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School Road Accord Elusive

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By JULIA FERRANTE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 21, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - It all comes down to money.

School district and county officials came closer to resolution Tuesday on how to ensure that Pasco County has enough schools for its growing population. The respective sides were, however, still at odds about which should pay for road improvements off school property.

"That's been the issue all along," Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher reminded the panel of top administrators, attorneys and elected officials during a two-hour joint workshop in his conference room.

"Are we going to share the cost or no?" he said.

The meeting was the latest of several workshops intended to resolve, once and for all, how to address traffic problems and other issues related to school concurrency. The parties, which have been debating the issue for years, still could not agree on key points. Another meeting tentatively is planned for Dec. 11.

School Board Chairwoman Marge Whaley was supposed to be the district's chief negotiator Tuesday, but she had an emergency dental appointment. Board member Kathryn Starkey sat in for her.

A state law requires the county and school district to have a concurrency plan in place by Feb. 1. They do not have to have all of their issues resolved by then, but they must have a way to deal with differences. Failure to comply could result in state sanctions.

Either way, taxpayers and developers will foot the bill to make sure there are enough schools and adequate roads to handle additional traffic. The sticking point continues to be whether money to pay for road improvements should come from school district or county coffers.

Main Point Of Disagreement

"At the end of the day, it's the public's purse," County Commission Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand said. "The county commission and school board are arguing over their share."

The parties disagree on a central premise. School officials maintain they do not cause capacity problems; county officials do when they approve residential development.
County officials argue schools create additional traffic, and they need to take responsibility for that.

Schools built in neighborhoods under construction are not as much of a problem, because officials can secure land and roads from developers up front, Assistant Superintendent Ray Gadd said. The issues come when a school is built in a developed or congested area and traffic spills onto major roads at arrival and dismissal times.

School officials were willing to make some concessions, such as aiming to keep more traffic in school driveways by building two- or three-story schools or buying more land to accommodate additional cars, Gadd said.

Gallagher asked school officials whether they would be willing to pay for road improvements within a quarter-mile radius of schools, or 1,320 feet, as recommended by the county's transportation consultant.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said that standard may work in some cases, but not for schools within range of major highways, such as U.S. 19 or State Road 54.

After much back and forth and a 10-minute break, the district tentatively agreed to consider paying for improvements within an eighth-of-a-mile radius. Anything beyond that would be negotiated. But Gallagher said that may not be enough.

Fiorentino asked for more time to evaluate.

Gallagher said he came down from three miles away from school sites.

"I should have said a mile, and you would have given me half," he said.

County Attorney Robert Sumner tried a few times to get the sides to agree, suggesting that none of the lawyers in the room weigh in.

"Let's let the politicians talk about it," Sumner said. "If we take legal positions, we're not going to agree."

It didn't work.

School District Attorney Dennis Alfonso repeatedly said the district can't commit to a radius without a legal disclaimer.

Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein refused to draft an agreement with Alfonso unless he dropped the disclaimer request. "If you are adding that clause, I'm not writing anything with you," Goldstein said. "We're going to fight it out in court."

A pending lawsuit in Hillsborough County may resolve the issue - or further confuse it. The Hillsborough school board has sued the county over who is obligated to pay for road improvements. Pasco school officials hope the outcome will bolster their case. Pasco County officials maintain the case addresses a narrow issue that would not apply to Pasco.

School Capacity Limits

The school district and county did agree to limit capacity at schools to an average 105 percent at high schools and an average 115 percent at middle and elementary schools. That means if the schools collectively are beyond their limits, students must be bused to another school, or another school must be built.

The school district is seeking a hefty increase in impact fees to pay for new schools. The increase, from about $4,000 to $10,000 per single-family home, would have to be approved by the county commission.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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