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Parents Fret Over Principals

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By RONNIE BLAIR rblair@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 7, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - When teachers and parents decided they didn't like all the shifting around that's been happening with high school principals, they decided to ask the Pasco County School Board to intervene.

Already, principal transfers had affected Land O' Lakes, Mitchell and River Ridge high schools, a series of campus leadership switches that could be traced to a new school, Anclote High, opening in August.

"We did receive a lot of comment on this topic," board member Joanne Hurley said this week.

If the teachers and parents expected the board to put a halt to the game of principal musical chairs, they were disappointed. The board has limited say in these matters.

Under Florida law, the superintendent recommends a transfer, then the recommendation goes to the school board for approval.

Board members can't reject the recommendation just because they disagree with it, though.

There must be "substantial good cause," board attorney Dennis Alfonso said at a meeting this week where the board approved the latest of the transfers.

The Bay County School Board in northwest Florida found that out just last year.

In January 2008, the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the Bay County schools superintendent, who appealed when the school board rejected his recommendation to transfer a high school principal.
School board members wouldn't allow the transfer because they thought the move would be harmful to the principal's current school. The court said that wasn't a good enough reason.

The board could reject the transfer, the court ruled, only if there were questions about whether the principal could adequately perform the position he was being recommended for.

The great principal shift in Pasco County began when Monica Ilse, principal at Land O' Lakes High, decided to apply for the job at Anclote High in Holiday. She got the job, creating an opening at her school.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino decided to transfer Ric Mellin, principal at Mitchell High, to Land O' Lakes High. He starts at Land O' Lakes on March 23.

Fiorentino then recommended that Jim Michaels, principal at River Ridge High, be transferred to Mitchell. The board approved that move this week. The River Ridge job now must be filled.

Fiorentino said elementary schools have experienced the principal domino effect for years because of new school construction. Now that more high schools have opened in the past few years, the situation is happening at that level, she said.

Board member Kathryn Starkey said that, because Pasco is a growing district, some of the movement is inevitable. Still, she said she had concerns about Land O' Lakes High, because Mellin will be the school's third principal since 2003.

Assistant Superintendent Jim Davis said the Land O' Lakes situation, though, is just a matter of principals requesting moves because of new schools opening.

Former Principal Ray Bonti left to become principal at Wiregrass Ranch High in Wesley Chapel and now Ilse is leaving to take the reins at Anclote High.

Fiorentino said she likes to put experienced principals in charge of new schools.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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