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Alafia Elementary Staff To Get Report On Principal

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

dlwhite@tampatrib.com

Published: November 7, 2008

VALRICO - A team of school district staff, administrators and guidance counselors who reviewed Alafia Elementary School Principal Ellyn Smith's leadership skills will report their findings to school staff Monday, Hillsborough County School District spokesman Stephen Hegarty said.

After parents aired concerns about Smith at an Oct. 7 school board meeting, Superintendent MaryEllen Elia sent a 16-member school district assessment team to the A-graded elementary school in Valrico on Oct. 21.

Hegarty said that he was one of the team members.

The visit was prompted by five parents who told the board the school is in crisis, with poor morale and high teacher turnover.

School board chairwoman Jennifer Faliero said the assessment team was asked to do a "fair, objective review." Faliero said the fact that Elia sent an assessment team shows she took the parents' concerns seriously.

"It's usually not a good thing to have an assessment team come into a school," Faliero said. "It indicates there is enough evidence to suggest there were things that were not working for this school, that there is just cause to go forward and look into it."

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524.

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