TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Sanders Will Get A Makeover

ADVERTISEMENT

By RONNIE BLAIR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 8, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Sanders Memorial Elementary, which opened in 1948, celebrates its 60th birthday this year, so perhaps it's fitting that the school is set for a makeover.

In this case, it could be a big one.

The Pasco County School District plans major renovations at the school that could involve demolishing most of the buildings on campus and replacing them with essentially a new school.

That won't happen at least until 2009, though, when a new elementary school opens in the Connerton development off U.S. 41.

One plan is to move all 1,000 Sanders students to the new campus at Connerton for two years while the renovations take place, then move a portion of the students back to Sanders after new attendance boundaries are drawn in 2011.

Principal Jill Middleton said the teachers and students will remain in their current school for 2008-09. She said she expects to spend the coming school year planning for the move and talking with the community about what makes Sanders unique and what needs to happen to make a new building feel like it's still Sanders.

Sanders, on School Road off U.S. 41, has six decades of history in the community, and some of the students have parents and grandparents who also attended the school.

In Middleton's view, though, it's not the buildings that make Sanders.

"I think people understand the flavor of Sanders is the people who go there," Middleton said.

Behind The Times

Sanders was an A school in 2007 under the state's grading system.

Most of the buildings and the overall campus design aren't in as good shape as the academics, though. The air conditioning repeatedly has been repaired. The bus loop and the car loop weren't designed for the volume of traffic that comes to the school. The setup of the classrooms doesn't lend itself to a team-oriented teaching style. The campus doesn't drain well and has had flooding issues. The school also has 17 portable classrooms to hold an overflow of students.

Repairs on the old buildings are common. Middleton likened the situation at Sanders to an old car that needs repairs so often that, eventually, buying a new car becomes the least-expensive option.

Not much is happening with the district's plans for Sanders right now, Middleton said. School officials are awaiting a green light from the Florida Department of Education. School districts can't demolish a school without the department's approval.

Middleton said the department sent someone to inspect the buildings and make a recommendation.

The Sanders campus has about 15 permanent buildings along with the portable classrooms, Middleton said.

"Everything was added piecemeal over time," she said. "That's one of the reasons we're trying to get as many buildings demolished as possible."

The More, The Better

The more buildings that come down, the more room there will be to better configure a new structure on the site, Middleton said.

Not everything will come down, though. At least two of the newer buildings - the media center and a four-classroom pod - definitely will remain intact, she said.

The school held a meeting with parents in the spring to let them know about the changes that are in store for the campus and the possibility of the two-year move to Connerton.

The school's Web site also includes a link titled "The State of Sanders" that gives parents updates of developments and tries to quell rumors.

Chris Williams, the school district's planning director, said if the decision is made to keep more of the buildings at Sanders intact, it's possible students could remain on the campus during renovations.

Williams said the Connerton elementary school is being built for a capacity of about 760 students. If all 1,000 Sanders students end up moving there for two years, the Connerton school would need about 15 portable classrooms when it opens in 2009, he said.

Williams was a student at Sanders in the 1970s. He said he is fine with tearing the old buildings down because his memories are tied to the people, not the structure.

"I think it's a positive thing for that area to have a brand new school," he said.

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

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT