As expected, Pasco County School Board member Alison Crumbley has filed papers to seek a full four-year term in her District 4 seat representing west-central Pasco.

Crumbley won her post in 2010, but it was to complete the term of Kathryn Starkey, who resigned to mount an unsuccessful bid for a Florida House seat.

"We have a lot of work that has yet to be started, and a lot that has to be done," Crumbley said as she entered the Supervisor of Elections office to submit her paperwork. Her top four priorities are: continuing to find ways to spend more efficiently, to improve employee morale, to encourage more parent involvement, and to address student substance abuse problems.

So far, no one else has announced plans to run for the job, which pays the same amount as a first-year district teacher. Official qualifying begins in June. 

Okay, here we go ... two well-known names have just announced runs for the Pinellas school board.

Former St. Petersburg City Council member Rene Flowers announced Friday that she's running for the District 7 seat previously held by the late Lew Williams and now held by Gov. Rick Scott appointee Glen Gilzean. Meanwhile, former District 7 candidate Jim Jackson announced today that he's running for the District 1 seat now held by Janet Clark.

Jackson told The Gradebook that after consulting with community leaders, both black and white, he decided to run for the District 1 seat instead of making another bid for District 7. "They said, 'Jim, you got the right heart, you're just the wrong color,' " he said. "I accept that." ... Read more

Rumors have circulated through Pasco County for several months that Florida secretary of state Kurt Browning, a lifelong Pasco resident, would challenge two-term incumbent Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino for her job in 2012. When Browning announced his resignation from his state post this week, the anticipation mounted again that he would jump into the Republican primary against Fiorentino, who has generated antipathy in many circles as district employee morale has sagged. Browning refused to rule out the possibility of running, but also refused to commit. He spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about his plans.

Your name has come up a jillion times as a likely candidate to run for superintendent against Heather Fiorentino. I want to know what your thought processes are on that, because there are a lot of people who are pinning their hopes on you.

Let me just tell you that my decision to resign from being Florida secretary of state ... was to come home to be with my wife, my family and my community. I've been doing this now for, gosh, almost five years. After a while, when you're up here every week, week in and week out, it's stressful. You miss birthdays and you miss all kinds of things going on back home. My wife and I talked about it over the holidays, and it was just the right thing to do. I did not resign today with the express purpose of going in on Monday morning and filing for superintendent. That is not the case. 

There have been a great number of folks all across Pasco County, just common everyday voters and folks who are connected, that have been encouraging me for some time now to consider running for superintendent. Right now, my focus is to get through the Jan. 31 primary and get it certified on the 14th of February and then come home on the 17th. What happens after that, I have not made any decision yet.

You're one of the few people who could step in and have instant name recognition, so you don't have to make a decision really early.  ... Read more

And they're off. Elliot Stern, a retired businessman and former member of the Pinellas Education Foundation board of directors, filed today to run for the at-large school board seat held by Janet Clark. He is the first candidate to announce for any of the four seats up for grabs this year.

"I honestly believe I bring a business perspective to the table," Stern, 72, told The Gradebook. "With a $1.4 billion education budget, I think someone with a business background would be quite helpful." ... Read more