Construction could start right away if a suspected mold problem at Tarpon Springs Elementary warrants it.
By ROBIN STEIN
Published November 16, 2005
If there is a mold problem at Tarpon Springs Elementary School, the Pinellas County School District could replace it without delaying other construction projects, superintendent Clayton Wilcox said Tuesday.
First, however, school administrators have to figure out if that's necessary. They expect to have a better idea once they get a final report from an outside air testing specialist, perhaps as soon as today.
If scientific evidence turns up intractable problems, Wilcox said, he has found money in the budget to begin constructing a new school immediately.
Administrators closed the school's cafeteria and library in September after complaints about air quality from parents and teachers.
If tests for mold in the library come back positive, "that's probably the straw that breaks the camel's back as far replacing the school," Wilcox said.
Tarpon Springs Elementary is No. 15 on the district's list of schools due for replacement. Based on what Wilcox knows so far, he does not anticipate the air quality tests will necessitate what he called the "worst case scenario."
"I am not thinking we are going to have to empty that campus out," he told School Board members Tuesday.
Preliminary test results released this month indicated that conditions at the school were "generally favorable," suggesting that mold may not be the problem that many parents and teachers suspected.
But he acknowledged that other factors besides the test results could play into the district's decision about when to replace the school.
With the existing perceptions of the cafeteria, Wilcox said he doesn't see how the school could use it again. The district might have to look at an "accelerated plan" to replace the school, but nothing is set in stone.
In that case, students and teachers would likely be moved to a cluster of portables at Tarpon Springs Middle School while their new building is under construction. That would take 18 months to two years, he said.
"Is it fair to have kids go to school where the is no cafeteria, where there is no library?" Wilcox said. "My answer to that is no."
After school officials closed Tarpon Springs Elementary's cafeteria Sept. 22, students ate at their desks until portables were set up. About 20 parents have transferred their children to other schools.
School administrators expect there will still be some disruption to campus life even if Tarpon Springs Elementary does not have to be replaced on an accelerated schedule. The 53-year-old school will need some industrial cleaning, Wilcox said. The cleaning schedule will be designed to minimize disruptions, but students will be temporarily relocated to portables on a rotating basis, he said.
School Board members praised Wilcox for his handling of the issue but raised questions about why Tarpon Springs Elementary was No. 15 on the district's replacement list.
"I believe we have replaced some schools that are not as needy as some of these still on the list," board member Jane Gallucci said.
In particular, she took issue with the fact that Sunset Hills Elementary in Tarpon Springs was replaced before Tarpon Springs Elementary or Rio Vista Elementary in St. Petersburg.
"I would really like some answers," she said.
Wilcox warned that moving money around to rebuild Tarpon Springs Elementary out of order would be a one-time fix. Because the school district's budget is expected to get much tighter, he doesn't expect that he could do the same thing with other schools, he said.
Times staff writer Thomas C. Tobin contributed to this report. Robin Stein can be reached at 727 445-4157 or rstein@sptimes.com
