Schools fill as fast as they can be built

Classrooms pack in 5,325 more students this year, with more coming. The ''baby boomlet'' has sparked a building boom.

By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 5, 2002

TAMPA -- There are enough new students in Hillsborough County schools this year to fill two high schools and one middle school to capacity.

And that growth, which has spurred an unprecedented amount of school construction and renovation over the last five years, shows no signs of slowing.

"We'll continue to work toward . . . making sure every student has a desk, room and noncrowded school," said school superintendent Earl Lennard.

It won't be easy.

According to the 20-day enrollment count released Wednesday, 5,325 more students are in Hillsborough classrooms this year than in 2001. That brings total enrollment to a record 171,399.

But even that number, which makes Hillsborough the 11th largest school district in the nation, is deceiving.

Another 1,000 to 1,500 students are expected to enroll in the next few months, said Gene Wieczorek, Hillsborough's director of planning.

The increase already has forced many schools to add teachers and classrooms, especially in the northwest and southeast areas of the county, which are growing fastest.

Unlike most new schools that begin their first year well below capacity, Bryant Elementary in Keystone and Cimino Elementary in Valrico are close to their maximum enrollments.

Cimino principal Sandra Frost has had to hire three teachers. Bryant has added four teachers and additional music and physical education classes.

Lunch at Bryant now begins 10 minutes earlier, at 10:15 a.m., and extends 10 minutes later to make sure all children have time to eat.

"I'm sure there will be more students," said Bryant principal Debra Veranth.

Because of the growth, the school district is in the midst of an aggressive building program. Eight new schools opened this year, the most since 1961. Over the next three years, 21 new schools will open.

"I think the growth is continuing because this is a vibrant community," Lennard said.

But Hillsborough isn't the only school district straining under the "baby boomlet" that has been swamping Florida schools and colleges since the mid 1990s.

Some Pinellas schools also are bursting at the seams. An extra 150 students showed up at Northeast High School this year, and Largo High School has 166 more students than expected.

-- Melanie Ave can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or melanie@sptimes.com.

Enrollment growth in Hillsborough schools

1997 to 1998: 2,316 students

1998 to 1999: 4,196 students

1999 to 2000: 4,351 students

2000 to 2001: 5,466 students

2001 to 2002: 5,325 students

-- Total increase:21,654 students

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