keep the peace" at our school while our other "heavies" are out for the day. Nobody want this scenario- not the teachers, not the administrators, not the kids. I have a wonderfully supportive staff at my school!

And we do not have any administrative assistants at my school, so options are limited. However, HF keeps calling meeting after meeting, and we all must do what we can to bridge the gaps. It just seems like a waste of time (meetings), money (for subs), and valuable, limited instructional time.

For those of you keeping score, you can add this to the list of things that I'm whining about. Completely disregard that it is in the best interest for our STUDENTS!

[Patrick Kent]

Has anybody ever heard or seen Heather Fiorentino apologize for her dishonorable behavior in not complying with the terms of a legally negotiated and signed contract between two parties. The healing process can not begin until the offending party, that is you Heather Fiorentino, acknowledges and admits their prior mistakes and asks for forgiveness. Can a wife forgive her husband who cheated on her if the husband does not acknoweledge his dishonorable actions and the errors of his actions? You sound like Mark McGuire testifying before Congress about steroids. "I am not here to talk about the past. I want to focus on the future." Not acknowledging past indiscretions will never lead to healing and forgiveness. I know that it is a hard thing to admit that you were dishonorable and untruthful, but a true leader recognizes their mistakes and faults and attempts to correct those past actions which have caused them to lose respect in the eyes of those in whom they wish to lead. Is it the Hard Road to Healing, or the Easy Road of Denial? The choice is yours Heather Fiorentino. It will be interesting to see which path you choose to take.

[Patrick Kent]

Stop picking on Mr. Solocheck. When the St. Pete Times endorsed Scarf Girl, it was Mr. Solocheck's writing that could cause one to believe that despite that endorsement that Steve Donaldson was better qualified. When he was given an official Republican campaign flier for Scarf Girl which had false claims from the Scarf Fuhrer of Untruth, he called her on it. When Scarf Girl gave her incoherent and idiotic responses to his weekend interview Mr. Solocheck continued to bring the HF:ADD Thoughts Express back on track to the topic as it pertained to the budget. Remember, Jeff writes the prose in the article, not the headlines. A guy who watches King of the Hill is OK in my book. The NCLB episode was very funny Jeff.

[Teacher]

PSTeacher...yup they are in meetings and being "filled in for" by teachers who then have subs at my school too. Yesterday a 1st year teacher, who is working on her masters already, was calling my students out to handle referrals. Trial by fire or they are trying to scare her, I still haven't figured it out. I have to say in my 11 years I have never ever seen so many meetings on LFS tips and walk through trainings. The ironic thing is that the admin spend so much time training they are never on campus to actually accomplish anything. Here's a memo...we can only work together if we are in the same building. Novel idea I know.

[vetteacher]

To "why now response".....as you may be a youngster, Dr. Long was a state REP way before HF did her stint in Tallie. And under HF's tenure we have grown, but the average admin. costs have taken us from 4th to 10th per pupil, which means she has increased the upper levels spending(aka 3rd floor) faster than the increase enrollment has warranted.

Subsequent to Long's Tallie stint, he became superintendent. But his contribution far outweighed HF's in Tallie. Her stint was definitely self serving and nothing else. She brought nothing back to us through her Tallie stint under Jeb except more headaches.

Dr. Long and Weightman could have easily been APPOINTED with their credentials alone, but HF still cannot become a supt. anywhere else nor in Pasco, if we change to appointed superintendent.

Her route to supt. via Tallie was the ONLY way HF could have gotten the supt's job because unlike Weightman and Long, she does not have have ED LEADERSHIP nor MS/PHD credentials , and without that stint in TALLIE to expose her name, she would not have been elected as easily.

So her entire M.O. was/is for personal& political gain and nothing else. But she fooled Joe Q. Public , and continues to do so with Mr. Solochek's help.

She also forgot from where she came, the classroom and it is definitely starting to show.... that she has been out of it too long to know how we low level personnel/teachers/srp's are feeling right now......with more to do and with less to do it with.

But being the professionals that we are, we keep chugging along.

Mr. Solochek needs to write about prior admin. history to get a better picture of the decline in morale to better evaluate the current situation.

Journalists most often get a response from readers when there is discontent, but they can easily start the healing process with some historical searching and presentation, from which current superintendents can start to jar their memories, or read about in order to improve the morale of current employees.

If HF repeats her mistakes in the next 4 years, and continues to get negative results, then she has not done what she asks her teachers to do....assess what you are doing, ...if it isn't working change it, if it is working seek to improve it even more.

[What's This Foolishness????]

I can't believe what you just wrote, publicschoolteacher. "(T)eachers who have their degrees in Ed Leadership (unlike our fine super) are filling in for our principals, while substitute teachers are paid to fill in for those teachers."

These administration wanna-bes are currying favor with the people who might select them for AP slots and gaining "valuable administrative experience"? What could they be doing to "fill in" for an administrator - standing in the hall with a cup of coffee watching students walk by (ignoring dress code violations, profane language, horseplay, prohibited electronics, etc.) while talking to other administrators? Certainly it can't be handling referrals, evaluating teacher performance, or any of the other jobs that are supposed to be handled by APs. Doesn't your school have a boatload of "administrative paras" who could pick up the slack?

Who is fulfilling their primary job (the one they're paid for) and TEACHING their students?

This is absurd, and harms the students. Jeff, you need to investigate if this is true.

On second thought maybe an investigation isn't necessary. Most wanna-bes (at least those who are realistic candidates for AP here in Pasco) are worksheet queens (or kings, but most are female) and their absence from their classrooms would barely be noticed by their students.

[why now repsonse]

Gee, is it possible because you are not the dinky small district your were under John Long and now you are a big one? Could it be because the feds and state add more and more rules because the public is not satisfied with public education?

[why now?]

Administrators seem to attend many more meetings under HF than they did under Dr. Long. At my school, sometimes we have only one of the five administrators present. When this happens, we just do without.

[publicschoolteacher]

teacher @7:33-
Who drafts their memos at school? Anyway, high school teachers are out at 2:30 and can be home shortly thereafter.

But yes, my administrators have been out a lot lately. And guess who has been filling in for them? TEACHERS! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, teachers who have their degrees in Ed Leadership (unlike our fine super) are filling in for our principals, while substitute teachers are paid to fill in for those teachers. I understand that meetings are sometimes necessary, but to have 2/3 of our administrators out a few times a week is crazy!

[Platform]

Al....I did support Donaldson. Back off!

vetteacher....I couldn't have written what you wrote better myself! Good job!

[Jeff Solochek]

To Al, 10:58 pm -- Yes. Not only that, these posts about Pasco schools and administration are among our best read and most commented. I aim to give readers what they want.

[teacher]

I wish I had time to draft long memos during the school day and email them right at 3:10. As it is I just emailed one of my parents back, on an Esembler question, at 7 am in the morning on a Sat. I think that makes me crazy. On a whole other note...it is hard to work together when we are barely making it through the day. Folks are the principals at your schools spending more time at district meetings than at their schools? Mine are. I just had a referral processed from the prior week as no one ever got around to it. Yikes.

[vetteacher]

Patrick K, and Logan, be patient, she will screw up again in the next 4 years, because she still doesn't get it. Any one with appropriate managerial training would learn from their mistakes, take a few lessons, but not the superintendent.

Many teachers, the vets, remember the days when we were asked to tighten our belts under Weightman and Long for many years. We even had to forgo step increases. Yet we NEVER felt the decline in morale that we do now. We actually did feel like a team in Pasco.

But again the SPtimes doesn't go into its own archives to see those articles because Mr. Solochek supports her actions. But, a true journalistic professional would look back at those years and see what those superintendents did do differently and compare.

The younger teachers would not remember, nor would the younger population of voters nor journalists because they were in school when it happened 80's/90's.

This isn't the first financial crisis that the state has been in and it won't be the last. Just look back about 15-20 years and you will see Tallie was at a standstill even back then. But we really did work together to tighten our belts, and we got out of it.

It is a matter of time when she sends down another email/mandate about something or other and her backside is in litigation again for doing something she should have read about...the fine print in a statute or contract.

And again the tug of war will start with her telling teachers what to do rather than asking them what she should do to make it better.

Her current email is merely another political piece of propaganda because she knew it would be in the paper.

So now Joe Q. Public can say..."See, she is trying to mend the fences".
What they don't know is that it's another piece of propaganda to make it look like she is really trying, but the insiders know the real deal.

Her actions in the next few months will tell the real story if her words are truly sincere or not, when she actually starts to implement the suggestions sent to her by her school based personnel. If she doesn't then we insiders will know if that email was truly sincere or another political piece of garbage.

[Patrick Kent]

The teachers dissatisfaction stems from one person, Scarf Girl. The teachers frustration stems from being told how to teach, what to teach, when to teach it and why to teach it. When you have taken away freedom from individuals who have previously possessed it, those individuals become angry, especially when they know through their own professional credentials, what practices are best used in their classrooms. A teacher is very much like a surgeon. There are a multitude of techniques in which a surgeon can accomplish the goal of transplanting a kidney. No hospital administration informs all surgeons about which technique for transplant is best, and then orders all surgeons to use the exact same technique. The hospital administration leaves it up to the individual surgeon to determine which technique is best for them and their patient. The hospital administration trusts their surgeons who they personally hired to perform the job to the best of their ability and to successfully accomplish the task at hand. If Scarf Girl is a Reagan Conservative you could have fooled me. Reagan believed in less government. How is LFS and her administrative budget, which went from 5th in the state to 10th in expenses, less government? Scarf Girl is not a Republican at heart and in
practice, but only in name and title. Scarf Girl is just like the her fellow lost Republicans. They kept the status quo of government wasteful spending going. She did not stop it. Look at her record. Name me one Bill Scarf Girl sponsored that is true to Reagan's stance on government spending. Scarf Girl was a part of the problem. Scarf Girl was a part of the machine that failed us. Did the Florida Congress during her time as a Representative do anything proactive to keep us out of this current financial mess. Nope! Other states like Utah are booming because of their States recent past legislative decisions despite the current financial crisis. Scarf Girl does not believe in her own parties stance on government spending, excluding for Public Education spending which was cut for Pasco while she served as a Representative, as well as social issues such as abortion which she supports. Do not take that statement as a Pro-Life statement, I only state it to show contrast in traditional Republican ideology in which Scarf Girl disagrees with. Look at her actions. She only runs as a Republican because of one reason: They are in the majority in Pasco County. That means it is the easiest path to election and power. If the Democratic Party had the numbers in Pasco, Scarf Girl would have run as a Democrat. Scarf Girl is a Secular Progressive. Secular Progressive Republicans such as McCain and Scarf Girl have caused the Republican Party to lose their base and roots which Reagan so eloquently defined. If Republicans want to blame anybody for their recent annihilation in both the US House and Senate (The numbers are now 57 D, 2 I, 38 R with 3 seats yet to be determined), they must blame Secular Progressive Republicans such as Scarf Girl. Period. The End.

[why now?]

Al

I did donate money to HF's opponent. Did you? Many teachers donated their time and money to his campaign. Don't blame her reelection on the teachers of this county - we had the most to lose. Now we're stuck with her for four more years. Her "leadership" affects us directly. Good job Pasco county voters!

[Patrick Kent]

Dear Logan,
I am a business man, and if I sign a contract it is my legal obligation to make the terms of that contract come true. It is also my moral obligation to make the terms of that contract come true because I have signed my name on paper stating that I agree to these terms. My name is on the line, My reputation and the reputation of that name are on the line. My name is not just mine, it is my family's and the lineage that I come from. It is my duty to bring honor to that name and those who came before me bearing that name. I take that seriously. I want my name respected. When you do not meet the terms of a legally negotiated and signed contract you have shown your word to be false. When that happens you have lost honor and respect. The teachers lived up to the terms of that contract. The teachers have shown that their word is honorable. That is what being a professional means. Scarf Girl signed and agreed to the terms of a legally negotiated contract. Scarf Girl went back on her word. Scarf Girl has lost honor and respect. She has dishonored her family and those who came before her bearing her name because her actions have shown that the word of a Fiorentino is not the word that you can associate trust, respect and honor with. There are no excuses that are ever acceptable when it comes to dishonoring your word. That is what being a professional means. Logan, the teachers expect the step increase because that is what was signed on the dotted line by Heather Scarfatino in the terms of the legally negotiated contract. Not handed to them out of the thin air as you suggest, but negotiated, signed and promised. DE DA DE!

[Patrick Kent]

Will the real Patrick Kent, please stand up. HI EVERYBODY! GOOD MORNING! WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES IS THIS! DO I SEE SOMEBODY USING MY LAST NAME? It is a cool last name, (thanks pop) but I wonder if it is your real last name or if it is a lame attempt by you to get the teachers to hate a guy named Kent? The old switcheroo, tactic! Brilliant! The poster formerly known as Kent will now be known as Imodium Head. Hey Imodium Head, Teachers are treated poorly by the What Would Scarf Girl Do Administration Crew regularly. Teachers are treated poorly and abused by parents, students and the community. Just look at this blog for proof of that. Thank God for teachers and their ability to face this constant barrage of abuse while still serving our community and teaching our most valuable natural resource. The only reason they stay is because of their love of serving and teaching. It is not the money or the great treatment that they receive from the public, parents, students, and Scarf Girl Munchers. Period. The End. If the dedicated teachers all quit, as you have suggested, and found another line of work, the "alternative" ones who replace them quit on average in five years time. Teachers in Pasco make up the highest portion of degree holding people in Pasco County. If teachers quit in mass because of the abuse, they would be forced to relocate away from Pasco County because there are no jobs, I repeat, no jobs in Pasco County. What would Pasco's socio-economic makeup look like then? What would the Tax Revenue look like then? If they quit, Then what? Strike up the Banjos Imodium Head! DE DA DE!

[Logan]

Al,

I own a business and actually I do volunteer weekly at a nearby middle school. I see what goes on in classrooms (at least at this school) and much of it is wonderful!!! I volunteer both in the classroom and on the field; and I can tell you that some of the teachers I encounter are NOT very professional, albeit the majority are. I agree that there is alot placed on the plates of teachers, but from what I can see, much of that seems to come from state and federal mandates.

I can tell you that many professions require hard work (well above contracted hours), are thankless at times, and often don't provide the monetary rewards that they should. Before people jump down my throat challenging my level of education, I have an advanced degree.

However, all of the people I have encountered in my field work hard to get ahead. They don't expect to have anything handed to them just because they show up to work and do what they are paid to do.

[Al]

Platform,

Then you should have worked and contributed to help get her out.

[Platform]

Heather's campaign platform 4 years ago was based on statements that she would raise morale in the county. What a horrible joke that has turned out to be! I wouldn't even mind so much that we didn't get a raise or that our contract wasn't honored if she would stop implementing more time consuming paperwork. This is what keeps me from being the teacher I want to be. She keeps piling more on our plates without removing a thing. I put in 10 hour days, take things home with me and come in on the weekends. I'm still drowning in the paperwork. The kids suffer because we are burned out!
I would be happy if I actually thought she really cared or meant what she says in her emails. I would be thrilled beyond belief if she would prove to us that she is capable of working TOGETHER. She can't keep expecting us to give and give without her being the "teachers' superintendent" she promised she would be.

[Al]

Jeff Solochek,

I think that you love to post articles like this. You get a rise out of observing what is written in response to your writing about the relationship between HF and her front line staff.

Am I right?

[Al]

Logan, what do you do for a living?

I challenge you to volunteer a few hours of your time every week in an elementary school classroom. There you will see firsthand what teaching is all about and the challenges faced by teachers in their highly politicized profession. I do just that (volunteer). I understand why they feel the way that they do. They deserve much more respect than the district administration is giving them.

Wise up.

[Al]

Folks, it is all about money, period. If all of you school district staff members and other interested parties were so upset with Fiorentino before the recent election, you should have put your money (even a small contribution) to work with the goal of voting her out. (As you saw, the media was not your friend as they were in the tank for her.) The opposing campaign only had so much money (a great deal of it put in by the candidate himself) to get the word out as to why she should not be re-elected. You fine people missed a golden opportunity to get HF out. I hope that you have learned a valuable lesson. We are now stuck with her for another 4 years.

[Logan]

To Inquiring Minds,

If teachers are professionals- they should start acting like professionals. A true professional doesn't feel the need to constantly remind people how valuable they are- they show it in their product. Likewise, they don't demand increases in compensation when their companies are in financial crisis.

I have no doubt that there are MANY professional teachers throughout our community- I just doubt that they are the same people who spend their time whining on these blogs with a sense of righteous indignation blabbering on about how irreplacable they are.

[lips zipped]

The offense suffered is a complete loss of faith in a school district I once had passion about working in, back in the days of previous "bosses". That kinda rocks your proverbial boat as a professional, to feel the rug pulled out from under you until you have nothing left to stand on. But, if you insist, as Inquiring points out, we will all just go find new jobs and public education will cease to exist. That would leave you without a job, but there is no way you are currently a teacher. Your comments are far too asinine and out of touch with reality.

[Inquiring Minds]

Thanks for your hypothetical 'perseverance' and 'dedication' to the young people of Pasco County, Kent.

With the kind of action you suggest, there would not be public schools.

Teachers are professionals with education and training to do an important job. The children of our county - state - nation - cannot afford for teachers to 'put up and shut up' or quit, as you suggest.

[Kent]

Lips zipped-

So you work regularly with the Superintendent and she treats you badly (like a worthless piece of dirt)? If this is the case I apologize for my categorization. Please explain the egregious offenses you have suffered.

By the way, if someone DID treat me poorly, I would find a new job!

[why should now be different?]

She ignored valid recommendations from staff and even Board members before. Why should we expect anything to be different now?

Jeff, why not mention her "thank you" memo where she seems to be actually thanking us for getting her reelected because of the great job we do?

[lips zipped]

Kent, you have obviously never had a boss treat you like a worthless piece of dirt, grinning all the while. We are all happy for you.

[why now?]

Forget the "pay raise" - aka "step for years of service" - we're not getting it. I am a professional. My commitment is in my dedicated service to my students.

Why now is it a necessity that we cooperate and act as a team? HF has shown NO interest in cooperation and teamwork for the last four years.

[publicschoolteacher]

Kent, nobody said anything about a raise. This comes down to respect, which, if you have poked your nose into any Pasco County school lately, is absent. The kids, the parents, the superintendent- no one is listening to the teachers.

I would go without my step increase with a smile on my face if I knew HF was cutting her projects with the same voracity. That simply just isn't the case. So do I want my raise? Sure. Do I want ACTUAL improvement in my workplace that will directly benefit my ability to teach and my students' ability to learn? ABSOLUTELY!

If that is what HF is suggesting in her e mail, let her decisions as our leader speak for themselves. Talk is cheap.

[KENT]

teacher, pink crayons and lips zipped belong on the unemployment line. Doing what is best for our schools and community DOES NOT EQUATE TO A PAY RAISE for employees, it means striking a balance that keeps people employed while streamlining services not directly impacting student achievement. The entire purpose for the district's existence is to serve kids- they ARE NOT an employment agency. I say out to the persons who feel they are entitled to anything other than an opportunity to serve!!!

[pinkcrayons]

Amen, teacher!

[lips zipped]

I am always sooooooooooo tempted to reply to those emails but I really need a paycheck so......

[teacher]

Tell us something we don't already know, Heather.

Teachers are ready (and have been ready) to rally around a plan to do what is best for the educational system. Unfortunately, our voices fall on deaf ears (HF's, the boards', Tallahassee's...).

If this is just another one of your "blow some up our collective rear ends" e mails, save it. If it is a genuine attempt at turning your runaway train around, your actions will speak more loudly than your words...