School board facing shake-up

From Florida Today's article:
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll
/article?AID=2008803100320

New members might change the direction of county's public system

BY KATE BRENNAN
FLORIDA TODAY

The Brevard County School Board is poised for significant turnover, with two of the three seats up for grabs in the November elections guaranteed to newcomers.

Larry Hughes and Janice Kershaw, the two most veteran members, are running for other county offices, while Amy Kneessy must beat at least one challenger to win a second school board term.

Despite multiple openings in past elections, incumbents have maintained their stronghold; only one new member has been elected in each of the last four school board elections dating back to 2000.

Whether it's two or three new members, the change comes amid an ongoing statewide budget crisis that is jeopardizing several board initiatives, including a $914 million building and renovation plan and the middle and high school reform plan.

Swapping experienced board members for novice ones worries some.

"I think it has the potential to be disastrous," said Joyce Norman, a Palm Bay community activist and public school proponent. "We're facing budget crunches, and we could have three new board members who could form alliances to implement new programs that cost money, but not maintain the programs that are currently there."

Kneessy, who was elected to the board in 2004, hopes to win a second term but faces one opponent so far for the $35,573-a-year-position, which has a four-year term.

Hughes, who will wrap up his second four-year term in November, is running for property appraiser.

Kershaw, who has served on the board for 10 years, plans to resign halfway through her third term. She is running for a county commission seat and by law must submit an irrevocable letter of resignation by early June. Once she does, a third school board race will officially begin for her District 5 seat, which represents parts of Palm Bay and Melbourne.

If Hughes waits until June, which Kershaw plans to do, candidates will have just two weeks to qualify for the office.

The candidate elected will finish out the two years remaining on Kershaw's term, before elections for a regular four-year term on the seat are held in 2010, according to the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Office.

During the past decade, Kershaw has seen several members come and go.

"The dynamic always changes," she said. "I think that change is good. It's always good to bring new perspectives and new ideas to the table."

With the departure of Kershaw and Hughes, Robert Jordan, who is in the middle of his second term, will become the most veteran board member.

"I feel a lot of pressure," he said. "I think about it constantly because I don't want to go backwards."

Jordan likened his relationship with the other four board members to a marriage: after you've developed a connection it's easier to understand each other and make good decisions.

Adding new members to the board will take some getting used to, Jordan said.

"It certainly gives me some concern because I love our school system," he said. "We've accomplished a lot and I want to continue that, but it will really depend on the attitudes and personalities of who comes on."

In Brevard, board terms are staggered so that every two years there are two or three elections.

"School boards can go from a very positive, synergistic sort of board and with turnover just end up just the opposite sometimes," said Barbara Murray, the board's newest member who was elected in November 2006. "So, I think the dynamics and the results of the upcoming election are certainly something to watch."

One way for the district to stay on course is for newly elected board members to take advantage of state and district board member training, said Murray, who took the lessons herself.

Superintendent Richard Di-Patri is watching the races to help him determine whether he wants to continue leading the district beyond June 2009, when his contract expires or retire.