You won't hear Brian Graham bashing the public schools.
The candidate for Clay County School board comes from a long line of educators, and works for a school district himself. But expanded school choice, he said, can create healthy competition and drive improvement in the public school system.
"The free market doesn't just apply to business," he said. "The free market also should apply to education, and limiting parents' options or students' options does not benefit the students."
The theme of unleashing the free market might resonate in Clay County, a Republican stronghold southwest of Jacksonville.
A seasoned Republican operative, Graham has worked on campaigns for the likes of U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Orlando, and former state Sen. Steve Wise, R-Jacksonville - both of whom championed school choice policies when they were in the Legislature.
He is currently the community relations coordinator for the Bradford County school district. So far, he's received more campaign contributions than any other school board candidate in Clay County. He's running for the seat vacated by his mother, an elementary school administrator. His grandmother and great-grandmother also taught in public schools.
If he's successful this fall, he will join the small but growing ranks of school board members around the state - including his friend Jason Fischer in neighboring Duval County - who say school districts should embrace the full range of options available to parents, and look to add more of their own.
More on school security in Newtown aftermath. Miami Herald. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Times Union. Florida Today. Pensacola News Journal. In Pinellas, rumors of coming violence prompt Superintendent Mike Grego to email principals, and in Hillsborough, bullets on buses, reports Tampa Bay Times here and here.
School district image. A review by an outside agency suggests the Palm Beach County school district needs to a better job communicating and marketing itself, according to the Palm Beach Post. (As far as I know, no response yet from either the district or the Post to this EAG report last week on questionable district spending.)
Van Zant
More school district image. The Clay County School Board approves the hiring of a second public relations officer – a family friend and supporter of new Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr., reports the Florida Times Union.
Superintendent search. In Polk. Lakeland Ledger.
STEM. It’ll take guts and resources for state education leaders to finally make science education a priority, writes FSU physics professor Paul Cottle in this op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel.
Charter teacher pay. Trustees for Lake Wales Charter Schools want better pay and benefits to retain teachers, reports the News Chief.
Can’t fire her. The Sarasota school district loses its third bid to fire a teacher found not guilty of abusing developmentally disabled students, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Teacher evals. Alachua County teachers raise their concerns at a forum with three lawmakers, reports the Gainesville Sun.
