News & Public Affairs
Florida education officials offer top job to school choice advocate Tony Bennett listen
12/12/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tony Bennett, Kathleen Shanahan, Florida Board of Education, Florida education commissioner, public schools, education, school choice, school reform
The Florida Board of Education chose their new leader Wednesday at the Tampa Airport Marriott; Indiana Schools superintendent Tony Bennett is expected to start his new job sometime next month after contract negotiations with the board have finished. After the decision was made Bennett said he is looking forward to continuing Florida’s education reform track record and called himself an unabashed advocate for school choice.
Be the first to comment“Florida has a rich history of serving students in a way that I d...
Education advocate rips Florida's choice for education commissioner
12/12/12 Seán KinaneLast Call Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tony Bennett, education, Board of Education, education commissioner, schools, FCAT, Jeb Bush, teachers
Florida has a new Education Commissioner, but not everyone's happy about Wednesday's selection.
The state Board of Education chose ousted Indiana Schools superintendent Tony Bennett.
In November he lost his re-election bid.
Joining me is public education advocate Susan Smith, she was at the interviews for the three finalists Tuesday.
*Part 1 of the intervie...
Be the first to commentPinellas art students from Osceola High School study at Art Basel in Miami Beach listen
12/10/12 Lenka DavisWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: art, Art Basel, Miami, Pinellas County Schools, education
Over the weekend weekend the town of Miami dedicated almost every public and private space to art, paying tribute to one of the world’s biggest art shows, Art Basel Miami Beach. People come from all across the world to be a part of it, including fifty art students from Osceola High School in Pinellas County.
After walking across the Art Public exhibition in Collins Park and Bass museum, John Stewart, Osceola High’s art, art history and literature teacher, and his students take a break for ...
Be the first to commentIncumbent state rep. Ed Hooper debates education spending with opponent, Democrat Ben Farrell listen
10/24/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Ed Hooper, Ben Farrell, 2012 election, Florida House of Representatives, education
Two candidates for Florida House District 67 are vying to represent Clearwater residents. Democrat Ben Farrell is challenging Republican incumbent Ed Hooper. Farrell is calling attention to his opponent’s 6-year tenure as a state Representative saying that Hooper is no longer effective.
Be the first to comment“He doesn’t pass anything remarkable. He goes along to get along. I say that not to disrespect my opponent, but to point out the obvious fact that bureaucrats do have a sell-by date. At a certain poin...
In south Pinellas, Flowers and Gilzean face off in school board election listen
10/19/12 Samuel JohnsonWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: 2012 election, Pinellas County, Pinellas County School Board, education, schools
Yesterday candidates for Pinellas County School Board election debated each other at a candidate forum at 5th Avenue Church of Christ. Rene Flowers and Glenton Gilzean laid out their plans for the common problems facing the schools in South Pinellas’ District 7.
Rene Flowers, a former St. Pete City Council member, is seeking re-election to the nonpartisan school board. Both candidates told the thirty attendees about their plans to improve educational performan...
Be the first to commentRomney hits hard in first Presidential debate listen
10/04/12 Samuel JohnsonWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, presidential debate, Big Bird, Affordable Care Act, budget, education, PBS
Nearly 60 faculty members and students gathered Wednesday night at the Saint Petersburg College campus in Clearwater to observe and reflect on the Presidential debate. The debate focused on domestic issues. It was a numbers and figures laden discussion about the economy, debt and entitlement reform.
Although Obama and Romney agreed cuts in spending are necessary, they differed on which ones and by how much. For instance, Romney would eliminate federal funding for [public broadcasting](http...
Be the first to commentGov. Rick Scott talks to parents and teachers about improving education at an A-rated school in Pinellas listen
09/13/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Rick Scott, education, education reform, education spending, public education, teacher tenure, FCAT
Governor Rick Scott is going straight to the source to find a better way to educate Florida’s children. He’s calling it a listening tour and is asking students’ moms and dads and their teachers. During one hour question and answer sessions Wednesday afternoon at Madeira Beach Fundamental School, teachers told the Governor they were frustrated with things like high stakes testing, teacher evaluations and shrinking salaries. Scott said he wants to hear about those problems so he can rummage ...
Be the first to commentIn Seminole Obama says voters have a choice to make listen
09/10/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Barack Obama, 2012 election, Democrats, education, healthcare, LGBT, Charlie Crist, Kathy Castor
At an impassioned grassroots speaking event, President Barack Obama told voters they have an obvious choice to make. Speaking to a crowd of thousands at the St. Pete College Seminole campus on Saturday, the president wooed the crowd with a combination of wit and optimism.
Hot on the heels of his Democratic nomination acceptance speech in Charlotte, Obama reiterated some of his priorities in office. In sync with the day’s venue, Obama criticized Republicans for wanting to “gut” education....
Be the first to commentHillsborough County to get new schools listen
09/05/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: education, Hillsborough County Schools, April Griffin, Victor Crist
A coalition of Hillsborough governments heard plans to build some new schools in the county over the next decade. Lorraine Duffy Suarez, general manager of growth management and planning for Hillsborough County Schools said at a Council of Governments meeting today that the schools will go up where there is the most need.
Be the first to comment“On a quarterly basis I meet with staffs from all four governments and the planning commission. We discuss our enrollment trends, we discuss development trends, where ...
Outside Republican convention, Jeb Bush and Michelle Rhee use film to push parent trigger education policy listen
08/31/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Jeb Bush, Michelle Rhee, education reform, education, RNC, Republican National Convention, parent trigger
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush used the Republican National Convention as a platform to garner support for so-called parent trigger legislation. During a panel discussion at the Straz Center for the Arts Tuesday, Bush said states need massive overhauls to their education systems.
Be the first to comment“We have a third of our kids that are college or career ready despite spending more per student than any country in the world. We can say, ‘U.S.A. number one’, we can be proud that we won all these medals and...
