Pinellas County school district officials never hid their intention to shutter some schools to cope with rapidly declining enrollment.
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick made it clear a year ago, announcing his plan to take a “strategic and comprehensive approach” to make more efficient use of the district’s space.
Yet when Hendrick unveiled his latest proposals a week ago, parents at some of the campuses recommended for change couldn’t believe it.
The biggest flashpoints emerged at Sexton Elementary in St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs Middle School.
“We weren’t on the chopping block,” Sexton parent Sarah Henley said at an information session at the school, which could close to make way for a YMCA.
Henley said she went to summertime presentations where Hendrick and others detailed the situation ahead, and “we were never mentioned once.”
Jordan Stovall, a mom at Tarpon Springs Middle, said she heard chatter about change in the summer. She, too, said she didn’t expect any moves so quickly, or one that could so dramatically impact the community by converting its only neighborhood middle school into a K-8 fundamental that does not offer buses.
“To see their school change and not be a community school anymore, I’m sure that’s heartbreaking,” said Stovall, who generally likes the proposal.
Then she raised a concern that many others across the county have broached: Will the school board, which is scheduled to vote on the package on Oct. 13, listen to alternatives?
“It may already be cut in stone,” Stovall said. “A lot of people think that.”
During town hall meetings at different schools, Hendrick and Jennifer Dull, the district’s chief of operations, told people who filled the cafeterias that they did not intend to change their recommendations.
Those are based on months of research and consider a variety of factors, including community demand, building age, proximity to other schools, enrollment trends and current capacity.
“But I don’t make the final decision,” Hendrick said to the gathering at Sexton.
If people want to ensure the school board gets their unfiltered thoughts and alternative ideas, Dull told the families at Tarpon Springs Middle, they can go online to submit feedback. The main question on the form is simply, “What is on your mind?”
Board members receive every comment, she said, noting several already had arrived.
And they’ve begun making an imprint.
“I value feedback from the community,” chairperson Caprice Edmond said after sitting through the Sexton presentation. “This is, for me, a great dialogue and discussion. I have lots of things I want to look into, not only at Sexton.”
Board member Lisa Cane, who sat through a session at Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary, which is set to relocate and expand into a K-8 on the middle school campus, said several comments gave her pause.
She pointed to one in particular, in which Tarpon Springs Fundamental parents viewed the idea of moving and growing their school as being in opposition to the program’s small-school principles.
“There could still be changes as we continue through the process,” Cane said.
Though dubious, several parents said they will press on.
“Most of the community that attended the (Sexton) meeting … walked away with more questions than answers,” said parent Katie Everson, who waved a “Save Our Stingrays!” sign with a QR code linking to a petition. “But that has motivated us to research and compile facts and data supporting our case to keep Sexton open.”
Sexton parents argue that the district targeted their campus, which has dropped to 47% usage, over other nearby schools with even lower numbers because of the YMCA’s interest. They suggested that the smaller schools merge into Sexton, which has enough space to absorb them, rather than splitting their children to attend the others.
Some noted that other YMCA facilities are within 3 miles and questioned the wisdom of closing a school that sits adjacent to a middle and high school while in other areas, the district is pushing the K-8 concept to keep communities intact.
“We don’t need another YMCA,” parent Brandi Moore said. “It concerns me because the next time it’s time to close schools, someone can come in and take their pick of properties and that’s the one we’re gonna close. We’ll just give the kids the older, more outdated facilities.”
When asked about the organization’s plans for the campus, Hendrick said he did not have a written proposal in hand. He added that Sexton got attention because it sits centrally among six under-capacity elementary schools along a six-mile stretch of 16th Street N, as well as being attractive to the Y.
People responding to a district survey indicated they wanted any closed schools to be used for a public good, Hendrick added.
In Tarpon Springs, meanwhile, parents, teachers and community leaders gave Dull several options to consider. They were not buying her explanation that Tarpon Springs Middle was the best option for a K-8 fundamental because it can house middle school sports while elementary schools do not.
If that were the case, they said, the district would not have placed K-8 schools at Oldsmar Elementary or the combined Walsingham-Southern Oak elementary campuses.
They suggested expanding the fundamental program at Tarpon Springs or Sunset Hills elementary schools, which also have ample space. If it has to be a K-8, some said, move it to Carwise or Palm Harbor middle, which are more centrally located for north-county families.
Parents from Tarpon Springs Fundamental said they never asked for changes to their program. They added that they had no complaints about the drive to Clearwater for the middle school fundamental program, despite the district’s suggestions that it was too far.
Turning the middle school into a choice magnet with added parental requirements proved the biggest turnoff.
Tarpon Springs Mayor John Koulianos called the proposal “absolutely wrong” after listening to Dull’s review. He planned to call school board members and other political leaders in an attempt to find a different approach to solving his area’s school enrollment woes.
He acknowledged it’s not his role to dictate educational programs. At the same time, Koulianos said Tarpon Springs is older than Pinellas County, and its residents have a familial community unlike any other in the area.
“I want all our kids to be able to grow up and stay in town,” he said. “We have plenty of facilities to make it happen. … I don’t want any of our kids displaced.”
The board will have its first opportunity to talk publicly about the plan after the town hall meetings when it meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The Tampa Bay Times Education Hub reports on Florida’s schools and universities and the students they serve. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.
