Tampabay: School Board sets up increase in tax rate

LARGO -- The Pinellas County School Board on Tuesday capped the property tax rate at $8.49 for each $1,000 in taxable property value. If adopted, it would be a 0.7 percent increase over this year's rate of $8.43.

Someone with a $100,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption would pay about $636.75 for schools, up several dollars from about $632.25 last year. That assumes the value of the house remained the same both years.

The school tax is just one part of your tax bill.

The budget was presented at a public hearing, which drew five speakers. One asked for the district to fully fund an in-school suspension program at Largo High School, and one speaker wondered why the district keeps raising taxes and spending money on special programs.

Two teachers also spoke, with one criticizing how schools are designed and another lamenting that her classroom budget last year at Meadowlawn Middle School was only $150 for 160 students.

But board members passed the tentative 2001-02 budget without making any changes. Final approval is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 11.

In other news, the School Board:

Suspended a veteran Riviera Middle School teacher, Reginald K. Reese. District officials would not explain why they are disciplining Reese or release records about him, citing a state statute that provides for the sealing of certain criminal records.

Superintendent Howard Hinesley had recommended that Reese be fired, but Reese requested an administrative hearing into the matter so he will be suspended effective Wednesday until the hearing process is complete.

Approved the opening of a new charter school, Love of Learning, for "emotionally and creatively advanced" students. Love of Learning will try to open this fall for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders, sharing a building with the Athenian Academy on Curlew Road in Dunedin.

Also, board members agreed that Athenian Academy, a fledgling Greek language immersion charter, can begin offering Spanish immersion instruction. Adding Spanish is the school's attempt to draw more students. Right now, 40 are signed up for the 2001-02 school year.

Approved an agreement with the Boy Scouts of America to use 79 schools for registration events. Board member Linda Lerner raised questions about the lease and the types of announcements the scouts could make in schools because of their policy of excluding gays in their ranks.

The school district has a policy that prohibits harassment or discrimination in hiring because of sexual orientation.

The agreement is for five years. Lerner and board member Jane Gallucci, and two residents, urged the board to approve only a one-year lease because of continuing debate about the scouts' policies. Other board members supported a five-year lease because the district has the power to cancel the contract without cause with 30 days notice.

Established a committee that would hear appeals by second-semester seniors who have been suspended and reassigned to an alternative school but would like to be able to walk in their June graduation ceremony. Students who are disciplined for drug or alcohol offenses will not be allowed to appeal to participate in graduation.

The policy was created in response to a controversial case involving several baseball players at Palm Harbor University High School. In that case, two seniors were suspended for 10 days and reassigned to an alternative school after holding down a teammate during a rough-housing incident on a team trip.

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