TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

School Boundaries Get Initial OK

ADVERTISEMENT

By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County School Board gave initial approval Tuesday of attendance boundaries for Crews Lake Middle and Veterans Elementary, two schools scheduled to open in August.
Crews Lake Middle is under construction in Shady Hills and Veterans Elementary is being built in Wesley Chapel.

The board made no changes to the boundaries recommended by a committee, even though one resident of the Pasco Trails subdivision told the board he would like to see his neighborhood remain zoned for Pine View Middle in Land O' Lakes.

Lawrence Wolfenden said people who live in Pasco Trails, which is just north of State Road 52 and east of U.S. 41, identify with the Land O' Lakes community, where their doctors, dentists, children's recreation activities and jobs are.
Crews Lake Middle, under construction in Shady Hills, would take them in the opposite direction of their routine travel patterns, and add a 20- to 30-minute round-trip to their drives.

As a result, parents will be less involved if their children are at Crews Lake Middle, he said.

"As a practical matter, the kids won't be going there anyway," Wolfenden said.

He said most of the parents will opt to have their children remain at Pine View Middle using school choice, which allows students to attend a school they aren't zoned for as long as the school isn't too crowded.

Chris Williams, the school district's planning director, said one reason the committee zoned Pasco Trails and the adjacent Pilot Country Estates for Crews Lake Middle is that the new school is closer.

Also, those neighborhoods are zoned for Giella Elementary, which is near Crews Lake Middle, even though most of the children go elsewhere, either through the choice program or because they are in a special program offered only at another school.

Nine elementary students and five middle school students live in Pasco Trails, and five elementary students and four middle school students live in Pilot Country Estates.

A second public hearing and final school board vote on the boundaries will be at 6 p.m. Feb. 19.

The opening of Crews Lake Middle affects attendance boundaries for River Ridge Middle, Bayonet Point Middle, Hudson Middle and Pine View Middle schools.

Veterans Elementary is bringing changes to attendance boundaries for Quail Hollow Elementary and Seven Oaks Elementary.

Committees made up of district administrators, principals and parents drew the proposed boundaries.

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

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT