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5 Pinellas Elementary Schools To Close

News Channel 8 photo by ERIC HAUSMANN

Students arrive today at Rio Vista Elementary School, one of five Pinellas County schools that will close this year.

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By YOLANDA FERNANDEZ

yfernandez@wfla.com

Published: January 14, 2009

Updated: 01/14/2009 10:06 am

LARGO - Disappointed parents and staff members tried to remain upbeat this morning at Rio Vista Elementary School, one of five Pinellas County schools that will close at the end of the current term.

"Disappointed at the school board's decision? Well, it's always disappointing when it comes down to it. But we fought to the end and we would've liked to have kept the school open," said Dale Milne, a behavioral specialist at Rio Vista. "At this point we have to accept their decision. Now is the time to accept it and move on and service the children."

School officials decided Thursday to close five elementary schools at the end of the current term. Four middle schools will combine into two.

Rosa Robinson's daughter has attended Rio Vista for five years. She said the closure won't directly affect her family, because her daughter is going to middle school next year. Still, the news was sad.

"This is a great school. Five years of great history for me and my child," Robinson said. "But I feel so sad for everybody else. We fought so hard ... What are you gonna do?"

Those cost-saving measures and others came as Pinellas school board members grappled with slashing $69 million to $82 million from the 2009-2010 budget. Eliminating the five schools and a sixth one that school officials last year targeted for closure, along with consolidating the four middle schools into two schools, will save about $6.2 million.

Gulf Beaches, Kings Highway, North Ward, Palm Harbor and Rio Vista elementaries will close. Clearview Avenue Elementary's closure was approved last year.

Southside Fundamental Middle will move to Madeira Beach Middle, and Coachman Fundamental Middle will move to Kennedy Middle.

To save more, the board tweaked a popular "grandfathering" policy that has allowed children to attend campuses outside normal school attendance boundaries. The school district no longer will provide bus transportation to and from school for those students.

Other budget-tightening measures include selling surplus school property, implementing a four-day summer work schedule and restricting travel by school employees, among other moves.

A final vote on those boundary changes is scheduled for Feb. 10.

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