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Schools

Principal picked as director of school bus system

Clearwater High's Nick Grasso will oversee a department that has faced scrutiny after the deaths of two students and a shortage of bus drivers last winter.

By SHADI RAHIMI and THOMAS C. TOBIN
Published May 20, 2006

CLEARWATER - Nick Grasso, the principal of Clearwater High School, has been appointed the interim director of the Pinellas County school bus system.

Grasso is the third person in three years to oversee the department's $38.5-million budget and about 800 drivers and other employees.

The system has come under fire in recent years after the traffic deaths of two students, a severe shortage of bus drivers last winter and parent complaints about late and no-show buses.

Grasso said he will start his new position in mid June.

"I'm going in with an open mind," he said. "I'm going to hear and see exactly what goes on and then try to piece together how that works within our schools."

The assistant principal of Clearwater High, Steve Price, said he's sad to see his friend go, but hopes to see the system's shortage of bus drivers finally resolved.

"He's got quite a challenge to work through," Price said. "But if there's anybody that can do it, it's Nick."

Grasso, 46, has worked in schools for more than two decades and has been praised by school and city officials for his innovative attempt to address the achievement gap at Clearwater High by holding focus groups with black and Hispanic students.

School superintendent Clayton Wilcox said he chose Grasso because he is "a very good team builder."

Wilcox said Grasso will be expected to further the changes the former director, Tony Dzielski, put in place and to improve teamwork between drivers and schools.

Dzielski, 49, a retired Navy captain, resigned in March after less than a year on the job. His reason for leaving remains unknown.

Wilcox chose Dzielski last summer to replace outgoing transportation director Terry Palmer as part of a major reorganization of the district's bus system. It was in disarray after the traffic deaths of two students who were dropped off in violation of a district directive that children not be assigned to stops that require them to cross major roads.

Earlier this year, the district agreed to pay one of the families $1.2-million.

During his brief stint, Dzielski helped to set up a call center for parent concerns and streamlined the chain of command so driver complaints could be heard faster.

Grasso, whose experience with school buses lies mostly in interactions with bus drivers and supervisors, will be assisted by assistant transportation director Rick McBride and a staff of route specialists, Wilcox said.

Before Grasso became the principal of Clearwater High in 1995, he worked for years as an assistant principal, a teacher and a baseball coach.

One of the first things Grasso said he plans to find out is the "specific amount of training in dealing with youth" each employee has had, if any.

The search for a new principal for Clearwater High will begin with a meeting held with Area III superintendent Mike Bessette, the high school's improvement team and its Advisory Council.

The job will be posted within the school system, though outside candidates may also apply. Wilcox said he hopes to have a new principal by the start of classes Aug. 8.

If not, Wilcox said he will appoint an acting principal until the search is complete.

[Last modified May 21, 2006, 10:55:32]