 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
School Board to pick plan for Tampa PalmsBy MELANIE AVE © St. Petersburg Times, published November 12, 2000 TAMPA PALMS -- After two years and much debate, the fate of a new Tampa Palms Elementary School now rests with the School Board. The school, being built west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, will either be a self-contained school or a second campus of existing Tampa Palms Elementary, an unusual format for Hillsborough County schools. Superintendent Earl Lennard has recommended the traditional alternative, with grades kindergarten through five. The School Board can either accept or reject that recommendation. The decision seems certain to anger one segment of the community or the other: a highly organized group of parents who have been pleading with the district to split the grades between the schools and keep the community united, or those less vocal parents who say such an arrangement would be less safe, more confusing and exactly the same academically. If the board decides to use the split-grades plan, it would be only the second pair of schools in the county to use such a configuration. Board Chairwoman Carolyn Bricklemyer said the New Tampa community has waited long enough. "We've had this hanging out there for a while," she said. "We need to make a decision one way or another." The School Board meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday at 901 E Kennedy Blvd. Debate has been marked by numerous meetings between school district staff and parents, fliers for and against the split plan and even an offer by some parents to raise more than $20,000 for buses to shuttle children between the campuses of a split school. "There are strong emotional feelings by all parents," Bricklemyer said. Despite the community dissension, Lennard said he has been heartened by the deep interest both sides have in the schools. It is a decision that will be made carefully, he said. "This is one of those issues I believe we have given a great deal of thought," he said. "We continue to give a great deal of thought to what will be in best interest of the students." Last week, several Hillsborough schools administrators met one last time with about 50 Tampa Palms parents in the Wharton High School cafeteria. Staffers told the parents they didn't know how the board will vote. Instead, they detailed the results of their survey of 39 schools around the nation that use a two-campus model. The survey showed the approach allowed greater focus on age-appropriate curricula, and that teachers and parents typically supported the format. But it also showed that communication between the campuses was a problem, as were higher busing costs. Hillsborough Deputy Superintendent Beth Shields said she's not sure how much can be learned from the other schools, in such places as Connecticut, Indiana and Arkansas, and most of which are in smaller districts, have the dual campuses located farther apart than the one mile separating the schools in Tampa Palms. "There's no situation they talked to that mirrors Tampa Palms," she said. "Tampa Palms is unique. "This doesn't tell you, us, what we really want to know." Parents said they plan to turn out in force Tuesday. "I'm still hopeful the district will see that our community has a very important need," said parent Terry Wolford, an organizer of the split-plan supporters, One Community One School. "But, I'm thinking right now, the district could be worried that this would be precedent setting. - Melanie Ave can be reached at (813) 226-3473 or melanie@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times |
