Two Republicans square off: Chuck Rushe, endorsed by retiring schools chief John Long, and Heather Fiorentino, endorsed by Gov. Jeb Bush.
The race to lead Pasco's 57,000-student school district has become one of the most talked-about elections in the county for a reason:
Whoever wins the seat to replace retiring Superintendent John Long will take the helm of Pasco County's largest employer, overseeing 7,500 employees, 59 schools and 405 buses, and will implement the district's 10-year, $858-million construction program.
Here's a quick run-down of things you should know about the school election before you head to your precinct Tuesday.
Who is running?
Republicans Chuck Rushe, 56, of Port Richey and Heather Fiorentino, 46, of New Port Richey face each other on Tuesday. Whoever wins that election will compete against Democrat Alice Delgardo, 52, of Holiday and a write-in candidate on Nov. 2.
What are their qualifications?
Rushe has been with the Pasco County school district for 29 years and has served as its chief financial officer since 1997. He also has overseen transportation, finance, facilities, maintenance and payroll. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Salem College in West Virginia.
Fiorentino became a Pasco County teacher in 1984 and was named district Teacher of the Year in 1994. She worked in the classroom for 14 years before being elected to the state Legislature in 1998 and being reassigned to a part-time job with the school district offices as a teacher on special assignment. She also was elected to three terms on the New Port Richey City Council from 1993 to 1998. She holds a bachelor's degree in education from University of South Florida.
What does the superintendent do?
The superintendent is elected to a four-year term to oversee the district's day-to-day operations - including employee relations, construction, instruction, transportation, testing, research, student services and a $664-million annual budget. The superintendent makes recommendations to the elected School Board to approve spending, hiring, policy, programs and more. Additionally, the superintendent is responsible for implementing state and local educational mandates such as the federal No Child Left Behind Law and the statewide class size reduction law.
How much does the job pay?
Currently, $145,869 a year. The superintendent also is eligible for a $7,500 supplement from the state.
What are Rushe and Fiorentino's basic platforms?
Rushe thinks the district is on the right track academically, organizationally and professionally. He plans to build on current reading programs in the high schools, reinstate energy savings rewards for schools and try to reduce teacher paperwork. He puts growth at the top of the issues facing the district and is touting his experience and understanding of finance and planning as critical to helping the schools cope with the rapid expansion.
Fiorentino thinks the main problems facing the district are employee morale, special education programs and growth. She says she plans to spend more time in schools, listening to the 7,500 employees, and thinks that after 30 years of stable administration, the district needs an influx of new ideas. She wants to see greater dialogue between businesses and schools and plans to increase communication with developers to address growth. She hopes to reorganize how special education students are grouped in classes.
Who has endorsed the candidates?
Fiorentino has been endorsed by Gov. Jeb Bush, the Pasco County Republican Executive Committee and state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey. Rushe has been endorsed by the United School Employees of Pasco, former superintendent Tom Weightman, retiring school chief Long, and the editorial pages of the St. Petersburg Times and the Tampa Tribune.
How do the candidates feel about Pasco's policy barring seniors from participating in commencement until after they've passed the state-mandated FCAT test?
Rushe thinks students should not participate in graduation until they have met all the criteria for graduating. Fiorentino thinks students who meet all other requirements - grades, credits and attendance - should be allowed to walk with their principal's approval if they sign a contract promising to take the FCAT again.
Would the candidates restructure the district administration?
Rushe said he approves of the current administration organization, having had a hand in shaping it, and does not foresee significant changes. He likes to point out that, according to the state Department of Education, Pasco has the second-lowest administrative spending per pupil in the state - $117 per student.
Fiorentino said she would favor reorganizing. She advocates grouping the schools by feeder pattern, with one assistant superintendent overseeing schools in the same area, elementary through high school, instead of the current plan of having someone to oversee middle and elementary schools and someone else to oversee high schools.
Where did they stand on the Penny for Pasco sales tax initiative that passed in March to benefit school construction, county projects and cities?
Rushe advocated its passage, frequently talking to groups about what it would do for schools. Fiorentino said she favored it for the schools, but she had concerns about whether the county and cities needed it. She wasn't a vocal advocate during the campaign and she is critical of the pro-Penny force's successful efforts to place the item on Democratic presidential primary ballot even though the election was open to all voters.
What are their thoughts on continuous progress, the act of grouping elementary students across grades - not necessarily by age?
Fiorentino advocates giving parents and teachers more choice in whether to participate in a grade-specific curriculum or continuous progress. Rushe thinks continuous progress helps teachers hone in on students' individual needs. He advocates allowing teachers to transition from traditional teaching to multi-age instruction at their own pace.
What are their positions on expanding vocational education and International Baccalaureate, the intensive, college preparatory high school program now at Land O'Lakes High?
Fiorentino wants to explore creating a self-contained vocational high school offering all the core academic classes along with a vocational curriculum - something similar to Hernando County's Nature Coast Technical High School. Rushe is open to taking another look at vocational education, but he thinks the current state testing and graduation mandates have restricted the nonacademic options for students. Both advocate expanding IB to other parts of the county.
What is this I've heard from the Rushe campaign about double-dipping?
On several occasions, Fiorentino's legislative records indicate she was working on state duty at the same time her district time cards indicate she was working in Pasco as a teacher. The Times has identified 12 days from 2001 to 2003 when she received legislative expense reimbursements totaling $1,196 while she was also being paid for being a teacher. Fiorentino maintains her district time cards are accurate. She has apologized for discrepancies, returned $48 for meals she charged to the state while working as a teacher, and said her office is reviewing all her pay documents. Meanwhile, a teacher in the district has filed an ethics complaint against Fiorentino. And a district administrator is reviewing Fiorentino's files. Fiorentino has said she thinks the questions are politically motivated.
Who can vote in this race?
Only registered Republicans.
Why?
Because in June a write-in candidate entered the race. Until then, the two-person race was open to all registered voters because there was no challenger. James Griffin, 33, of Land O'Lakes, the son of a Republican Executive Committee member, said he didn't want Democrats and independents casting a vote in a Republican race. Since then, Delgardo, a Democrat, also joined the race.
Tell me about their personal lives.
Fiorentino lives in New Port Richey with her husband, Joe, a firefighter, and has two children. Rushe lives in Port Richey with his wife, Kathryn, a principal at Trinity Elementary, and has three children.
