The age-old argument of the benefit of an appointed versus and elected school superintendent has reigned without a clearcut resolution for many years, and Bay County, Florida may be addressing a change in this philosophy soon.
The Chamber of Commerce in Bay County, Florida is examining the issue and hopes for lively discussion of the idea.
While business leaders say they need improvements in schools in order to attract new business and kick-start the economy, current superintendents may look at the picture from a different vantage point.
According to WMBB-TV in Panama City, Florida, the county seat of Bay County:
“We rank 156 out of 157 Air Force installations around the world and that’s not acceptable,” Chris Moore Bay County Chamber Military Affairs Committee Chair said. “We need to do more for our students, our constituency, and the chamber.”
Moore and other chamber members said they are researching the pros and cons of appointed superintendents. But no decisions are final just yet.
“Looking at the data from across the nation and across the state of Florida and seeing how school districts do whether they have an elected one or an appointed one,” Moore said.
After speaking with the current Superintendent Bill Husfelt, he said he wants the people to decide what their opinions are.
“I don’t think you’d want an appointed sheriff or any other appointed official,” Husfelt said. ‘Communities like ours like to know the people like to meet the people and like to have a conversation with them when they need to. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens, the chamber has tried to do this before. And the citizens overwhelmingly voted it down.”
Husfelt believes an appointed superintendent will make decisions based on please school board members rather than what’s best for students.
It will be up to school board members, like Bay District School Board Chair Pamm Chapman, to decide if they want to pursue this path.
“I do think when it comes down to it, how strong is your community to fill the seats of the board members to make those decisions,” Chapman said.
The last time this issue went to a vote was in the 1990s.
