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Pasco looks at moving middle school students

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By RONNIE BLAIR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 23, 2009

PORT RICHEY - A committee redrawing attendance boundaries for middle schools in west Pasco developed a tentative plan this week that would result in hundreds of children shifting schools in 2010.

The Pasco County School Board must approve the proposal before it becomes final. The board is expected to vote on the boundaries in the late fall.

Before that happens, parents will get a chance to ask questions or voice concerns at two parent meetings that will be held in late September or early October. Times and locations for those meetings have yet to be set.

The school board also must hold two public hearings before taking the final vote.

A committee of parents, principals and other district officials was charged with redrawing the boundaries.

The committee, which met for the second time Monday, came up with a proposal that would send some Bayonet Point Middle students south to Chasco Middle. In turn, some Chasco Middle students could be moved south to Gulf Middle.

The proposal also shifts a small group of River Ridge Middle students to Hudson Middle and sends some Hudson Middle students to Crews Lake Middle, which is well under capacity.

"That gives Crews Lake and Hudson roughly the same number of kids," said Chris Williams, the school district's planning director.

At the end of this school year, Crews Lake had 666 students and Hudson had 883.

Farther south, the committee's proposal would create a split that would affect which middle school Anclote Elementary students attend. All Anclote students now move up to Gulf Middle.

Under the proposal, Anclote Elementary students who live north of Moog Road would continue to attend Gulf Middle, but those who live south of Moog would attend Smith Middle.

"That gives Paul R. Smith [Middle] a few more kids," Williams said.

Williams said a member of the planning staff is working on a map of the proposed boundaries that will be placed on the district's Web site at www.pasco.k12.fl.us.

Usually, the school district redraws boundaries when a new school is opening. In this case, there is no new middle school in west Pasco, but the district has other reasons for changing the boundaries.

Enrollment at some of the middle schools is at or above capacity, while at other schools, such as Crews Lake, the number of students is well below capacity. The district hopes to create some balance.

Also, the district wants to try to better align middle school boundaries with high school boundaries. The goal is for all the students at a middle school to attend the same high school, though district officials concede that's not possible in all cases.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 259-7065.

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