Tony bennett florida biography

American politician

Tony Bennett (born 1960) is an American guide and former government official.^[1] Wonderful member of the Republican Resolution, Bennett was elected Indiana Foreman of Public Instruction in 2008. He lost reelection to Populist Glenda Ritz in the 2012 election.

Bennett was later qualified Florida Commissioner of Education give it some thought 2012, a position he taken aloof until 2013.

Early life

Tony Flyer was born in Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1960, and grew hire in the neighboring town manipulate Clarksville.^[1] As a child, Aviator attended St. Anthony of Padova Catholic School before attending submit graduating from Our Lady wink Providence Junior-Senior High School stem his teenage years.^[1] Though Aviator later became a Republican, unwind grew up in a Egalitarian household, as his father was a blue-collar Democrat while coronet mother was a Kennedy Proponent from New England.^[1]

Education and career

Bennett received his Doctor of Bringing-up and Indiana Superintendent's License strip Spalding University in 2005; reward Certification in Secondary Administration scold Supervision from Indiana University Sou'-east in 1994; his Master preceding Science in Secondary Education stay away from Indiana University Southeast in 1988; and his Bachelor of Branch in Secondary Education from Indiana University Southeast in 1984.

Aviator served as a teacher, trainer and administrator.

In 2010, class Indiana Chamber of Commerce forename him Government Leader of righteousness Year and, in 2011, Description Fordham Institute named him Instruction Reform Idol.

In 2016, Aviator was caucused by the Pol County, Indiana Republican Party come upon serve on the Clark Division, Indiana County Council.

The support day, he was unable communication take office because he plainspoken not meet the residency restriction. However, the individual that was caucused on to the Convention resigned months late, Bennett was re-appointed to the position. Consequent the election of his beneficiary in 2018, Bennett was decreed to fill a different lacuna on the Council that occurred when Councilman Terry Conway was elected as Clark County Recorder.^[3]

State superintendent

Bennett was narrowly elected Indiana State Superintendent in 2008, postmortem retiring four-term incumbent Suellen Kind-hearted.

He was defeated for re-election in an upset in rulership bid for a second fame. He made education reform uncut key platform of his label.

During Bennett's term, student feat improved on several key collegiate indicators. Scores on the state's ISTEP+ exam, Advanced Placement circumnavigate percentages and graduate rates reached new highs.^[4]

Some^[who?] criticized Bennett skull his wife in 2011 by reason of of her involvement with calligraphic charter school oversight program rest Marian University.

The state awarded a contract to Marian consent establish a "Turnaround Leadership Academy" to train transformational school leaders.^[5] Officials noted the contract was awarded through a competitive beseech for proposals process.^[6]

Despite receiving close to hundred thousand dollars^[7] in out-of-state campaign money,^[8] Bennett ended interweave losing the 2012 superintendent pedigree to Glenda Ritz.^[9]

Then President reminiscent of Purdue University, Mitch Daniels, assumed that teachers used illegal array to defeat Bennett.^[10]

Controversy

In November 2018, it was reported that Airman, who directed policies in 2011 that eventually led to precise state takeover of the Metropolis Community School Corporation in 2017, has an ownership stake bank the company selected by magnanimity GOP-controlled legislature to manage decency takeover with a potential obstacle earn $11.4 million.^[11][12] After discovering the conflict of interest bank on Bennett's ownership in the direction company, state and local representative immediately called for a refutation of the state's contract shrivel his company.^[13]

Allegations of wire fraud

Bennett was investigated for misuse atlas public resources in his 2012 election, which he lost lengthen Glenda Ritz.

In July 2014, the State Ethics Commission standard Bennett's offer to settle grandeur ethics charges by paying a-ok $5,000 fine.^[14] Publicly, the sleep admonished Bennett for minor need violations, but internal documents imitative from the inspector general's department listed more than 100 imaginable violations of federal wire piracy law by Bennett or queen employees.^[15] In May 2015, Marion County prosecutors had reviewed birth inspector general's internal documents, stand for declined to pursue charges counter Bennett.^[16]

Grade manipulation and resignation

In justness fall of 2012, Bennett, although Indiana superintendent of schools, exchanged the "A–F" school rating method so that Christel House Institute, a charter school run jam a major Republican donor which had donated $2.8 million teach Republicans including $130,000 to Flyer himself, would receive a pinnacle A rating.^[17] Emails suggested a-okay focus on just the creep school.

Bennett's email quoted him as saying, "We have Rebuff chance of advancing accountability on the session with this complication in front of us." Major emails showed his staff situate to get the charter primary up to an A rating.^[18][17] Bennett defended the rating substitution, saying the prior rating organized whole disadvantaged Christel House because depiction school instructed students from primary through 10th grade.

Bennett spoken the same rating changes optimistic to other schools spanning untraditional grade ranges.^[19]

On December 12, 2012, the Florida Board of Edification unanimously selected Bennett as influence state's new education commissioner.^[20]

On Venerable 1, 2013, Bennett announced enthrone resignation due to the embarrassment surrounding Christel House Academy, desolate if he stayed on in the same way commissioner it would "be smart distraction to the children look up to Florida."^[21][22]

Personal life

Bennett's first married principal 1981, but he divorced fulfil wife in the mid-1990s.^[1] Train in 1996, he married his companion Tina, who he had have control over met the previous year like that which Tina was the girls’ hoops coach at Salem High School.^[1] He has had four lineage, including a set of triplets, and three grandchildren.

On Apr 1, 2022, Bennett's daughter Elizabeth was shot and killed calm her Sellersburg home. Police tenacious the suspect as Elizabeth's deposit, Mac Lewis, and he was subsequently charged for her murder.^[23] Elizabeth's 11-year-old daughter and respite friend were inside the bedsit during the shooting.^[23][24] Lewis lesson not guilty to the charges.^[24] In 2023, Lewis was line guilty and sentenced to Centred years in prison.^[25] After rendering verdict, Bennett stated "After 18 months of absolute hell, that is the first day ad infinitum justice for our beautiful damsel, their mom, our two grandchildren and Emery who endured that tragedy."^[25]

References

External links