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Proposal: New zoning for 2 new schools?
By LOGAN D. MABE TAMPA PALMS -- Hillsborough County School Superintendent Earl Lennard will propose attendance zones for two new schools in Tampa Palms on Tuesday that will effectively split the Lutz community. After considering numerous alternatives offered by a committee of parents and educators, Lennard chose Liberty Middle School plan No. 1 and Freedom High School plan No. 2. Two plans were proposed for Liberty, while Freedom generated three plans. The Liberty zone includes the areas east of Highway 41 in the Lutz and Maniscalco elementary areas; West Meadows; Richmond Park; Clark, Chiles and McKitrick elementary areas; Witter Elementary north of Fowler Avenue and Miles Elementary east of Nebraska Avenue. The Freedom zone is the east side of Highway 41 in the Lutz and Maniscalco elementary areas; West Meadows; Richmond Park; Chiles, Tampa Palms and Mort middle school areas; the satellite block between Nebraska Avenue and 30th Street and between Fletcher and Fowler Avenues. School board members will have the final say when they vote on the proposals Tuesday at 6 p.m. at district headquarters, 901 E Kennedy Blvd. The public is welcome to comment, and a large and vocal crowd is expected. Many Lutz residents have been outspoken in their opposition to any plan that would send their children to the Tampa Palms schools. Now, Lutz middle school students attend Buchanan Middle and high school students go to Gaither High. But those schools are overcrowded, as are Benito Middle School and Wharton High School, which the New Tampa students now attend. Benito has more than 1,700 students -- 400 over its capacity. Buchanan has more than 1,200 students -- approximately 200 more than it was built for. Gaither, now off double sessions for the first time in years, has about 2,800 students -- 450 more than capacity. And Wharton has about 2,650 students -- approximately 400 over capacity. Liberty and Freedom are currently under construction and are set to open in August. Throughout the process, pupil assignment director Bill Person has emphasized that the plans are not final until the School Board adopts them. And board members have been known to sometimes wing it and modify plans at the last minute, he said. - Logan D. Mabe can be reached at (813) 229-5304 or at mabe@sptimes.com.
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From the Times |
