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Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Scott Shine is a quitter and be careful what you wish for.

I can think of one good thing Mr. Shine has done on the board and that is announce he is quitting his bid to get reelected but it makes me that much more angry because back in 2014 there were two great  candidates who I think would have made fine board members, Shannon Russel and Samuel Hall, but they didn't have the name recognition or money that Shine did, who I believe would have both contributed and wouldn't be quitting now.

Scott Shine wrote a letter explaining why he quit where it seems like he stopped just short of professing his love for Superintendent Vitti. If you want to read it click the link.

https://scottshine.wordpress.com/scott-shine-statement-on-withdrawal-from-2018-election-cycle/

This however brings me to, be careful what you wish for, as somebody has already gotten into the race, a gentlemen who seems to have plenty of cash but little else when it comes to education, Nick Howland.

Now there isn't a lot out there about him, though you can check out his linked in page.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/howland2008/

Notice anything? Like a distinct lack of education knowledge?

Why does district 2 keep trying to send us these business guys? Shouldn't we at least have a member of the PTA?

Look this Howland guy could be the bees knees but with the limited information I have, I am not impressed and he appears to be more of the same, just some rich guy who won't know what he is doing but who sees a shot at being elected and is taking it.

District 2, we need somebody who is invested and cares about our schools to run, I know you are there, it is time to step up.

4 comments:

  1. Shine was always more concerned about serving Vitti than he was about the students. His voice (which is really that of the civic council) has been muted. The mouthpiece has been proven ineffective and I wish he would resign now if it was never really about the students to begin with. Just in case Shine doesn't know: the Super works for the School Board not the other way around.

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  2. Is that who Shine is referring to? I quote his statement in full: "With much thought, I have decided to withdraw from re-election to the Duval County School Board. I originally filed to run for re-election over a year ago. That was prior to Dr. Nikolai Vitti leaving the district. Dr. Vitti and I worked well together and we became good friends – we remain so, today. Among the reasons I ran for School Board was to work with Vitti and his team. The results speak for themselves: record Florida Achievement scores, record graduation rates and the top rated urban school district in America (NAEP). In all honesty, I have been on the fence about continuing on the board since Dr. Vitti’s departure.

    Over the past month, I have been in discussions with one of Jacksonville’s most promising young leaders about running for my seat. His credentials are among the best you will find and will bring new and impactful ideas to the school district. There should be an announcement on this soon.

    While I have worked successfully in many different settings in life, I found the School Board to be somewhat strange and foreign to the experiences I have had working in the business community or as an appointed official with the City of Jacksonville. There are many challenges on the School Board and the ability to make forward progress and productive change is inconsistent with my personal goals and level of ambition. There are many ways to support our community and I am looking forward to new and impactful public service in the future.

    I continue to be optimistic about our schools and our city. I love Jacksonville and I enjoy my life here. I am elated at the prospect of adding time back in my day to pursue the things I enjoy about the First Coast. My outlook is positive and I am ready to move forward."

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  4. Hi Guys: Glad to chat about it. Doing it because I have two young boys in the system and I care about their education. Yes, I have A LOT to learn, but public education is sort of in my blood. I'm a product of public schools, my dad was on our local board, and my mom helped found a successful charter in inner-city Chicago. Plus I love Jax (my wife and I hope to never have to live anywhere else) and our schools are getting better and better every year. I'd like it if companies and families could stop using our schools as an excuse not to locate here. Thanks for the mention!

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