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Parents play a part in assigning pupils to schools
By SUSAN THURSTON
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA PALMS -- Setting attendance boundaries for new schools is never easy. Invariably, some students will have to switch and not everyone will like it. In the case of the new middle school and high school in Tampa Palms, some parents in Lutz want their children to stay put and oppose any plans to send them to New Tampa. "We live in Lutz. We want to keep our kids in Lutz," said Debbie Harrell, whose daughter attends Gaither High. "We aren't New Tampans and we don't want to be." A committee of representatives from across north Tampa has been meeting since June to hammer out proposals for the School Board to consider. Although nothing has been decided, one option involves sending some students from Lutz to Wharton or the future high school, referred to as "JJJ." The new high school and middle school, which is known as "JJ," are scheduled to open in August 2002 near the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Interstate 75. They are designed to ease crowding at Buchanan and Benito middle schools, and Wharton and Gaither high schools. Harrell says New Tampa is too far from Lutz, particularly for high school students who are driving to school for the first time. They also aren't familiar with the area. They are used to going to the University Mall or Citrus Park Town Center. Harrell attended a meeting Wednesday at Tampa Palms Elementary to hear what committee members had to say about various proposals. She and other concerned parents from Lutz planned to get together at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gaither to go over their objections. Committee member Denise Lasher, who lives in Lutz, acknowledged that making everyone happy will be difficult. Her goal is to keep neighborhoods together. "Without a doubt I understand that some Lutz kids will have to go to New Tampa for high school," she said. Lasher said she has no problem with her daughter's going to Wharton or the new high school. Her family attends church in New Tampa and has friends there. She also believes that children are more flexible than parents when it comes to switching schools. Lasher said that before making any recommendations the committee must identify how many students in Lutz would be affected and what the long-term costs of busing them to New Tampa are. "You have to look at what is practical," she said. "We spend a lot of money sending buses up and down the road." Transportation is among several issues the committee is considering as it draws the school lines. Others include race ratios, traffic, demographics, crowding in existing schools and community identity. -- Susan Thurston can be reached at (813) 226-3463.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times |
