School Board Approves New Attendance Zones

Hundreds of students will travel longer distances to school now that the Hillsborough County School Board has signed off on new attendance zones.

Despite the pleas from one board member, who said parts of the plan didn't make sense financially, the board approved new boundaries today that will shuffle more than 2,000 students.

The changes sprang from the anticipated August opening of Stowers and Bailey elementary schools and Barrington Middle School in the eastern part of the county.

More will follow. Administrators are meeting this week with families about contentious high school changes proposed in northern Hillsborough County, and they have assured the community they intend to relieve more crowded schools in the coming years.

But some attendance zones approved today appeared illogical and threatened to inconvenience families, said Jennifer Faliero, a school board member who challenged how some of the maps were drawn.

Some families will drive by two elementary schools to get to Stowers Elementary, which was supposed to open next to a housing development that, because of the souring real estate market, never got built.

"Does it make financial sense to run them eight miles?" Faliero said.

One parent said no. Hector Crespo, who has a second-grader at Fishhawk Creek Elementary in Lithia, told the board he would drive an extra 30 minutes and pass two other elementary schools before reaching Stowers.

The rest of the board, however, agreed with the district superintendent, who said it's critical to relieve crowded schools as strict class-size rules take effect next year.

There also is the potential for future growth there, Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said.

As the board approved the new boundaries, its members also learned from Elia some good news and bad news about the economy.

A stimulus package for schools nationwide could generate $143 million in federal aid for Hillsborough County during the next two years. The money could be used for school renovations and technology upgrades, among other needs.

It would not, however, fill the gap left by state budget cuts. The school district still may have to save $27 million by June, and Elia said she plans to unveil how she'll do that during the next two months.

Meanwhile, school officials say they can save $179,000 in transportation needs, mostly by reducing overhead and establishing offices that can more efficiently take questions about bus routes.

Deputy Superintendent Ken Otero also said the district will change no bus routes until 2010.