Jim Jackson, Rene Flowers announce for Pinellas school board

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JANUARY 30, 2012

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."

Clark has not formally announced her candidacy, but told The Gradebook again today (we asked her the first time back in June) that she's planning to run for re-election. Former Pinellas Education Foundation board member Elliot Stern announced three weeks ago that he was running for the seat, too. "The more the merrier," Clark said of Jackson's entry into the race. "That's what happened last time."

Flowers has also filed to run for the state House seat held by Rep. Darryl Rouson. She could not be immediately reached for comment tonight.

Posted by ronmatus at 6:44:15 pm on January 30, 2012 in

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

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