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District Unveils School Plan Draft

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2008

Updated: 01/31/2008 09:44 pm

WESLEY CHAPEL - Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Lee Roy Selmon knows something about making a plan and sticking to it.

Selmon was a rookie the first year of the Bucs' existence in 1976 and endured a winless season.

Despite the rocky start, Coach John McKay had a plan for his fledgling team and carried it through, and by 1979 the Bucs were in the playoffs.

"We stuck to it through persistence and perseverance, and it finally began to pay off for us," Selmon said.

The NFL Hall of Fame member offered that reminder Thursday when he spoke at the Pasco County School District's annual Community Night, where the district unveiled a draft of its five-year strategic plan.

"It couldn't be a more important time to have a plan put together," said Selmon, the keynote speaker for the event at the Wesley Chapel High School Performing Arts Center.

Possible budget cuts have raised concerns for school districts across Florida, as well as for the University of South Florida, where Selmon is president of the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics.

"I feel the greatest strength to overcome the budget is to do what you are doing - put together a strategic plan," Selmon said.

The district began working on its plan about a year ago, aided by a committee of district staff, parents, students and community members.

Each school board member also hosted a town hall meeting to seek input.

The resulting five-year plan, a 16-page document, establishes goals for improving student achievement and strengthening schools.

"This is really a road map, a road map that has been built by our community," Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said.

The plan, still in a draft form that will go to the school board for approval in a few weeks, comes at an opportune time, Fiorentino said, as the district braces for any impact from the property tax amendment passed by Florida voters this week.

"With the amendment, we are going to have a few challenges," she said.

"With the budget, we are going to have even more challenges."

Fiorentino said she was confident the district could meet those challenges.

At USF, when decisions are made, those involved always try to think about what's best for the students, Selmon said.

"Anytime you can make a decision based on that priority, usually it's a very good decision," Selmon said.

Thursday's event was attended by district administrators, principals, assistant principals, teachers, school advisory council members, elected officials and members of the public.

After the opening remarks, the participants broke up into 11 groups to discuss the strategic plan.

The draft of the plan lists goals the district wants to meet by the 2012-13 academic year, such as:

•93 percent of students would meet high standards in reading and math based on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores. That would be up from 58 percent for both subjects in 2006-07, the year the district is using as a baseline.

•95 percent of students would meet high standards in writing based on FCAT scores. That would be up from 91 percent for 2006-07.

•71 percent of students would meet high standards based on FCAT science scores. That would be up from 41 percent in 2006-07.

•The graduation rate would hit 90 percent by the class of 2012, up from 74.4 percent for the baseline class of 2006.

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

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