Sarasota County School Board, District 5: Rick Linden

Name: Rick Linden

Age: 64

Occupation: High school science teacher

Family: Married, two adult children

Education: Bachelor of Arts in biology, 1975, Cornell; MBA in hospital administration, 1977, University of Chicago

Elected government experience: none

 Why are you running for school board? 

I am running for the school board for two main reasons.  First, I have been dissatisfied with the performance of school superintendent Todd Bowden.  Second, having been a full-time high school teacher for the past 18 years, I would add a valuable teacher perspective to the board.  My 23 years of experience prior to that in both operational and financial management in non-profit health care would also be beneficial as a board member.

What do you see as the top three challenges facing the district, and where do you stand on each? The first challenge is with school security, the second is on budget priorities, and the third is on teacher morale.  Many teachers are feeling demoralized.  The current system for evaluating teachers is a big problem, as it is illogical and unfair.  Compensation is now tied even more closely to the evaluation system, compounding the problem.  The school board needs to address this before many teachers leave their positions.

What is your opinion of the school district’s plan to ultimately set up an in-house police force? The school district is creating its own internal security force, despite the fact that the district has no expertise in this area.  We need to contract with local law enforcement agencies to provide security to our schools.

Discuss your position on Superintendent Todd Bowden. Todd Bowden's budget priorities have included spending $500,000 to upgrade the district headquarters, hiring an outside public relations firm at a cost of $225,000 over two years, and spending over $2 million in salaries for new assistant principals.  None of these enhances student education.  I believe his real priorities lie elsewhere.

What is your stance on charter schools? I would evaluate each charter school application individually.  For applications from for-profit charter school companies, I would insist on visiting one of the company's existing schools of my choice, accompanied by several other teachers who had attained teacher of the year status at the school type of the applicant (high, middle, or elementary).  If this visit were refused, I would vote to reject the application.

What is your position on closing School Avenue on the campus of Sarasota High School? I don't feel I have sufficient information on this subject to make an educated judgment.  Had I been on the board when the question arose, I would have solicited input from students, teachers, parents, local law enforcement agencies, and legal counsel before making a decision.