A committee working on proposed boundaries for Quail Hollow Elementary School has recommended changes that also would affect the boundaries of Veterans and Wesley Chapel elementary schools.
Quail Hollow is set to reopen next fall following a massive overhaul that included adding walls and doors to its formerly “open” school design.
Besides having a more traditional setting for learning, the school will accommodate more students and feature the same technology found in other Pasco County schools.
The students who attended Quail Hollow before it closed will be assigned to the school, said district planning director Chris Williams. After that will depend on what’s decided on the new boundaries for Veterans and Wesley Chapel schools, slated to be discussed at a community meeting Dec. 8 at 6 p.m., in the Wesley Chapel Elementary cafeteria.
The Pasco County School Board is expected to consider boundaries for Quail Hollow at its Jan. 20 meeting, and make a final decision Feb. 3.
The area that would shift from Veterans to Quail Hollow is bordered by Old Pasco Road on the west, Interstate 75 on the east, and Wesley Chapel Boulevard on the south, Williams said. For Wesley Chapel Elementary, the affected area is bordered by I-75 on the east, State Road 54 on the south, and Boyette Road on the west.
There are 62 students living in the area that would be reassigned from Veterans to Quail Hollow, Williams said, and another 100 living in the area that would be reassigned from Wesley Chapel.
Veterans Elementary already is over-capacity with 828 students in a school that is supposed to hold 762. Wesley Chapel has a capacity of 613 students, Williams said, and will have far fewer when children who attended Quail Hollow return to their school.
However, Quail Hollow has space to accommodate a greater number of children, he said, so the decision was made to reassign students from Wesley Chapel to Quail Hollow to provide room for growth that is expected from the development of Epperson Ranch South.
When school begins next year, Quail Hollow is expected to have an enrollment ranging from 500 to 540, depending on school choice, Williams said. After its improvements are completed, Quail Hollow’s capacity is expected to be 682. That compares to a previous capacity of 554.
In addition to changes at Quail Hollow, the school district continues to search for property along U.S. 41 as well as the State Road 54 corridor, Williams said. Officials are hoping to sign a contract on some land in the northern part of Land O’ Lakes for a new elementary school site which would accommodate children living in the housing developments on the west side of U.S. 41.
Typically, the district seeks sites of approximately 22 acres for its new elementary schools, Williams said. But officials also are looking for high school sites, since Land O’ Lakes High School is full, and Sunlake High School is almost full, despite future development expected in larger communities like Connerton and Bexley Ranch.
The district wants one or two high school sites between 60 acres and 70 acres each.
“We’re working with a couple of other developers to secure at least one of those,” Williams said. He also keeps his eye out and occasionally talks to real estate agents on possible properties.
When Land O’ Lakes and Zephyrhills high schools are remodeled or reconstructed, the district will likely increase their capacity, Williams said. Work on those two schools likely won’t begin for another five to 10 years, however, and when it does, it’s likely to be complicated.
Whether they build from scratch or remodel the schools, the district will need to figure out how to house the students during construction.
“We’re definitely going to have to get creative,” Williams said. “We’re hoping to meet with those principals in the near future and start talking about a timeline.”
Another challenge, Williams said, is that while the schools have current needs, the question becomes how much money the district should spend if it is just going to tear out the improvements within a few years anyway.
WHAT: Quail Hollow Elementary School boundaries parent meeting
WHY: To discuss potential changes to boundaries of Wesley Chapel and Veterans elementary schools
WHEN: Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Wesley Chapel Elementary School cafeteria, 30243 Wells RoadThe Pasco County School Board is scheduled to vote for the first time on proposed boundary changes affecting Quail Hollow, Wesley Chapel and Veterans elementary schools Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. A final vote is scheduled for Feb. 3 at 9:30 a.m.
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