Rep. Karen Castor Dentel, D-Maitland
Date of Birth: Sept. 8, 1968
Birthplace: Tampa
Residence: Maitland
Education:University of Florida, Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction, 1997-2001
Occupation: Public school teacher
Previous Public Office(s): None
Family: Husband, two children
Did you know?She is the daughter of Betty Castor (former president of the University of South Florida, former Florida commissioner of education, and former Florida Senate president pro tempore) and sister of U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.
One of Florida's most prominent Democratic political families has a new public face: Karen Castor Dentel, a public school teacher who promises to reach across the political aisle to accomplish what she says is one of the state's most pressing issues: true education reform.
Her upbringing would certainly seem to have prepared Dentel, a self-styled "moderate Democrat," to represent District 30, which includes parts of Orange and Seminole counties. Her mother, Betty Castor, served in the Florida Senate for six years between 1977 to 1987, and then as state commissioner of education and president of the University of South Florida. Dentels father, Don Castor, is a retired Hillsborough County judge; her stepfather, Sam Bell, represented Volusia County in the Florida House; her brother, Frank Castor, is a judge in Palm Beach County; and her sister, Kathy Castor, represents District 14 in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Just what inspired Dentel, an elementary school teacher, to follow her mother and older sisters footsteps and throw her hat in the political ring?
Ive always been interested in teaching, and Ive always helped behind the scenes in campaigns and been involved in the League of Women Voters and other civic groups, she tells Sunshine State News. But over the last few years, the Legislatures impact on our schools has really hampered my ability, and that of my colleagues, to help children learn. This situation has really made it imperative that I do more than just teach; it was time for me to step up.
Something else that may have played a role in her reluctance to run for public office sooner is a fear of speaking in front of large crowds.
I do have a fear of public speaking, she laughs. It pains me every time I get up in front of a group, but Ive realized its not something thats going to hold me back when matters are so important.
Asked why she did not run for a more modest position, perhaps on her county school board, Dentel tells the News the counties are not where the problems lie, and she believed the Legislature could stand to benefit from the perspective of members who are public school teachers.
House Speaker Will Weatherford seems to agree, at least to some extent. Hes placed Dentel on her top two requested committee assignments: the Education Appropriations Subcommittee and the K-12 Subcommittee, from within which she hopes to push forward some of her ideas.
At the top of her list is reforming the way teachers are evaluated for their performance in the classroom.
Many teachers are being evaluated on students that they did not teach and in subjects that they did not teach, and that just doesnt make any sense, she tells the News. I taught third grade last year, and my evaluation for the student test scores was based on fourth- and fifth-graders scores last year in reading and math; and those were not students I taught that year. The music teacher and librarian were evaluated on the basis of those scores as well. We need more fairness in the way we go about doing this.
She says shes hopeful she will be able to reach across the political aisle and appeal to some of the conservatism and common sense of the Republican-heavy Legislature.
I believe in local control, she explains. The school boards definitely know better [than legislators in Tallahassee] the unique needs of the citizens who elect them; for example, your more urban areas in South Florida have different needs than some of the counties in the Panhandle.
Dentel is one of three public school teachers the others are Mark Danish of Tampa and Carl Zimmerman of Palm Harbor -- that now sit in the Legislature. All of them are freshman House Democrats who beat out Republican incumbents in Novembers elections, but Dentel says that her interactions with her Republican colleagues have left her hopeful
Some [Republicans] are having second thoughts, she tells the News. Members are coming in who might not be educators themselves, but they are married to a teacher, or their daughter is a teacher, so theyre coming into contact with the perspectives of people whom they trust and understand, and are saying the same things I am.
Her other legislative priorities revolve around electioral reform. Dentel says she will introduce legislation that would give local elections supervisors greater discretion in determining where to situate early voting locations (right now, they are limited mostly to city halls and libraries), and that would expand the number of early voting sites. In her own district, she says, libraries in more affluent communities were open for early voting while those in historically black neighborhoods were not.
She also hopes to restore the $300 million cut from higher education by the Legislature in 2012, and to make funds available for the expansion of early voting.
As a member of the minority party, she knows it will not be easy to achieve legislative success, but shes hopeful she can work with moderate Republicans to get her ideas a fair hearing.
Im not going into the Legislature wearing a party label, to grandstand or embarrass anybody; Im just trying to represent my constituents, she tells Sunshine State News. I had broad support in my district from both Democrats and Republicans, and Independents. Im kind of a moderate in my beliefs and Im going to look for issues where we find some common ground and find a consensus.
I want to make a difference.
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116.
