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State OKs Rescue Plans For 3 Local Schools

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By ADAM EMERSON

aemerson@tampatrib.com

Published: March 18, 2009

The state Board of Education on Tuesday approved rescue plans for three Hillsborough County schools that could shake up the faculty and staff if they fail to improve.
Sulphur Springs Elementary, Franklin Middle Magnet and Middleton High all have spent the past several months under the state's watch and have been considered to be among Florida's 12 worst-performing schools.

Superintendent MaryEllen Elia, however, said each school is showing signs of turning around. Her plan empowers her to replace principals and reassign teachers if test performance continues to deteriorate, but Elia says she has no plans to do that.

"Every indication we have is that all of our targeted schools are improving," Elia said.

The schools first gained attention last summer when the Florida Department of Education identified 13 of them for closure if they didn't improve.

One school, a Tallahassee middle school, is being closed. The steps Hillsborough is taking are similar to those under consideration in Broward, Miami-Dade, Escambia, Orange and Palm Beach counties.

When Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results are released around June, Elia and her staff will analyze the scores to see whether it's necessary to shake up the schools. Schools are wrapping up FCAT testing this week.

Any steps the schools take would be bankrolled mostly by federal money for low-income students.

The intervention plans are part of an experimental program called differentiated accountability designed to help Florida schools comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Schools on the intervention list have received D's and F's from the state for the past couple years. A school must get a D or higher and improve in at least one No Child Left Behind math or reading subgroup or its intervention plan will go into effect.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.

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