3/11/2004
At DOE dissent is a firing offense
A good St. Pete Times editorial on DOE's firing of a whistle-blower.
Education Commissioner Jim Horne, a former state senator, has run his office much like a political campaign, where staying on message often doesn't allow for facts that contradict. As it turns out, the message that Metty was trying to get to his bosses was that the voucher programs lacked any meaningful oversight. Had Horne been willing to listen, he might have spared his agency the embarrassment of the numerous criminal, administrative and legislative investigations that ultimately arrived at the same conclusion.
Education Commissioner Jim Horne, a former state senator, has run his office much like a political campaign, where staying on message often doesn't allow for facts that contradict. As it turns out, the message that Metty was trying to get to his bosses was that the voucher programs lacked any meaningful oversight. Had Horne been willing to listen, he might have spared his agency the embarrassment of the numerous criminal, administrative and legislative investigations that ultimately arrived at the same conclusion.
