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No Good, All Bad And Ugly

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By STEVE OTTO

sotto@tampatrib.com

Published: January 11, 2009

At some point during a contentious night, Coleman Middle School Principal Michael Hoskinson said, "My job is to look at the opportunity, the good, the bad and the ugly."

Hoskinson is a good guy. By all accounts I have heard and seen in recent years, he has been one of the school district's real assets. One of my sons had Hoskinson as a teacher and he was excellent.

But on Wednesday night he was placed in an unfair position. He was asked to make a decision that had money on one side and possibly the long-term health of the school's students on the other.

On Friday he sent out a message to parents saying he had decided against allowing a cell phone tower on the South Tampa campus.

The issue is not new around here. Cell phone companies want to put up towers on school properties. They are big and they are ugly but they also are critical to the expanding use of that technology.

Hillsborough County school officials have allowed the towers on campuses for more than a decade, starting with one at McKitrick Elementary in 1997. Two years ago the district entered into an agreement with Collier Enterprises allowing the company to work with school principals. If the school agrees to a tower, it gets 40 percent of the profits and the district another 10 percent.

Eleven schools in Hillsborough County lease property for cell towers; two more have signed agreements and three more are considering placing towers on their campuses.

The Party Line

Most of the experts and regulating bodies suggest there is no evidence that long-term exposure near the towers is harmful.

From what I've read I tend to agree with them. If constructed with the proper safeguards, they appear to be benign.

But if I'm a parent there is no way I would put my child's safety in the hands of what a newspaper columnist thinks is safe. I can't explain how television signals work, much less explain the kinds of radiation floating around out there.

And I don't think it is an issue that a school principal can, or should, be asked to decide - especially when it is a matter that mixes money and safety.

Who Do You Trust?

I certainly wouldn't leave a decision that requires any kind of technical or medical expertise in the hands of the Hillsborough County School Board, which barely is capable of getting students transported safely to and from school, especially if one end of the decision had something to do with money.

Opponents of the Coleman Middle cell tower presented a petition with about 1,000 signatures. That demonstrates a lack of confidence in the proposal despite its promise of desperately needed money and better phone service.

Apparently there are no certainties in this. For all we know, in coming years everyone who uses a cell phone is going to have his ears fall off. I do know that these are decisions that never should be made by people who have to measure the risk to children with making a buck.

Michael Hoskinson made what seems to me the only decision possible. But it was a choice he should not have been forced to make.

For more Steve Otto go to TBO and hit keyword "Otto Graphs."

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