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Board Member Seeks More Openness In Special Assignments

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By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

TAMPA - The Hillsborough County School Board should make the district's process of giving some parents access to crowded schools more transparent, a board member said Thursday.

The system of awarding special assignments to attend schools outside of a student's own boundary rests with just two men, board member Candy Olson noted. Details of why some parents get hardship status and others do not is confidential.

That "allows people to make accusations not bound in fact," Olson said. "We need to make it much more transparent."

The process needs more structure, she said, later defining that as "clear guidelines."

Board member April Griffin suggested a possible "tip line" for people to report those giving false addresses or other information to get into schools outside their boundary. Olson dismissed that, saying, "Most of our principals get calls."

The district's lack of checking on information parents submit and numbers of students allowed to enroll in crowded schools came to light last month when Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy's son was granted a special assignment to Plant High School.

Olson also asked board members to agree to ask staff to put together details of the impact of lost revenue if soda sales were cut in schools.

No vote was taken on either suggestion, but Olson said she thinks she has support.

"It's a good time; we're doing all our policies," she said.

The board did vote to:

•Name the renovated gymnasium at Hillsborough High School for Don Williams, head basketball coach at that school from 1954 to 1962 and the first head basketball coach at the University of South Florida.

•Suspend without pay Derek M. Smith, 33, a teacher at Van Buren Middle School and Middleton High's varsity basketball coach, pending the outcome of an investigation. Smith was arrested in January on one count of child abuse.

•Suspend without pay Robert I. Tirado, 22, an exceptional student education aide at DeSoto Elementary school and former volunteer football coach at Robinson High. He has been under investigation by the district since December for inappropriate socializing with a student after school hours, said Linda Kipley, the district's general manager for professional standards.

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069.

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