Thank you - We did it!

The recount is done. The race has been certified and I have been officially declared the winner.

I wanted to take an opportunity to thank all of you who supported me and voted for me.

My race is a perfect example of how every vote counts. With close to 300,000 ballots cast in Hillsborough County my election came down to 1030 votes.

I will work as tirelessly as a school board member as I did as a school board candidate. Thank you for your confidence.

April Griffin

We made it to the run-off on November 7th!

This is the first opportunity I have had to sit down and write since I made it into run off for the general election. With your help we did it! The election will take place on November 7th. I expected to have a run off all along, and I believe we are exactly where we are meant to be. We finished with only 4.1 percentage points separating me and my opponent. We have come a long way and I am excited about the next 50 days. But we have a lot of hard work ahead. I will not rest until we win this election.

I thought I was going to sleep in on the morning following the primary election and would start making my phone calls in the afternoon. Well I woke up without an alarm before the sun was up, and waited very impatiently for the clock to reach a decent phone calling hour. I hit the ground running, raising money and putting the plan in motion for the general election. I will continue to run this way until the last poll closes on November 7th.

This is going to be a battle to end. Many current school administrators do not want me elected and are working very hard for my opponent who is a 35 year district insider. He has received a lot of "financial backing from the who's-who of district leadership" (Source: St. Pete Times, September 6, 2006).

They do not want an independent leader who will challenge the status-quo sitting on the school board. We need a leader on the board who will challenge the administration...not be challenged by the administration. I am that leader.

I need your help...in the way of your vote, financial support, volunteers, yard sign placements, and spreading the word about me. You can make a donation using PayPal(C) by visiting my web site or by mail to 304 W. Henry Avenue, Tampa, FL 33604. Contact me at 813-417-1102 or respond to this email if you are interested in helping. You can also direct your friends to my web site to learn more about me, sign up to be a volunteer, and make donations. www.voteapril.com

Thank you for supporting me and helping me achieve a monumental victory on September 5th. We will win in November! April

More endorsements

I have just been endorsed by La Gaceta and the Florida Sentinal.

Recommended by the St. Petersburg Times - August 18th

...Griffin comes out ahead for her energy, her concern for vocational and other overlooked programs and the contribution she believes schools should make to civic life.

Read more by clicking on the following link...http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/18/news_pf/Opinion/Olson__Faliero__Griff.shtml

Watch streaming video of the debate for School Board - District 6 Countywide

Click on the following link to watch streaming video of the School Board Debate...http://tecc.tv/qtl/debate-6.qtl

Popular Seminole Heights resident blogger endorsement

Read about it at http://seminoleheights.blogspot.com/2006/07/i-endorse-april-griffin-for.html Thank you David.

Read the Weekly Planet Article

(Excerpt) During my nine years as a political consultant, I met with about 200 people who were running for office...I got good at sizing them up and determining if they had a chance of winning...April Griffin has a chance. A good one.Read More...

Another endorsement

As someone who wants to represent working families I am proud to say my message is being heard loud and clear...I just received the endorsement of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 78. The vote to endorse was a unanimous vote. Again I have to say thank you to all of the people who are supporting my candidacy for school board. I will win this election and will continue to work harder than any other candidate in this race, but I can not do it alone. I need your help!

April Griffin is endorsed by Hillsborough School Employees

I have just been endorsed by the Hillsborough School Employee Federation (HSEF), Local 4154. This is the first time the HSEF has endorsed a School Board Candidate in almost 2 decades.

Here is an excerpt from a press release issued by the HSEF:

Luis Perez, President of HSEF said "April's fresh and inquisitive approach to gathering information and making decisions is in the best interest of our children and the employees serving their needs". "April is a breath of fresh air, we are proud to endorse her for School Board" said HSEF's Vice-President and Organizer Josephine Alvarez. "We are going to work very hard to help get her elected".

I am proud and excited to be endorsed by the employees of Hillsborough County Schools and will honor my commitment to always be accessible and always listen.

School Board Candidate "Gets It"

The Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform, Inc. is a grassroots not-for-profit organization that provides resources and assistance to support constructive assessment. This blog was established by members of FCAR but it is not managed or endorsed by FCAR. FCAR SPEAKOUT is open to anyone who wants to participate in a discussion of the FCAT and standardized testing. We welcome diverse opinions but reserve the right to delete any offensive posts. Information about FCAR: www.FCARweb.org.

Read a post about my campaign at the following URL:

http://fcarspeakout.blogspot.com/2006/05/school-board-candidate-gets-it.html

Happy 4th of July!

Our campaign participated in the Temple Terrace 4th of July Parade yesterday. We had about 10 volunteers walking with us in April Griffin T-shirts handing out treats to the parade watchers. Our vehicle was decorated in red, white, and blue with 4 foot by 8 foot April Griffin for School Board signs on both sides. After all the hard work of walking in the parade we were all treated to a barbecue by one of my supporters who is a Temple Terrace resident. We finished off the day with a great fireworks display put on by the city of Temple Terrace.

What a great day. I love the down home feel of the Temple Terrace Parade.

Thank you to all my supporters who came out to walk with me and Pat and Angie for the wonderful meal. I hope you all enjoyed the day as much as I did. Happy 4th of July!

Endorsements and campaign volunteers highlight growing momentum

We just received a phone call from the Florida Carpenters Regional Council Local 1000 and they voted to endorse me last night. Thank you to the Carpenters for supporting me.

We are also forming an army of volunteers to work on the campaign in various positions. I am continuing to work hard every day until elected. There is no substitute for hard work.

I am excited and honored that the community is supporting my effort become a school board member and will continue the hard work once elected.

Endorsements are still coming

I just received 3 more endorsements. The Operating Engineers union, the Iron Workers union, and Democracy For America (DFA). I am proud and honored that these organizations have endorsed me. I will keep working hard and through my hard work my message will be heard loud and clear.

I am starting to get endorsements...

The one and only promise I will make on the campaign trail is this...I will always be accessible and I will always listen.

That being said, my message of our school district focusing not only on the college bound or special needs students, but also on the workforce bound students is being well received.

I have just recently been endorsed by the Plumbers and Pipefitters union and the Sheet Metal Workers union.

Campaign launch shows grassroots support

Our campaign kickoff party was on Wednesday, April 26th at the Seminole Heights Garden Center and the room was just barely big enough. Over 100 people came from all over the county to hear me talk and wound up staying to talk to each other about what we can do for our students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers instead of me just talking to them. Judging by the applause, the questions, and the conversations these are the things on most voters' minds:

FCAT and accountability:

The FCAT should not be the sole measure of success of a school or a student. It is not a true diagnostic test and should not be punitive. In my opinion the only things the FCAT in it's current form measures is the affluencey of a school or how well a student tests.

Money for teachers:

We need to pay our teachers what they deserve to be paid. Teachers do need to be accountable, but we need to base that accountability on true metrics. What growth and benchmarks has the student made within the time the teacher has that student in his/her class? Student's progress is not a black and white issue based on the performance of 1 punitive test...there are grey areas.

Parents need to have a voice:

I understand the need for the boundary changes. However, the district's handling of the recent boundary changes was inexcusable. The district should have had a meaningful dialogue with the community members who were going to be affected by this monumental decision. Parents are not a necessary evil to be endured or worked around. They are our most important allies in the education of our children. Moving students should always be a last resort.

Education for jobs as well as college:

We should do more to prepare our students to be successful in their lives. For some, this means preparing them for college. For others it means giving them the skills and experience to go after and get high-paying jobs right out of school. For business this means a reliable pool of skilled workers. For our families it means that our children won't have move somewhere else to get a job; they can stay here, put down roots, and strengthen our community.

Education is not a business, it is a social responsibility:

An educated citizenry is absolutely vital to maintaining our democracy. We do need to be more efficient and business like in certain areas of our administration, but performance based funding does not work with schools.

Comments? Feed back? I want to hear from you.

A personal note from April

I am running for office because I believe that every child deserves a quality education. Public schools are one of the most enduring and vital institutions our government has ever established. They give every child, no matter what circumstances they were born into, a chance to create and live the American dream. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our fellow citizens to make Hillsborough County public schools the envy of the state, the country, and the world. Every child deserves a high-quality education.

We need to graduate students who are ready for higher education on day one without needing remedial courses to catch up. We must be mindful that not every child is college bound. We must give them every opportunity to develop the skills they will need for a well-paying trade. Only then can Hillsborough County attract and keep businesses that pay high wages.

I believe we could begin to solve our teacher shortage by paying educators higher wages and giving them the tools they need to succeed. I believe that ALL teachers deserve the right to compete for bonuses based on an overall evaluation, not just students’ test scores. Only then can we keep quality teachers here to teach our next generation of students.

I believe that parents are absolutely vital to their childrens' education. Parents are their childrens first teachers, and when teachers and parents work together as a team there is no limit to what students can achieve. To make this possible I believe in removing barriers to parent participation and informing them of their childrens' progress. I also believe in alerting parents to issues before they turn into problems. Only then, through mutual trust, can we ensure that more parents are involved in their children’s education.

I believe in fiscal responsibility. With Hillsborough County’s rapid growth and mandate for classroom size reduction, we are facing a funding crisis. We need more money, but first we have to show that we are not wasting the money we have now. I believe we need to cut waste and duplication and look for ways to spend smarter instead of just spending more. Only when this community's taxpayers believe that their money will not be wasted will they agree to increase funding for their schools.

My decision to run for school board was not made without great consideration and input from my husband Brian and our sons Randy and Chase. My family and friends are behind me 100%. They are excited that the community will soon know what they already know…that I care and will make a difference.

I hope to be a refreshing alternative for students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers, and a catalyst for our schools; to help students be what we all know they can be. But I can’t do it alone. . .I need your support, and I am looking forward to meeting you on the campaign trail and hearing what you think is most important.

Sincerely,
April Griffin
Candidate for School Board – District 6 (At-large)