TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Parents Need Thick Skins To Set School Boundaries

ADVERTISEMENT

By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Committees drawing proposed attendance boundaries for two new schools didn't take long to find out that Chris Williams, the school district's planning director, was right when he said the task is more difficult than it might first appear.

"We're going to get complaints either way," said parent Shelby Hook as she and fellow committee members pondered a couple of options for Veterans Elementary, which is being built in Wesley Chapel.

Two committees of principals, parents and school district staff began a three-month process Thursday that is expected to conclude Feb. 19 when the Pasco County School Board adopts attendance boundaries for Veterans Elementary and Crews Lake Middle.

Between now and then, the committees will meet again, come up with a proposal, then hold meetings in January at which parents of children affected by the changes will get the opportunity to ask questions and make comments.

By then, those parents should have seen what the committees come up with. Before Dec. 21, the planning department plans to place maps with the proposed boundaries in the affected schools.

A letter from Superintendent Heather Fiorentino also will be distributed to parents.

"I warn you right now, you will get criticized for the boundary lines that are drawn," Williams told the committees. "That's just the way it is."

The school board, which has the final say, will hold two public hearings - Feb. 5 and Feb. 19 - at which parents again can comment before the board votes.

Both schools are under construction and set to open in August. They will help alleviate crowding at existing schools.

Veterans Elementary, which will hold 762 students, is being built on Wesley Chapel Boulevard (County Road 54) at Progress Parkway. Crews Lake Middle, with capacity for 1,306 students, is being built on Shady Hills Boulevard at Crews Lake Drive.

Potentially, some students at seven schools could end up at a different school in the 2008-09 academic year.

Veterans Elementary will affect boundaries for Seven Oaks Elementary and Quail Hollow Elementary, and could also affect Denham Oaks Elementary.
Crews Lake Middle will affect boundaries for River Ridge Middle and Hudson Middle, and possibly Bayonet Point Middle and Pine View Middle.

The committees considered issues such as transportation, growth and capacity, and socioeconomic balance as they studied large boundary maps. "Our hot issue is traveling distance," said Jason Joens, principal of River Ridge Middle.

River Ridge is south of Ridge Road, but its attendance boundary sweeps up to the Hernando-Pasco County Line Road. Some students spend close to an hour riding the bus to school, Joens said.

The elementary committee's biggest challenge was figuring out how to provide relief to severely crowded Seven Oaks Elementary without splitting up the Seven Oaks development, where more houses are expected to be built.

Two parent representatives from Seven Oaks Elementary - Kenneth Stewart and Lauren Hracho - said dividing that community wouldn't go over well. Hracho said there are walking trails in the development and children ride their bikes to school.

Seven Oaks Elementary has a capacity of 674 students, but an enrollment of 1,146. The elementary committee came up with at least three possible boundary proposals that it will narrow to one at its next meeting.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT