By George Schiro

Jay Wheeler rubs people the wrong way. Why is that? Wheeler refuses to sit idly by while unqualified people on the School Board grind our schools into the ground with their ineptitude and incompetence. He rails against low-quality board members ruining education in Osceola County.

Some people don’t like Wheeler telling the truth in public, loudly, caustically or in full color. Yet what is more important? Good education for children or good manners for politicians?

As an Osceola County Superintendent Citizens Search Committee member last year, I personally witnessed questionable behavior from each school board member Wheeler has been lampooning ever since.

Barbara Horn

Watch the May 17 meeting video. See Horn say nothing of substance about any candidate. Her analysis is generic and vacuous. She was obviously predisposed before deliberations to interim superintendent Terry Andrews into his permanent position.

“I think that Mr. Andrews has brought some healing to our county. Mr. Melendez had mentioned at a board meeting if we didn’t have anybody to apply that we felt comfortable with that could take us in the right direction that he didn’t have a problem leading Mr. Andrews in as [permanent] superintendent.”

Julius Melendez

Melendez called none of the candidates until cornered and almost forced to listen to a recorded interview of one candidate. Only then did he call the candidate and listen with enthusiasm. Then he rejected the same candidate later after hearing Cindy Hartig’s false assessment. Melendez showed no courage of his own convictions.

“I was so thoroughly impressed last night that I want to take it to the next level.”

Tom Long

Long contacted not a single candidate. To him “Google hearsay” research was good enough to eliminate all candidates thereby leaving Andrews in place. Later, when I tried to question him about it, Long secretly printed an email to a candidate and handed it to an anonymous blogger, thereby sidestepping a public records request.

The anonymous blogger then emailed the candidate, apparently on Long’s behalf.

Cindy Hartig

Like Horn, it was obvious that Hartig was predisposed to move Andrews into his permanent position even though she knew he would retire in less than two years.

These were school board candidates of the past. How should we evaluate school board candidates today?

Take note that most if not all current school board members lack a college education. They have never even informed voters of how well they themselves did as students. We’ve seen no grades or test scores from any of them.

Did they really care about educational excellence when they ran for public office?

To avoid making the same mistake again, I contacted every current school board candidate. I spoke to four of the five on the phone.

Raul Banasco promised to send his resume for publication. He never did.

John Ramirez promised to send his resume for publication. He never did.

Cindy Hartig never responded at all.

Tim Weisheyer met with me and later directed me to his website for his biographical data. He was pleasant to talk to and he sounds like a credible candidate.

Kelvin Soto is the only candidate who not only sounds credible in person and on the phone, but he has also provided a full professional resume (he’s a lawyer). He even provided his standardized test scores, all made available for full publication online.

Mr. Soto is also the only candidate willing to answer questions from citizens in an online public forum.

Jay Wheeler is the rare politician willing to tell the truth in public, even if it hurts. I’ve seen minor local politicians in Harmony incapable of doing the same about much less.  

Even County Commissioner Fred Hawkins was unwilling to bear witness to the truth about Cindy Hartig for fear that her reputation might be damaged.

Sadly, the educational system for 53,000-plus children in Osceola County is now damaged instead.

What kind of people do we want running things in Osceola County, lackeys or whistleblowers who tell the truth in public?

George Schiro is a Harmony resident. Schiro’s views do not represent those of the Osceola News-Gazette.