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Schools
Freedom, Chiles principals will have to retire
A state program entices senior education employees to move on.
By Amber Mobley, Times Staff Writer
Published February 29, 2008
TAMPA PALMS Freedom High School will lose the only principal it has known at the end of the school year. Longtime educator Richard Bartels "will no longer be the principal after June," he recently confirmed with the St. Petersburg Times. Bartels, 59, is one of two New Tampa principals who will leave their posts because of the state's Deferred Retirement Option Program, or DROP, in which employees who reach retirement age or 30 years of employment agree to retire within five years. Created in 1998, DROP was designed to help give younger, lower-paid employees a chance to advance by encouraging senior employees to retire with enhanced benefits. Chiles Elementary School principal Sharon Beaubien, 61, also plans to retire at the end of the school year because of the program. "I went into DROP a little too early," Beaubien said. "I'm not really ready to go." According to the program rules, though, she cannot remain as principal. Beaubien and Bartels said they may look for work in the private sector or look for other positions in the school system. Bartels was principal at King High School before leading Freedom when it opened in 2002. With 36 years of service to the school system, Bartels retired and was reappointed at Freedom in 2006. Consistently a B-rated school, Freedom has had some difficult times, as has Bartels. - Freedom made national news in 2004 when several students were suspended after displaying flags of Colombia and Puerto Rico during Hispanic Heritage Month and again in 2007 after locking most restrooms during class in response to vandalism. - In May 2005, Bartels' wife of nearly 34 years, Nancy, a longtime counselor and teacher, died of a virus suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 57. Later that year, Bartels Middle School was named in her memory. - The school received positive attention in October, when first daughter Jenna Bush visited to speak to students about her work with UNICEF. - In the athletics department, the news was not so good. Athletic director Jose Couret asked for a transfer in September. In the middle of a losing season, the football team faced five player suspensions and more than $1,000 in Florida High School Athletic Association fines for a fight during a game. Head football coach Marquel Blackwell was disciplined after a verbal argument with another teacher, and parents from the girls volleyball team attacked Bartels' leadership in angry e-mails. Amber Mobley can be reached at amobley@sptimes.com or 813 269-5311.
[Last modified February 29, 2008, 02:03:30]
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by B.A.
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03/04/08 11:17 AM
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Was Sue involved? no. I was! My kids are out of Freedom now but I know positively one parent was ASKED by the school to be communications liaison THATS why she was involved - there were NO angry e-mails, just FACTS and Bartels ignoring ALL parents.
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by D.O.
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03/03/08 03:44 PM
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It is about time Bartels leaves FHS. He has done more harm than good and didn't care about anyone but himself. Guess who would jump into his z4 at 2:30pm and leave all the schools' worries behind?!
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by MJP
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03/03/08 12:04 PM
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To Sue - chose to pull my kids from this school with its barbaric head administrator. Couret transfered because he refused to work that way. And as paid by tax dollars, does anyone agree Bartels can refuse to speak to parents as he has for years?
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by A
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03/03/08 11:50 AM
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AGREED it is high time Bartels hits the road. He is directly responsible for creating MANY problems at FHS.
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by K
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03/01/08 02:49 PM
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Bartels has inhibited the progression of the girls volleyball program for years. And it was not just ONE, but MANY parents that were frustrated. Understand the facts before you pass judgment.
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by J
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03/01/08 06:52 AM
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How did an article about the DROP program turn into Freedom High School bashing? Mr. B is a good guy. So what if his students did some not so nice stuff. He is the Principal, not their parent. This article does make a good argument to end bussing
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by Wally
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02/29/08 10:16 AM
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Its funny how Couret's "transfer request" ended up being a demotion; are you sure you have all the facts?
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by Steve
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02/29/08 09:25 AM
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Mr. Couret's departure from Freedom was certainly not initiated by him. The level of incompetence displayed had a lot more to do with it. Is he an athletic director in his new position? Check it out and stop trying making up negative press!
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by Bill
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02/29/08 09:21 AM
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Freedom also has nearly a 90% graduation rate and an extremely successful academic program; the consistently "B" rated school is a big accomplishment considering the demographic mix that includes "suitcase city."
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by Sue
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02/29/08 08:50 AM
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Ms. Mobley, did your fact checking consist of a google search? If you want to highlight the negative press Freedom has received at least get the facts right. ONE player's overzealous parents sent angry emails about the volleyball team.
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by K
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02/29/08 08:50 AM
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What does Mr. Bartels' wife's death have to do with his professional tenure? Shame on you for publishing such a personal matter.
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