Dear Friend,

In 2008 the voters of Orange County created the position of a county-wide elected School Board Chair through a referendum placed on the ballot by a coalition of concerned citizens and parents. This new position was created by the voters in an effort to bring accountability and a leader with a vision to the Orange County School Board. I am running to be your first elected School Board Chair because I want to deliver the accountaibility and the vision the citizens of Orange County demanded when they created the position.

I am also running because I am a concerned parent of three children whom attend an Orange County Public School.  My wife, Suzie, and I send our three children to the Blankner School, an Orange County K-8.  Our daughter Alex is a 6th grader, our daughter Aubrey is a 2nd grader, and our son Jack is in  the 1st grade.  Our children attend Blankner because they receive a high quality education in a first class facility, and I believe every child deserves access to the same high quality education and facilities my children enjoy.               

I am running because I believe in the right of all children to a high quality, free public education.  I am a product of Florida's public education system.  I attended public elementary, middle, and high schools.  I graduated from the University of Florida and earned my law degree at UF.  I am proud of my public school education.  It has opened doors for me which would never have opened if not for my public education, and I believe every child deserves the same opportunities I've enjoyed.

I am running because my experience make me uniquely qualified to be Orange County's first elected School Board Chair.  When our community needed solutions to the problems facing our public schools, Orange County, Orlando, and OCPS formed the Blue Ribbon Panel on Education, and Mayor Crotty, Mayor Dyer, and the School Board called on me to chair their panel because they needed a leader who could build consensus and craft responsible recommendations for the improvement of our public schools. I also served 8 years in the Florida Legislature where I chaired the Education Appropriations committee and  crafted annual $6 billion dollar education budgets.  While in the Legislature I chaired the House Select Committee on School Facilities, and I understand the importance of small, neighborhood schools and the impact of overcrowding on teachers and children.

After reading my priorities for Orange County Public Schools I hope you will agree I am the right candidate for this job.  If you do, please contact me and let me know how we can work together to build an even better public school system for our children.

Sincerely,