Karen Bendorf, a Plant City resident and sixth grade teacher at Tomlin Middle School in Plant City, is running for a seat on the Hillsborough County School Board in District 7, a countywide seat.
Bendorf is married to a community pastor and is a mother to six boys who range in age from 10-23 years old. Bendorf received her bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University. She has been a teacher in Hillsborough County for 13 years.
“It is time to stand up and do better for our children,” said Bendorf, who wants to bring her experience as a teacher, her knowledge and her out-of-the-box thinking to the Hillsborough County School Board to help reform the county’s schools.
Bendorf articulated several issues that propelled her to run for the school board.
First, Bendorf wants to reform the ways in which we teach our children to read.
“We are not teaching our students how to read. More than 50 percent of students are below the third grade proficiency level.” Bendorf added, “Every child should be able to read, and all of them can learn to read. However, we have not been teaching them the basic skills.”
Second, according to Bendorf, there are discipline issues in schools that are not being addressed.
“The school board needs to set a high standard for student conduct in the classroom,” said Bendorf. “Teachers do not feel supported, and parents do not know what is happening in the classroom due to behavior issues,” she added.
Third, according to Bendorf, the Hillsborough County School Board needs to be more responsible with the budget and not request additional money through taxes or referendums.
Bendorf said, “There has not been an audit of the school budget. When you try to find information about cost of programs, you cannot find it. We need to know where the dollars are going and how it impacts students in the classroom.”
Bendorf said, “I am proud of the fact that I have raised boys to love the Lord, make good choices and go against the flow. I want to see a generation of children who can read and make our community what it can be.”
For more information, please visit www.electkarenbendorf.com.
