OPINIONS Your choice: Politics or professionalism

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Do you want politics or professionalism? That is the question voters in Lee County will face in November when they decide whether to maintain an appointed/hired professional as the Chief Executive Officer of the Lee County School District or take their chances with a politician if they choose to elect their children’s top schools chief

Our local state delegation introduced and passed a bill to place the question on the November ballot It will be the very last item on the ballot

Of the 13,567 school districts in the nation, only 1% have elected superintendents and of the 120 largest school districts in the nation, only 1 has an elected superintendent. Florida and Alabama are the only two states that have a statutory scheme that allows for an elected superintendent In Alabama, no school district with more than 2,500 students has an elected superintendent

Of the 22 largest school districts in the State of Florida, only one county has an elected superintendent School districts like Escambia and Marion, with student populations that range from 30k – 40k students, recently moved from elected to appointed/hired superintendents

Notably, both Districts were graded a “C” by the State of Florida before moving to the appointed/hired superintendent model The elected superintendent position in Florida is far more common in smaller, rural districts with

New bold Biden prediction

To the editor:

We b Po ll

Previous Web Poll Question

Do you support the Town of Fort Myers Beach constructing a new Bay Oaks building and raising fees at Bay Oaks?

∫ Yes, I support a new building and higher Bay Oaks fees, 17%

∫ No, don't construct the new Bay Oaks building and keep fees flat, 53%

∫ Construct the new Bay Oaks building but don't raise fees, 14%

∫ I support higher Bay Oaks fees but no new building, 16%

Current Web Poll Question

Do you think the new Bayside Park renovations were worth it?

∫ Yes

∫ No

∫ I like the renovations but it was too expensive

∫ Unsure, I haven't seen it yet

Share your opinion at fortmyersbeachtalk com

In a CNN interview on Oct. 11, 2022, Joe Biden admits, “slight recession possible but I d o n ’ t a n t i c i p a t e i t ” O n t h e s a m e d a t e ,

Allianz Chief Economic Advisor Mohamed El-Erian sounded the alarm on the state of the global economy saying the worst of inflation is yet to come, “very sobering” and there is now financial stability risk

Biden stated last year that “no serious economist” is saying inflation isn’t transitory Both Larry Summers and Mohamed ElErian were warning that “this round of inflation is not transitory” in the middle of last year Biden was wrong again and maybe he doesn’t have any “serious economist” in the White House onboard his administration

He is either lying to the American people a month before the mid-term elections for obvious partisan reasons, or he is too stupid to understand the dynamics of the economy student populations below 40,000 students Of the 29 school districts in Florida with an appointed/hired superintendent, all but two of them are graded an “A” or a “B” by the DOE Districts earning a “C” are almost exclusively elected superintendent districts

Our newest superintendent, Dr Christopher Bernier, was hired after the School Board conducted an exhaustive national search, allowing for the highest degree of professionalism, expertise, and experience

With an elected superintendent, the citizens are limited to choose from only those who live in Lee County Many argue that electing a superintendent ensures the loss of educational expertise. I cannot remember a time when the superintendent in Lee County did not have a doctoral degree along with decades and decades of education and education leadership experience The only qualifications a candidate needs to run for the position of elected superintendent are to be 18 years old, live in Lee County, be free of felony convictions, and not be adjudicated mentally incompetent Elections are costly, time-consuming, often contentious undertakings Winning a campaign in a county the size of Lee County is akin to a full-time job. Appointed/hired superintendents can devote all of their efforts to the operations of the school district Elected superintendents must divert significant time that should be focused on the students to raising money and

Letters to the Editor

whose taxpayers have made him a multi-millionaire throughout his lackluster career as nothing more than a plundering political pirate

Rest assured, if Biden says you don’t have to worry about a recession, you better get ready for some very hard and bitter times ahead, as if any of us need any more of those.

Max Christian, St James City

Say NO to changing to an elected superintendent

To the editor:

A proposal to change to an elected superintendent will be on our ballot in November here in Lee County I understand the fervor around how important our leadership is at the district and I am in full support of us choosing who represents us That being said I per-

We want your opinion winning votes Some believe that it is quite counterintuitive to choose a system that necessitates the politization of public education over the performance of students in public schools Others argue that it is oxymoronic to infuse partisan politics into an area of public service that thrives in an environment of nonpartisanship

Appointment of a superintendent of schools is a near universal practice and sound business practice dictates that a governing board appoints or hires the chief executive officer of a company Rosalind Brewer was not elected as the CEO of Walgreen’s Ken Frazer worked his way up Merck for 19 years before being appointed as the company’s CEO Citigroup’s CEO, Jane Fraser, did not have to campaign to become CEO because her experience, expertise, and strong leadership skills drove the Board of Directors to appoint her as such The notion of private industry CEOs running for their jobs is ludicrous Yet, that is what is being proposed for the School District, which educates 103,000+ students, manages a $2 4 billion budget, employs 13,000 people, is the second largest employer in the county, the single largest food service provider in the county, and one of the largest transportation providers in the nation

While we all want someone who can manage the politics of a school district, consider whether you really want a politician as the chief executive officer in charge of our children’s education

Chris Patricca sits on the Lee County School Board District 3 She writes this article in her individual capacity, not as a spokesperson for the Board sonally am not a fan of electing a superintendent

For those who argue that the super should be accountable to the people, I would argue that he/she is and will be via the already established representative process we have via the elected school board I understand the passion for direct accountability however we cannot place every position on the ballot

I am more focused on having the right person on the job and they be laser focused on execution of their agenda If we put the super in an elected role they will have to spend half of their term campaigning and looking away from the day-to-day priorities which are so very important to us all

If you want great personnel to be selected for key roles at the district, elect board members that will make the right decisions

Todd Maurer Cape Coral

The views expressed on the Opinions pages are just that opinions. These pages are intended to convey a range of viewpoints; opinions printed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. Opposing views are welcome. Letters to the Editor or guest columns may be mailed to: Fort Myers Beach Observer, 19260 San Carlos Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931; faxed to 239-765-0846; emailed to news@breezenewspapers.com; or posted to our Virtual Newsroom at www breezenewspapers com Letters guest columns must be signed and must contain a phone comment on any letter or editorial opinion online at: fortmyersbeachtalk com