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Hillsborough School Boundary Web Site Set Up

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: November 17, 2008

TAMPA - With attendance boundary changes coming to seven high schools, the Hillsborough County school district is directing parents to a new Web site where they can get questions answered.

Synopses from community meetings and comment forms for feedback will be posted at classsize.mysdhc.org.

There won't be a shortage of responses, if a recent meeting is any indication. About 100 people showed up Wednesday night at Gaither High School to hear about boundary changes spurred by two new high schools opening in August.

Ayers and Bill Lazarus, CEO of SeerAnalytics, introduced boundary procedures to more than 100 people at Gaither High School Wednesday. The school district and the Tampa company are working together to set boundaries for two high schools opening in August.

Steinbrenner High School in Lutz will draw from Freedom, Gaither and Sickles high schools, while students from crowded Alonso High School might fill opening slots at Sickles High. Strawberry Crest High School is under construction near Interstate 4 and McIntosh Road and would pull from Armwood, Durant and Plant City high schools.

When other schools opened, families first saw maps that showed which students would attend new schools. But this time, the district will save the maps for near the end of the process.

SeerAnalytics, the Tampa company helping the district set boundaries, is sifting through data on transportation, enrollment and diversity before suggesting options.

The school district will select a plan and draw maps to see which neighborhoods will be affected.

Parents at the Gaither meeting said they want the school district to keep neighborhoods together, where possible. Several parents urged moving all Lutz students to the same high school. Others wanted to know why crowded Chamberlain High would not get relief under the boundary changes.

More meetings will be scheduled before the school board votes on a plan. The district intends to set the boundaries early next year. Boundaries for two new elementary schools and a middle school also are under consideration, but SeerAnalytics is not involved.

After August, no new schools are expected until 2013.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503.

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