Janelle Irwin TaylorAugust 16, 20205min758
Griffin has a target on her back, likely stemming from a controversial school board decision.
Tag: MaryEllen EliaStock image via Adobe.
Janelle Irwin TaylorAugust 16, 2020
Joe HendersonFebruary 9, 2018
6min460
As she prepares to leave the Hillsborough County School Board after 12 often-tumultuous years when her term expires in November, April Griffin deserves to be remembered as one of the most impactful public servants ever in Hillsborough County. That’s a bold statement, yes. I stand by it though because it is true whether you liked […]
Mitch PerryFebruary 9, 2018
5min500
April Griffin will not run for re-election to the Hillsborough County School Board, ending her tenure after more than a decade in office. If she were to run later this year, Griffin is confident she would win. But after 12 years on the board, she believes she has done her duty. In a statement Friday, Griffin […]
Mitch PerryFebruary 6, 2018
3min596
Longtime local educator Dr. Stacy Hahn is making another run for Hillsborough County School Board District 2, the seat currently held by Sally Harris. “As an educator, working professional and mother, I’ve seen firsthand how a quality education can change a life,” Hahn said in a statement. “I’m running for the School Board to use […]
Mitch PerryOctober 12, 2017
8min371
A report about an intense confrontation between Hillsborough County School board members April Griffin and Tamara Shamburger at a Florida School Board Association training event went viral Wednesday, prompting a potential political opponent of Griffin to describe it as “another April Griffin tantrum.” Kelso Tanner is a political consultant who is running for the District […]
Joe HendersonAugust 28, 2016
6min196
I will be paying attention to a lot of things during Tuesday’s primary election. The weather, however, will not be high on the list. Even with storms in Tuesday’s forecast, it may not affect the turnout that much. As of Sunday, voters cast nearly 104,000 ballots in Hillsborough County for the primary election, either by […]
Joe HendersonAugust 4, 2016
5min406
Things really got nasty around the Hillsborough County School Board in early 2015. That’s when four of the seven members voted to fire Superintendent MaryEllen Elia. They didn’t like her brusque and dismissive style. They felt Elia believed the board worked for her, not vice versa. The move was, to understate matters, highly controversial. Oh, […]
Mitch PerryDecember 30, 2015
21min422
As first said by Greek philosopher Heraclitus, in the universe change is the only constant. Nowhere was that more applicable than in Tampa Bay during the past 12 months. From the much-ballyhooed dismissal of MaryEllen Elia as Hillsborough County School Board District superintendent to redistricting and the rising (and falling) fortunes for hizzoner Bob Buckhorn, many of the leading […]
Mitch PerryMay 28, 2015
6min185
I couldn’t be happier this morning, after staying up until midnight last night to see my lifelong basketball team, the Golden State Warriors, defeat the Houston Rockets, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1975. Of course, there’s a guy by the name of LeBron James who stands in their way […]
Mitch PerryMay 26, 2015
2min162
It looks like MaryEllen Elia is going to land on her feet after all. The recently ousted Hillsborough County School superintendent is about to be named New York’s next education commissioner, according to the Buffalo News. The website reports that the State Board of Regents in New York are preparing to appoint Elia, who hails from nearby Lewiston, […]