In Escambia County, the governor and attorney general take opposing sides in the school superintendent election.

PENSACOLA -- Escambia County School Superintendent Jim May and the man who hopes to take his job in November, Jim Paul, sat at opposite ends of a long table at a candidate forum last week.

When it came time for May to answer a question on vouchers, the lanky, 53-year-old son of a pig farmer stood, took a breath and started talking just as fast as he could. May had two minutes before moderator Taris Savell's egg timer was set to "ding" him into silence.

May described flaws in Florida's testing program. The effect it has on the classroom. He explained what's wrong with school vouchers. Pointed to differences between himself and Paul. He listed all the . . .

Ding!

May smiled at the ladies of the Sisterhood of Temple Beth El and took his seat.

Escambia's school superintendent has been doing a lot of explaining lately as he attempts to do what no school chief in this Panhandle county has done in 20 years: win re-election. By all accounts this is a lousy time to try to break that streak.

"I guess things have been pretty crazy around here," said School Board member Cary Stidham, in a classic understatement.

One board member was removed from office (and later reinstated) for alleged violations of the public records law. Another board member, who regularly criticizes his colleagues on his Web site, came under fire for racially insensitive comments. Teachers recently picketed for a salary increase that never came.

There have been investigations and ethics complaints. A recent school district news release -- among notices of school fundraisers and employees of the month -- bore this headline: "Grand Jury Says: No Criminal Violations!"

On top of all that, there's the indignity of school vouchers.

Of the state's 3,500 schools, only two were labeled chronic failures eligible for vouchers in 1999. Both schools were in Pensacola. May had to implement a program he didn't believe in.

He let Gov. Jeb Bush know he disagreed with the accountability plan – not the concept, but the details of the plan.

Amid all this turmoil comes a challenge from a soft-spoken high school social studies teacher with friends in high places.

In August, Bush came to town to lend Jim Paul an endorsement and some fund-raising star power. May was able to counter that when Attorney General Bob Butterworth, the state's highest-ranking Democrat, came to town last week to endorse his re-election bid.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Supervisor of Elections Bonnie Jones, who has spent 29 years in the elections office. "I don't think they normally make endorsements in these kinds of local races."

Indeed they don't. Bush and Butterworth, who occasionally get involved in statewide races, represent unusually serious political firepower for a local schools race. But, as anyone in Pensacola will tell you, this is not your typical local race.

Some say it's the school accountability/school vouchers battle all over again.

"In some ways, this race may resemble a referendum over the governor's A+ Plan," said Paul, who supports the governor's plan with as much vigor as May opposes it. "That was a very divisive, very important issue. This election is going to say something about that."

(See Part 2)