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Board picks Renaissance Center site
By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
INVERNESS -- Despite continuing safety concerns voiced by residents, the School Board voted Tuesday to buy a Lecanto land parcel on which it will build a permanent home for the Renaissance Center. In separate action, the board voted to begin the purchase process for a 120-acre parcel at Deltona and Citrus Springs boulevards in Citrus Springs for use as a high school site in the future. The Renaissance Center's future home is a 22-acre parcel priced at $436,800. It is adjacent to the Citrus County jail and the Withlacoochee State Forest. Also nearby is Cypress Creek Academy, a state lockup for juvenile offenders who have committed serious offenses. Area resident Donna Jean De Simone has gathered more than 1,000 signatures from people in the area concerned about the school's proposed location. De Simone argued that the location poses serious safety concerns because of the criminal lockups in the area. "What will our school system do to ensure the safety of our students if there is a breakout?" she asked, noting that a property so close to harm "is a poor site for any school." She also noted that the students would be stigmatized by being located so near the jail. The Renaissance Center serves middle and high school students who have been disruptive at their home school. Since the school opened six years ago, it has been housed in temporary quarters in portable classrooms behind the District Services Center in Inverness. Last year the School Board expressed its support for finding a permanent home for the school. It also moved to expand the program so it could serve more disruptive students and provide a new regimen for students who now face expulsion for minor and first-time violations of the zero tolerance policy. Board Chairwoman Sandra "Sam" Himmel said she could not support the purchase site. Not only was it far from potential job sites, she said, but the district should consider taking advantage of unused classroom space in the 700 building at the Withlacoochee Technical Institute. That facility could handle 200 or more students but houses just a tenth of that, she said. Board member Pat Deutschman said she had lingering safety concerns, but after seeing the property and talking to many people, she could not see an immediate safety concern. Deutschman asked Renaissance Center principal David Cook if he was worried about the safety issue. "It's something we need to be aware of as we prepare our school safety plans . . . but I don't have any qualms about it," Cook said. Deutschman asked the same question of superintendent David Hickey. He told the board he would not have recommended the site if he didn't feel confident the school would be safe there. Board member Patience Nave, a member of the Site Selection Committee, strongly supported the site. Ultimately, it was approved 4 to 1, with Himmel voting no. "I'm disappointed for the children," De Simone said after the decision. As for the future high school site in Citrus Springs, the target purchase price is $780,000. "We think we have found the perfect place," Nave said after explaining all the features the Site Selection Committee examined, ranging from access to environmental impact to utilities. The board considered whether it really needed 120 acres when 80 acres had been the target size for the school. Nave and fellow board member Ginger Bryant said they would like to see the larger property approved to accommodate future needs. Board member Lou Miele said he thought the price was a good one, so he was willing to go for the larger acreage. The extra property would mean spending $260,000 more, and that concerned Himmel. "It is a known fact that the budget is going to be tight this year coming from Tallahassee," she said. "I will not support buying 120 acres." Himmel was the sole dissenting vote on the purchase. In other board action Tuesday: -- During a closed hearing, the board expelled five students for violations of the district's zero tolerance policy, bringing the total for the year to 12. Those included a ninth-grade male student and an 11th-grade male student at Crystal River High School for possession of a controlled substance; a ninth-grade female student from Citrus High School for possession and sharing of a controlled substance; a ninth-grade male student from Citrus High School for possession and sale of a controlled substance; and a seventh-grade female student from Crystal River Middle School for possession of a controlled substance. -- The board approved Marlise Bushman as the new principal at Inverness Primary School. She has served as the school's assistant principal for the past several years and will replace Teretta Charles, who was recently appointed the new principal at Forest Ridge Elementary School.
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