Red, White and Roux - Political Season Heats Up as Summer Approaches

Life just gets curiouser and curiouser.

Dr. Isaac Neal, Jr., current principal of Franklin County Schools, has pulled out of the race for the office of Superintendent of Schools. This is despite the reports that he has a group of supporters who attend school board meetings and politely applaud whenever his name is mentioned. Neal has not been asked back as principal for next year, either, since an advertisement for the job has been placed on the school district's website.

Who has applied for the position? Well, since that information is not readily available, it's anybody's guess. Let's just hope the decision is soon, and firm! Moving from school to school is a nightmare, and I speak from experience, as a teacher who moved last year from Apalachicola High School to the county unified school located (temporarily) in Carrabelle. We had to pack all our own books and rooms. My boxes were clearly labeled, but I haven't seen many of them since, and that was the least of our troubles. We need some strong leadership, willing to work on the details, and we need it now!

I toyed with the idea of running for superintendent myself this year, but only briefly - after all, I have only a teacher's salary. Republican Will Kendrick already has reported $36,750 in his campaign coffers, compared to fellow Republican Denise Butler's $200 and Democrat Temolynne Wintons' $947. They are vying for an office with a salary of $90,721. Of course, that doesn't include benefits, or the extra bumps from receiving various and sundry certifications.

There are still weeks to go before the deadline to qualify to run for school superintendent. The race could even get more crowded. (Democratic candidate Nina Marks filed her letter of intent late last week, but has yet to report campaign contributions). I keep up on all the candidates and their political war chests, and you can, too, at the Franklin County Supervisor of Elections' website www.votefranklin.com.

The sheriff's race has three candidates, including the incumbent, Mike Mock. Skip Shiver is competing with Mock for the Democratic nomination, and Bruce Barnes is running as a Republican. The Franklin County Sheriff's salary comes in at $99,307.

Holders of the offices mandated by the Florida state constitution, the Property Appraiser (Doris Pendleton, salary $90,721), Tax Collector (James Harris, salary $90,721), Supervisor of Elections (Doris Gibbs, salary $74,094), and Clerk of the Circuit Court (Marcia Johnson, salary $90,721), are all running unopposed for reelection at this time.

The Franklin County School board race is getting interesting. Tom Loughridge and George Thompson are facing off in District One. Loughridge is a retired teacher from Apalachicola High School, while Thompson served on the board previously. In District Three, Teresa Ann Martin so far is the lone candidate.

District Five promises a shake-up since incumbent John Richards has indicated he won't seek re-election. Former board member Katie McKnight is running again, faced by both Carl Whaley and Tim Whitehead. School Board races are non-partisan, meaning that party affiliation is not an issue. School Board members make $24,012 a year plus health insurance and retirement, which adds over ten grand to the total package for a part-time job. That's just a little bit less than what a first- year teacher makes for full-time work.

In the County Commission race for District One, incumbent Russell Crofton so far faces David Ard. Also at this time, only Dawn Radford is in contention for the seat in County Commission District Five, since incumbent Bevin Putnal has yet to announce for re-election. County commissioners make $25,120 plus benefits for a part-time job.

I agree with The Times' editorial board about district-wide voting. In an election, the referendum mandating it was approved by the voters; the people want it, and we should have it. There is just too much partisan bickering when politicians represent a single district. We should wonder why the board continues to resist the clear will of the people. Is it because some of them believe they wouldn't be reelected?

Party politics will also play an interesting role this fall. Traditionally, most people in Franklin County registered as Democrats. That has gradually changed as the national scene became more Republican, and as more newcomers moved here. Two of the heavyweights in the superintendent's race are Republicans and well-known. Butler and Kendrick will duke it out in the primary, so only a small portion of the county's voters will decide who goes on to the general election in November.

I love politics and foolishly ran for Clerk of the Circuit Court in 1992. I had been working for Oyster Radio for three years, where I reported on Apalachicola and Carrabelle City Commission meetings, the County Commission, and the School Board. My mom was a former finance officer for the county. With all this, I thought I had a handle on local government and its finances. Silly girl! I really didn't have the money to run. Kendall Wade won, hands down, knocking out Jamie Crum and Alan Pierce (and me). I only carried Alligator Point, bless those folks!

All of those constitutional officers' salaries appear just a bit unseemly to me. They are set by the Salary Formula in Chapter 145, Florida Statutes, and receive regular increases.

What a wonderful world that must be.

This year, school administration has not seen fit to negotiate with teachers one single time, despite their legal obligation to do so. The approximately $500,000 saved by closing AHS seems to have disappeared into the netherworld of "other expenses." I know the district has even had to send over $100,000 back to the state of Florida.

The district won't even acknowledge that staff and teachers might have issues other than salary to negotiate. There's always our plea for 12-month paychecks. Teachers only get paid 10 months out of the year. Even with the best of intentions, it's hard to save enough to live on for two months. Many of us look for summer employment, or live on credit cards. Some teachers work two jobs throughout the school year. Burn-out? Well, yeah! Vibrant new teachers? Well, nooo...

The school board recently voted to endorse a referendum that would transfer a small percentage (half a mil) from the budget for capital outlay to the general fund, so that it could be used for salaries. The voters will have to approve this internal transfer of funds. Rumors put the raises this would allow up as high as 10 percent.

We were promised that raises would come this year, after AHS closed. Of course, we got nada. And naturally, no one has seen fit to tell us anything about what's going on.

Obviously, I hope the referendum passes. Perhaps we might be able to keep the good teachers who are currently making applications elsewhere (myself included), and we might be able to attract new teachers who are certified to teach their subjects, as opposed to the current crop, some of whom are teaching classes for which they aren't certified. Our students are being cheated of a good education, and teachers and support staff are being cheated of a living wage.

Take a second look at those state-mandated salaries above. Does this seem equitable to you? Personally, I am outraged.

Denise Roux is a regular columnist for the Apalachicola/ Carrabelle Times.