Tampa group with connections to for-profit charter school company also attacking Brombach
MARK SCHUMANN
School Board elections in Florida are, by state law, to be non-partisan races. That fact has not prevented a local electioneering communications organization with ties to Indian River County Commissioner Tim Zorc from flooding local mail boxes with flyers leveling partisan attacks on Indian River County School Board incumbent, Karen Disney-Brombach.
Among the group’s harshest criticisms of Brombach is its charge of fiscal irresponsibility. Ironically, Zorc recently filed for personal bankruptcy — after submitting financial reports in 2012 claiming a net worth of some $232,991. (See: Zorc accused of inflating assets in election filing)
Though Brombach’s challenger for the District 1 seat, Shawn Frost, supposedly has no involvement in the attacks on Brombach, he is the intended beneficiaries of the expensive political mailings. Frost, though, sounded as if he was reading from the attack ads in a video he posted on YouTube this weekend. The attack video, which has since been removed from the web, criticized blogger Bea Gardner for reporting on questions recently raised about Frost’s residency. Frost claim to have established residence in District 1 by moving into his father’s house. (See: Frost says he is living in garage apartment at his father’s house in District 1)
One particularly negative mailer sent out Monday by Indian River Conservatives for Better Schools makes a clearly partisan attack on Brombach. According to information available on the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections’ website, the contact address for Indian River Conservatives for Better Schools is 7858 S Polo Grounds Lane, the homesteaded property of Tim and Laura Zorc. Laura Zorc’s name appeared under contact information, along with her cell phone number.
According the a spokesperson with the Supervisor of Elections office, the Zorc-led group’s first deadline for filing financial information will be this Friday at midnight.
Laura Zorc has been involved with a group called Florida Parents Against Common Core. She also sought appointment to the School Board seat vacated last year by Jeff Pegler, when he moved to Tampa. In appointing Dale Simchick to represent District 2, Gov. Rick Scott passed over Zorc and nearly 20 other applicants.
Zorc, who does not live in District 2, vowed to move into the district if appointed by Gov. Scott. Her husband, Tim Zorc, must continue to live in District 3 while serving on the County Commission.
A Tampa-based group, Florida Federation for Children, has joined in attacking Brombach. In just the past four weeks, FFC spent $420,000 in electioneering efforts across the state. FFC has close ties with Charter Schools USA, Inc. a Ft. Lauderdale based for-profit company. Charter Schools USA contributed $100,000 to FFC on July 11, 2014, and another $100,000 during the 2012 election cycle.
Charter Schools USA has been making news lately, none of it positive.
See: Complaint targets Hillsborough school operated by Charter Schools USA
See also: Letters reveal nasty turn in Hillsborough, Charter Schools USA fight
Indian River Guardian 
As far as our household is concerned, all of this extremely negative, grade school verbal battling was a waste of money. I am sorry that one of our County Commissioners (or a family member) appears to be involved in this uncivilized-type of candidate slamming.
There is no doubt that charter schools serve a purpose. However, they should not have access to public funds any more than do private schools like St. Edwards,
Public education is the very thing that created the middle class and we should allow elected officials or lobbyists with their own personal agenda to starve public education with the funds needed to educate the citizens of the 21st century.