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Schools

No F schools, Hillsborough chief vows

Elia tells the state Board of Education of efforts to turn around three elementaries that got that grade last year.

TALLAHASSEE - Hillsborough County school superintendent MaryEllen Elia made a vow Tuesday to the Florida Board of Education.

"We're not going to have any F schools," said Elia, who took over in July intent on turning Hillsborough's failing schools around.

Like nervous students waiting to see what grades they earned on their report cards, some Florida schools, including three in Hillsborough, are waiting to see how the state grades them.

And like some parents who punish their children for bad grades, the state Education Department says it will force schools that fail repeatedly to face consequences.

The state board on Tuesday approved suggestions from the Education Department to make schools that receive two F's in four years choose from four reform plans.

"The school board is going to have to make a decision about how to turn these failing schools around," said K-12 chancellor Cheri Yecke. "This is the No. 1 priority we see in K-12."

Grades could arrive as early as mid June, and at least eight schools in Broward, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough and Orange counties that received F's for the past school year could fail again.

If they do, they would have to choose a reform plan, including replacing the school's teaching staff, changing the grades and programs the school offers, closing and reopening the school with parental input or hiring a private contractor to operate the school.

Elia and other officials who spoke to the board about their struggling schools all said they had trouble finding qualified teachers to work there and that Florida's teaching shortage contributed to their failing grades.

To solve the problem, districts are recruiting retired educators in their areas and culling education colleges for talented graduates.

They, and the state's school boards association, also support Gov. Jeb Bush's recommendation to the Legislature to spend $40-million on teacher recruitment and retention.

"All of those things that get competent teachers into schools, we're supportive of," said Wayne Blanton, director of the Florida School Boards Association.

Blanton said he also hopes legislators will approve a number of measures that could help teachers by providing recruitment bonuses and housing subsidies.

"The bottom line is, a lot of these things are monetary," he said.

Elia detailed the reforms made at Just Elementary School, one of three Hillsborough schools to receive F's last year. The school, just west of downtown Tampa, was further from a D grade than the other F-scoring campuses, Potter Elementary and Edison Elementary.

She said Just already has implemented some of the reforms required of double-F schools.

The district hired a new principal as well as numerous teachers. It provided special training to teachers and offered extra tutoring to kids who were behind.

Elia and Just principal Tricia McManus both said they are hopeful the school will not earn a second F this year.

"We've been working very hard, focusing everyone's attention on the F schools," Elia said after the board meeting. "We put a new focus on the school."

[Last modified April 19, 2006, 01:57:07]