New school named for longtime legislator

The School Board makes it official near the anniversary of Doug Jamerson's death. He was also a former state education commissioner.

By KELLY RYAN GILMER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 17, 2002

LARGO -- Pinellas School Board members were ready last year to name a new St. Petersburg elementary school after Doug Jamerson, a longtime Pinellas legislator and former state education commissioner who died on April 21, 2001.

But the board's rules say a person must be dead for a year before the name can be used on a school building. So in August, the board postponed the decision.

On Tuesday, five days shy of the anniversary of Jamerson's death, the board gave its official approval in a unanimous vote.

"I have had several people in the community waiting for this to be done," said board Chairman Lee Benjamin. "We're very pleased to have Mr. Jamerson honored in this way."

Jamerson, who taught in Pinellas, will have his name on a new elementary school on 11th Avenue S. Last year, during a series of public meetings about school names, his name drew dozens of supportive letters and petition signatures.

The district is building Jamerson Elementary and two other schools as part of a settlement with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which sued the district in 1964 for discriminating against African-American children. The new elementary on 22nd Avenue S will be named for James Sanderlin, who filed the federal lawsuit that desegregated Pinellas schools. The new middle school will honor Thurgood Marshall, who as a lawyer won the U.S. Supreme Court case ending school segregation.

In other action, the School Board:

Trimmed the number of nonteaching job titles and consolidated seven pay scales into two. For years, raises for nonteaching jobs were given with little regard for a job's worth, its relationship to other district jobs, the labor market or a person's longevity. The new pay structure for noninstructional jobs aims to make salaries competitive and fair, and to help the district hire and keep qualified employees. It will cost $16.6-million to realign the salaries and reward tenure. The district expects to begin funding the changes in January.

Suspended for five days, without pay, Lakewood High School teacher John Waring, who was accused of making "sarcastic remarks to a female student concerning her appearance and intelligence." Board members were concerned about more than the sarcastic remarks. Waring has a history of unsatisfactory evaluations, and a high percentage of students are failing his class.

Superintendent Howard Hinesley and district investigator Michael Bessette said an improvement plan has been written for Waring. Board members wondered why it is not possible to fire Waring. Hinesley said Waring, who has been teaching since 1974, has a contract that makes firing more difficult than for more recently hired teachers.

Agreed that the Love of Learning charter school can change its location to 403 First Ave. SW in Largo. Love of Learning, for "emotionally and creatively advanced students," must enroll 60 students by July to open this fall.

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