Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning is calling for big changes in the district to put a greater focus on student achievement and to help plug a $23 million budget hole.

The superintendent, elected in November, is facing his first round of budget cuts in a district that has faced giant deficits every year for six years. The cumulative impact has been $144 million in cuts with $53.2 million in actual cuts and about $91 million covered by nonrecurring revenue.

In announcing the reorganization, Browning said the district must put students first in setting its priorities.

He announced the series of changes he plans to make in a podcast to district employees:

—Cutting 56.5 media specialists and 33 literacy coaches

—Staffing school media centers with a media technology assistant

—Consolidating the Instructional Media and Technology Department into other departments

—Reviewing the organization of the Office for Teaching and Learning with a probable reallocation of positions

—Reducing staff in Adult Education, which will affect 10 high school adult secretary positions

—Moving administrators to different schools

—Consolidating ESOL resource and ESE staffing and compliance positions, which will cut 10 ESOL positions and 10 ESE staffing and compliance jobs while changing the way those services are delivered to schools

—Reducing staff as a result of the consolidation that has occurred in student services and exceptional education

—Closing Quail Hollow and Shady Hills elementary schools to enable renovations; while that work is being done, teaching staff will follow students; there will not be enough positions at those schools for the administrative and noninstructional personnel, so the district’s layoff/recall process will be used for those employees

At the same time, the district is planning to create a new position that would combine the functions of literacy, media and technology aimed at meeting the needs of 21st century learners, said Linda Cobbe, district spokeswoman. Plans call for creating 30 openings for that position.

Estimated savings from cutting the media specialists and literacy coach is about $5.6 million, Cobbe said. The district also would save about $1 million from cutting the compliance positions.

Adding savings achieved from those cuts to the operational savings that result from closing Shady Hills and Quail Hollow brings the total savings to about $8 million, Cobbe said.

When Browning announced the reorganization, he told district staff, “I know this will be hard for some of you to hear.”

But he went on to say, if the district wants what is best for kids, “we all must put aside our natural tendencies to resist change.”

While Browning has the authority to hire, fire and assign district staff, the school board will weigh in on his plan when they approve its budget.

School board chairwoman Cynthia Armstrong and board members Joanne Hurley and Alison Crumbley said they want more information about the total budget picture before taking stands on specific issues.

“I always like to keep an open mind until we go through the budget workshops,” Armstrong said. “It’s fairly early in the budget process.”

Crumbley said she wants to get a handle on the bigger picture before making any decisions.

“Whatever I decide, it’s going to be what’s in the best interest of our students,” Crumbley said. “At this point, I’m still in the information gathering stage. I don’t even have the final numbers.”

Armstrong said much of what Browning is proposing is an attempt to grapple with the district’s budget shortfall.

“I’m going to reserve judgment until there is more discussion,” Hurley agreed.

The board will have many opportunities to discuss Browning’s proposals during budget workshops, Hurley said. “We will raise issues that are important to us.”

Hurley noted that the district has been cutting its budget every year, and the consequences are painful for employees, their families and students.

“Every decision that we make is more than a dollar and cents decision,” she said. “It’s a people decision.”

Hurley said she hopes people whose positions are cut will be able to find another spot in the district as jobs are vacated.

The budget position may change based on actions in the Florida Legislature, Crumbley said: “We may be getting more funds, so that’s going to affect the bottom line.”

Board member Steve Luikart said Browning appears to be making progress on his goal of being more efficient with fewer people: “I think he’s headed in that direction.”

But he doesn’t like Browning’s plan to move the media specialists out of the schools.

“I’m an old-school guy,” Luikart said. “Those people are very important to the school. They play a valuable role.”

Kris Keppel, a media specialist at Land O’ Lakes High, said he was joined by numerous people at a school board meeting who spoke for 75 minutes, urging board members to closely examine the services media specialists provide before deciding on Browning’s plan.

Keppel thinks board members would benefit from a media center field trip to find out firsthand the vital role they play at schools. He added that he and his colleagues do far more than simply help students conduct research and locate materials.

Media specialists help teachers with all sorts of technology needs. They also promote a love of reading, Keppel said, adding that reading comprehension is fundamental to academic success.

The school board should consider this issue from “the inside out, not the outside in,” Keppel said. They should listen to students, teachers and administrators to get a true picture of the role media specialists play in helping students learn, he added.

Browning noted that most, if not all, of the media specialists and literacy coaches are certified teachers, and he thinks they will be offered classroom teaching jobs.

Keppel, who has been a media specialist for 26 years, said he could make the transition back to teaching, but it would take quite a bit of preparation.

He wouldn’t be in the unemployment line, he said, but shifting the media specialists into teaching roles isn’t quite as simple as it sounds.

 

Budget workshops

The Pasco County School Board has scheduled a workshop on board policies, the budget and the Affordable Care Act’s impact on the school district at 9:30 a.m. on April 2.

It also has set a budget workshop at 4 p.m. on April 16.

The workshops will be in the television studio in Building 3 at the District Office Complex, 7227 US 41 in Land O’ Lakes.

 

 

 

By Jeff Odom

 

Hundreds of area residents gathered at the old Lutz Train Depot and Civic Center March 23 for the first of four celebrations to commemorate the town’s upcoming 100th birthday.

The event, dubbed Centennial Concert in the Park, featured 18 different food trucks and vendors as well as performances from the Steinbrenner High Entourage and Gaither High Showcase chorus groups. Artifacts and memorabilia were displayed for attendees inside the civic center from groups, including the now-defunct Lutz Volunteer Fire Association and 63-year-old Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

The centennial celebrates the approval of a request a century ago for a U.S. Post Office in the town formerly known as North Tampa. To alleviate confusion with the city of Tampa’s post office, the federal government named it after the Lutz train depot.

Janet Hardy, who serves on the Lutz Centennial Committee, helped organize the three-hour event.

“It was all the Lutz Centennial Committee, and we’ve been meeting since last fall to work on planning and putting together this event,” Hardy said. “Our whole objective is to put on an event to help celebrate Lutz and its hundredth anniversary.”

Other upcoming celebrations include the annual Lutz Independence Day celebration and parade, the Taste of Lutz in the fall and a rebirth of the once-annual Christmas Card Lane, which will take place in December.

Hardy was thrilled to see so many people come out and show their support.

“People are getting around here and in the (civic center) to see the real history of Lutz, and they’re talking to people that have been here (forever),” Hardy said. “It’s also really good to see so many families taking advantage of this and saying, ‘Hey, this is where you’re growing up and this is where I lived back when I was a kid.’”

Hardy added that events like these help the younger generation of Lutz residents understand the area’s history and to remember those who played a role in building it into what it is today.

“We have second generation people here and even third generation people, too,” Hardy said. “It’s crucial for (younger) kids to see this, especially in this day and age where everything is so immediate with the gratification and some don’t care about the history. … This way it keeps the history of Lutz alive for generations to come.”

For more information on upcoming events, go to Facebook.com and search Lutz Centennial 100th Anniversary Celebration.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Superintendent Kurt Browning has recommended the termination of Anna Falcone, principal of Connerton Elementary in Land O’ Lakes.

Falcone was placed on administrative leave March 22, pending the Pasco County School Board’s action on Browning’s recommendation.

Aimee Boltz will serve as acting principal until a permanent replacement is named.

Browning called for Falcone’s dismissal based on allegations that she breached confidentiality and had been insubordinate, according to a district release.

The breach of confidentiality related to a climate survey conducted in February at every school in the district that posed questions about school culture, communication, collaboration and other topics, said Linda Cobbe, district spokeswoman.

The questionnaires were filled out by staff, students and parents, and those completing them were assured their names and responses would be kept “strictly confidential,” Cobbe said.

At least three administrators told Falcone she could not have access to the names of school staff members who responded to the survey, but she got that information “under-handedly,” the release states. Individual responses were not compromised.

Browning said it was brought to his attention “that Mrs. Falcone persisted in seeking confidential information after repeatedly being denied the information by her superiors. … I cannot and will not tolerate such insubordination, especially when it brings into question the integrity of this school system.”

After previous complaints about Falcone’s leadership, former Superintendent Heather Fiorentino transferred an assistant principal and gave staff members the option to transfer to other schools.

Browning also said, “We were working with Mrs. Falcone to address parental and staff concerns by assigning a principal coach and providing additional supports from the district. Unfortunately, her actions related to the surveys constitute insubordination, violate district policy and may violate the educator code of ethics.”

Falcone started her career in Pasco schools an as intermediate teacher at San Antonio Elementary. She was an assistant principal at Pine View Elementary before being appointed as principal at Sanders Elementary, both in Land O’ Lakes.

She took leadership of Connerton when Sanders closed and the students, faculty and staff moved to the Land O’ Lakes school when it opened in 2010.

An attempt was made to reach Falcone by email at the school on March 22, but it was unsuccessful.

—Editor Kyle LoJacono contributed to this story

 

 

By Don Trello

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

 

Veteran Wharton girls track and field and cross country coach Wes Newton faced the biggest challenge of his life as he laid in a hospital bed eight months ago wondering if he would be paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Newton, 65, suffered a severe spinal cord injury after falling 12 feet off a ladder while cutting tree branches with a chain saw on his land in Brooksville.

“My wife (Laura) found me and called 911, and they drove me to Tampa General Hospital where I wanted to go,” Newton said. “It took two hours from the time I fell and was found for everything.”

Seven days passed before doctors were able to operate on Newton to repair the damage to his spinal cord.

“I had a heart attack in 2008 after a 3-mile run and had a stint put in and was taking blood thinner medication,” Newton said. “My blood had to thicken up before they could operate.”

The operation was a success as doctors replaced a damaged vertebra with a cage-like device, but Newton was unsure of what faced him.

“I laid there for two weeks, and it was very hard; I was worrying,” Newton said. “The spinal cord unit is set up in small cubicles, and there was a guy next to me who fell off a roof and landed on his head and was paralyzed from the neck down. … They give you a Christopher Reeve book, and I thought this was going to be me. I thought I’d rather be dead.”

Reeve was the Superman actor who became quadriplegic after being thrown from a horse in 1995. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair on a breathing device before he died in 2004.

“But I said to myself, I’m tough enough to make it out of here,” Newton added. “The mental aspect has a lot to do with it.”

Newton was moved to the rehabilitation unit where he began the process of regaining strength and use of his body. He completed rehabilitation quickly and was released from the hospital 25 days after surgery.

“I was determined I was going to recover,” he said. “If they asked me to do five of something I would do 15. There were times when I was frustrated, but I made steady progress.”

Newton completed rehabilitation at home following a strict routine that included four hours of exercise seven days a week.

“I could have never, ever, ever done what I did without my wife,” Newton said. “She took care of me, but she didn’t give me any slack. She’s been a tremendous person for me.”

Newton’s successful recovery culminated with the resumption his teaching and coaching duties at Wharton.

“I took a medical leave for a half a year and was supposed to return January 22 of this year,” said Newton, who teaches chemistry honors classes, “but the neurologist cleared me to return, and I was back after nine weeks.

“It was a happy day, but the first week I was beat,” Newton added. “I slowly regained my stamina, and if I had to rate myself I’m probably 90 to 95 percent of where I should be. There isn’t anything I can’t do now that I could do before the accident.”

Wharton senior hurdler and sprinter Mikayla Barber feels Newton’s return to the track has been inspirational to her and her teammates.

“It’s very motivating when I see coach back after the accident,” Barber said. “You don’t let anything knock you down.”

Newton’s injury occurred when he was clearing low hanging branches on an oak tree so lumber could be delivered for a cabin he is building on his property.

“I always wanted to build a log cabin, and we decided to build it,” Newton said. “We will probably move into it in the next three weeks.”

Newton plans to continue teaching and coaching for at least the foreseeable future.

“They keep turning on the hose and sucking you back in,” Newton said about his decision to continue working. “Wharton will be getting a synthetic track soon and that keeps me in the track arena. It’s difficult to retire when you coach because every year somebody who will be good shows up. The longer you do it, the harder it is to step away from it.”

 

Steinbrenner grad Sammy May’s battle with leukemia

 

By Jeff Odom

 

Former Steinbrenner baseball player Sammy May stood by the mound Feb. 12 inside a stadium he had played in countless times.

It was like being home again, but this time was different.

His old pinstriped jersey and blue cap were replaced by a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. His blonde hair, short from months of painstaking chemotherapy, shined brightly under the lights.

For once, his thoughts weren’t on battling cancer or upcoming procedures at the hospital.

They were on one simple pitch.

With the spotlight on him, time seemed to stand still.

“Just throw a strike,” May told himself.

And he did — right down the middle.

***

May was diagnosed with adult T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia last July while attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York. He had earned a congressional appointment to attend the college, along with a baseball scholarship to continue his career.

After dealing with a persistent cough during boot camp, he visited a clinic on campus for a checkup and was told to immediately go to the hospital.

That’s when his life changed forever.

Doctors found a large mass in his chest and diagnosed him with cancer days later.

His best friend and current Steinbrenner infielder Brad Miller remembers getting the phone call that broke the news.

“I don’t know if everything happens for a reason, or some things are better to come, but it was heartbreaking for that to happen,” Miller said. “He was following his brother (Davey) to the Merchant Marines, and just to have that dream stopped was heartbreaking.”

May soon began treatment and was forced to stay at North Shore University Hospital in New York for more than month. At his side were his parents Dave and Debra and his brothers Davey and Jeff, who is an assistant on the Land O’ Lakes baseball team.

Miller said he stayed in contact with his friend as much as possible to let him know people were praying for him.

“I would call him or Skype him every night just to make sure he was in good spirits and to make sure he knew someone was there for him when he needed them to be,” Miller said.

***

Back home, family friends began to organize fundraisers and sell rubber bracelets to pay his medical bills.

Former teammates, coaches, friends and even complete strangers came by the dozens to support May at various events.

His favorite country music artist Brantley Gilbert gave him a call and sent him autographs and albums to keep his spirits up.

Fourth-year Warriors baseball coach John Crumbley came up with an idea of wearing special camouflage jerseys to honor his former outfielder’s love of the outdoors.

May, whose No. 20 uniform was not issued this season in honor of his battle, got one too.

“We had an opportunity in the summer leagues to try and honor him with a set of jerseys to wear with his typical camo lettering, and now we’re trying to get approval to wear them throughout the season,” Crumbley said. “Our parents and coaches have been heavily involved in different types of fundraising that people in the community have put on. … All of that shows the connection and support from us to the May family and Sammy.”

Crumbley, the longtime Jesuit coach, had Dave on staff as an assistant the past three years and coached Davey while at the helm of the Tigers. His main priority was making sure he was at the families’ side as much as possible.

“I’ve known them way farther than just at school or as a parent,” Crumbley said. “We’ve been on many baseball trips together to the College World Series, and that’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to help people, and hopefully we’ve all done a pretty good job, and hopefully we can continue to be there for him.”

May was amazed when he found out how much Steinbrenner was doing for him.

“It makes me feel honored to know that I have so many people behind me and supporting me,” May said. “It gave me a lot of strength, and I was astonished at how many people contacted me from Steinbrenner. They talked to me for hours on end just if I ever needed to talk to somebody, and they really comforted me when I was in a time of need.”

After months of radiation therapy, his strength has begun to return, and he’s back to his usual routine of bass fishing, hunting and, of course, watching baseball.

Crumbley surprised him before the home opener against King and asked if he would like to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Of course, his answer was yes.

***

A smile flashed across May’s face after the ball hit the glove of Steinbrenner catcher Jesse Haney.

All around him, fans were cheering as his former teammates mobbed him on the mound.

He hugged his brothers, his mother and his father and took one last look before leaving the field.

“When I was at Steinbrenner, I never knew how many people were actually there for me,” May said. “I’ve been so inspired by everyone and I’m honored. I really am.”

—Follow Jeff Odom on Twitter: @JOdomLaker