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5 Elementaries May Be Restructured Next Year

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 16, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - The federal No Child Left Behind Act is looming larger than ever in Pasco County as two elementary schools face the possibility of a major restructuring that could increase district oversight of their operations and affect the jobs of teachers and principals.

Three other schools also may be restructured, though under less severe guidelines.
School board members got a briefing Monday on what's in store for the schools if they continue to perform poorly under the federal measurement.

'It's not pretty, what we're looking at,' Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said.

The five schools have failed to make adequate yearly progress, as measured by the federal government, for five years.

That means during this academic year the district must plan for a major reorganization of the schools, with the restructuring to take place in 2008-09.

The schools are Rodney B. Cox, Hudson, Pasco, Marlowe and Northwest elementaries.

The restructuring requirements aren't as severe for all of the schools, though, because of a seven-tier system set up by the state. The tiers are based on the grades schools earned from the state and the percentage of adequate yearly progress indicators they missed.

The two schools drawing most of the district's attention are Hudson and Cox, which face the most extensive restructuring next year.

Possibilities under state and federal guidelines include bringing in new teachers and replacing the principals, though the school board could end up choosing from other options.

'Nothing is off the table, including removing everybody,' Fiorentino said. 'But it's not where we want to go.'
Assistant Superintendent Ruth Reilly said some teachers have already left Cox and Hudson.

Fiorentino said it can be demoralizing for teachers to know they have worked hard and the school still faces sanctions.

'Remember, there are a lot of good people working at the schools,' she said.

One of the challenges the district faces, though, is how to provide incentives to keep good teachers at Cox and Hudson, as well as recruit other good teachers to the schools, Fiorentino said.

'We are going to want to bring in our best,' she said. 'These are difficult schools.'

One of the potential strategies listed under the guidelines is turning them into charter schools, but Reilly said the district doesn't plan to do that.

'We are looking at our district taking over more control of the schools,' she said.

The district has established District and School Restructuring Advisory Committees at Cox and Hudson. The committees include principals, parents, teachers, district staff members and union representatives.

Under a timeline developed by district staff, the school board would approve a restructuring plan in May or June. The plan then would be submitted to the state Department of Education.

Restructuring for Northwest, Pasco and Marlowe is less complicated and could simply mean the use of an outside consultant to assist the schools.
Adequate yearly progress is determined by how well subgroups of students within a school perform in math and reading on standardized testing.

The subgroups are based on factors such as race, ethnicity, disabilities and whether the student is economically disadvantaged.

If any subgroup scores poorly on either math or reading, then the entire school has failed to make adequate yearly progress.

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

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