Tampabay: Schools to open a year early

Schools to open a year early

Rapid growth in New Tampa is forcing the School Board to open two new schools just south of the Pasco County line.

By JOHN BALZ, Times Staff Writer

Rapid growth in New Tampa is forcing the School Board to open two new schools just south of the Pasco County line.

TAMPA -- Faced with a rapidly expanding population in New Tampa, Hillsborough school officials will open two new schools in the area a year early.

Unnamed elementary school "W" and middle school "OO," part of the same campus in the Live Oak Preserve just south of the Pasco border, will both open in the fall of 2004 instead of 2005.

Officials decided that speeding up the construction was necessary to meet the growing need for classroom space in New Tampa.

"Our days of dragging 18 to 20 portables onto a campus as a stopgap measure are over," said William H. Person, director of pupil administrative services for Hillsborough County School District. "Our solution to overcrowding is to build more schools."

The newly opened Freedom High and Liberty Middle schools have eased some space concerns, but crowding at elementary schools will soon be a serious issue. Already, Pride Elementary School in Cross Creek is over its 895-student capacity and Clark Elementary School in West Meadows is at 92 percent of its 941-student capacity.

The Heritage Isles subdivision near the intersection of Cross Creek Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road is in the early stages of expanding, which could add to the desk crunch. Also, the city of Tampa recently annexed K-Bar Ranch into its limits, and home building in Live Oak could begin after the new year.

"W" will help relieve overcrowding at Clark. Another elementary school in Heritage Isles, dubbed "S," is scheduled to open in the fall of 2003 to help relieve crowding at Pride.

Construction costs are $9.8-million for the new elementary school and $18.1-million for the middle school, said Jill Lemons, property manager for the Hillsborough County School District.

"S" is expected to hold 940 to 960 students and "OO" is expected to hold about 1,375 students. The school site will be on the east side of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Officials will begin drawing boundaries for the two new schools next spring, said Person.

-- John Balz can be reached at (813) 269-5313 or at balz@sptimes.com