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Schools

New school wings under evaluation

School Board members are looking at campuses' individual needs.

By LETITIA STEIN
Published November 10, 2006

TAMPA - Clark Elementary is slated to get a new wing that will add 12 classrooms. The concern: Ten of them may not be needed if the school doesn't grow as expected.

The Hillsborough County School Board reviewed projections for Clark's proposed wing Thursday night and for some of the other wings scheduled at 45 schools.

At Clark, district officials are confident that growth in the New Tampa area will fill the proposed classrooms. Most of the other projects that were discussed would still leave schools short on needed space. But administrators pledged to keep evaluating as they move forward with the planned additions.

"If things change, we'll be flexible and change with them," said Cathy Valdes, the district's chief facilities officer.

School Board members spent nearly an hour discussing the wings. The attention followed a Times investigation that found many schools that recently added classroom wings now have a large number of empty seats.

In some cases, wings moved forward despite enrollment drops at the schools.

In the past, School Board members said they weren't informed of the changes at specific schools. Thursday night, they asked many questions before approving design teams. This marks the first step in a lengthy planning process. Projects still can be changed in the coming months.

"We're trying to do the best we can right now with what we have," School Board member Jennifer Faliero said. "Some of this is up to a crystal ball."

In other action:

-Discussion on a new travel policy for board members was deferred until a workshop Tuesday. The board doesn't have a clear policy. Board member Susan Valdes has far outspent the others in out-of-county travel.

-Madeline Ruiz-Soto, a teacher at Edison Elementary, was suspended without pay after her arrest last month on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Letitia Stein can be reached at lstein@sptimes.com or 226-3400.

[Last modified November 10, 2006, 07:00:00]