Hi, I am Brian Bennett.
I am the father of two wonderful boys currently in the Osceola School system. I have been an executive business leader for more than 10 years. As a Conservative Christian I feel that I have been called to run for School Board in Osceola County’s District 5.
Teacher Retention & Recruitment
We have run many qualified teachers out of our schools and replaced them with unqualified unprepared teachers who may not be certified in their subject areas. Leadership needs to provide better support for teachers.
Parental Rights
Students and teachers thrive on proper parental engagement. Parents should be included as active participants in the educational process, and the district needs to respect the parents role in raising their children, and evaluation of curriculum and materials presented to their children in the schools.
Fiscal Responsibility
Osceola Schools have one of the largest budgets in the county. It appears that money is not always allocated to the most qualified vendors, leading to waste. Money needs to be allocated to the benefit of students, not special interests.
Special Education
Our district needs reform top to bottom. At the beginning of the school year, it was reported that we only had 3 certified ese teachers in the district. My son was enrolled in 3 different schools to attempt to get a teacher that was certified. It has only been through external therapy and work that he has made any educational progress.
Why I am Running
Navigating the district’s policies has not been easy, especially as they
related to exceptional students for my son who is mentally handicapped. The waste, inefficiency and active aggression towards parents has compelled me to run for school board to help fix the problem not just complain about it. I have an MBA, and I am very comfortable with finding waste, fraud, and opportunities for improvement
I have seen firsthand the
issues with discipline in the classroom, failures by our school transportation system, and seen organizational leadership drive qualified teachers away from our classrooms and into other school districts. I have evaluated both the regular student curriculum and the curriculum purchased for our Special Education students. It is inappropriate, and ineffective and needs a change.
Extracurriculars make an education system complete.
I have a love for school sports and have been a lifelong participant in the arts. I am a member of the Central Florida Community Orchestra as a section leader for the low brass.
Curriculum
The ESE curriculum is desperately in need of an overhaul. ESE parents are left with few options and very often, those options are to leave their special needs child in a situation where they are not safe, or care for them yourself. Our laws provide for a safe and effective education for all families, regardless of special concerns.
Unfortunately, the non-ESE curriculum is also lacking quality, holistic components which make education an experience that inspires students to achieve their best. When students and teachers are tolerating the curriculum, instead of embracing it and experiencing it, you know there is a problem. We cannot allow large publishers or lobbyists to turn our students’ futures into a revenue model.
Our students need to be inspired not babysat.
We need to do better before we can expect our kids to do better.
Osceola Schools
is consistently near the bottom of the proficiency rates when compared to the rest of the state.
$2.2 Billion
is the district’s budget, and yet transparency and accountability have been problematic to say the least.
100% of problems
at the school district can be resolved with careful consideration, planning, and focus on the goal.
