The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Double Branch Elementary

Grades slip at numerous local schools

By

The Florida Department of Education has released its annual school grades, and the news was not good for numerous Pasco County schools in The Laker/Lutz News’ coverage area.

“As soon as I saw the information, I was pretty distraught,” said Pasco County School Board member Alison Crumbley.

“This has to really be broken down,” she said, noting she has requested a school board workshop to address the issue. “We need to pick this apart. This is priority one — priority one, to figure this out.”

The district needs time to analyze the results, Crumbley said, so she requested the workshop be held following the board’s Aug. 2 meeting.

Overall, 10 central and east Pasco elementary schools slipped by one letter grade. Six elementary schools maintained the same grade as last year, and two improved by a letter grade. Pine View Elementary had the biggest drop, slipping from an A to a C. Sanders Elementary, which opened last school year, received a B. Quail Hollow, which reopened last year, received a C.

All seven middle schools, meanwhile, maintained the grades they received last year, including three As, at Rushe, John Long and Pine View.

But, the news was not as good at the high school level. Four high schools in east and central Pasco dropped a grade, while two remained the same.

No Pasco high school within the newspaper’s coverage area received an A grade. Last year, Wiregrass Ranch High, Land O’ Lakes High and Sunlake each received an A, but this year, they each dropped to a B. Wesley Chapel High, which had a B last year, dropped to a C.

Meanwhile, each of the Pasco charter schools, serving the newspaper’s coverage area — Academy at the Farm, Countryside Montessori and Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes —received an A, mirroring the score they each received last year.

Crumbley said she’s trying to understand why some schools performed at the same level, or even improved, while others slipped.

“Nothing is really straight up, cut-and-dried, in this business, and I do know that,” Crumbley said. “But by the same token, we have to get to the bottom of this. We have to. Period.”

School board member Steve Luikart also expressed concerns.

“Some of the schools slipped and the district slipped. We went from B to C,” Luikart said.

On one hand, Luikart said, “it’s hard to throw mud at something, when you’ve got a change of criteria every year … It’s impossible to nail down data, when the criteria is not consistent.”

On the other hand, he continued: “We’re still competing with everyone else in the state,” he said.

“We’re going to have to look at what we’ve got to do differently to head it back in a different direction. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“I’m definitely concerned. It’s very disappointing,” Luikart said.

This chart provides scores for east and central Pasco County schools.

Elementary schools
Centennial Elementary                         2016: D           2015: C
Chester W. Taylor Jr. Elementary                   2016: C           2015: C
Connerton Elementary                         2016: C           2015: B
Denham Oaks Elementary                               2016: C           2015: B
Double Branch Elementary                             2016: B           2015: A
Lacoochee Elementary                         2016: D           2015: F
Lake Myrtle Elementary                                  2016: B           2015: A
New River Elementary                                    2016: B           2015: B
Oakstead Elementary                                       2016: A           2015: A
Pasco Elementary                                            2016: D           2015: D
Pine View Elementary                         2016: C           2015: A
Quail Hollow                                                  2016: C           2015 (Not open)
Rodney B. Cox Elementary                             2016: D           2015: F
San Antonio Elementary                                 2016: C           2015: C
Sanders Elementary                                        2016: B           2015 (Not open)
Seven Oaks Elementary                                  2016: B           2015: A
Veterans Elementary                                       2016: B           2015: A
Watergrass Elementary                                    2016: C           2015: B
Wesley Chapel Elementary                              2016: A           2015: A
West Zephyrhills Elementary                          2016: D           2015: C
Woodland Elementary                         2016: D           2015: C

Middle schools
Centennial Middle                                           2016: C           2015: C
Charles S. Rushe Middle                                2016: A           2015: A
Dr. John Long Middle                                    2016: A           2015: A
Pasco Middle                                                  2016: C           2015: C
Pine View Middle                                           2016: A           2015: A
Raymond B. Stewart Middle School               2016: C           2015: C
Thomas E. Weightman Middle School            2016: B           2015: B

High schools
Land O’ Lakes High                                       2016: B           2015: A
Pasco High                                                      2016: C           2015: C
Sunlake High                                                  2016: B           2015: A
Wesley Chapel High                                       2016: C           2015: B
Wiregrass Ranch High                                    2016: B           2015: A
Zephyrhills High                                             2016: C           2015: C

Charter schools
Academy at the Farm                                      2016: A           2015: A
Countryside Montessori Academy                  2016: A           2015: A
Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes                   2016: A           2015: A

Published July 20, 2016

 

Pasco expands magnet options

By

Pasco County Schools is expanding its magnet school options beginning next school year, and is holding a series of community meetings to explain the additional options.

Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school. (File Photo)
Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school.
(File Photo)

The district is converting Centennial Middle School, in Dade City, into a STEM Magnet School. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A series of community meetings, with each beginning at 6 p.m., will give parents a chance to learn more about the new middle school magnet program.

  • Jan. 11 in the cafeteria at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., in Zephyrhills
  • Jan. 12 in the auditorium at Pasco Middle School at 13925 14th St., in Dade City
  • Jan. 13 in the cafeteria at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, at 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 19 in the cafeteria at Dr. John Long Middle School cafeteria, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 in the cafeteria at Centennial Middle School, at 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 in the cafeteria at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, at 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as parents of current fifth-graders that feed into those schools, are encouraged to attend.

Elementary schools feeding into Centennial Middle School are Centennial, Cox, Double Branch, Lacoochee, New River, Pasco, Quail Hollow, San Antonio, Seven Oaks, Veterans, Watergrass, Wesley Chapel, West Zephyrhills and Woodland.

At each meeting, Superintendent Kurt Browning, the magnet school principal and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered.

Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Fifth- through seventh-grade students may apply for acceptance to the magnet school during the magnet school application period, Jan. 18 through Jan. 31, 2016. Students and parents not listed are welcome to attend the meetings, but will need to apply for acceptance through the regular school choice period, which begins Feb. 1.

In addition to the new middle school magnet, the district also has an elementary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) program at Sanders Memorial Elementary in Land O’ Lakes.

Parents of prospective students to Sanders are invited to tour the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, on Jan. 8 at 10 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.

Parents will have a chance to learn more about the school’s programs, facilities and unique features.

Sanders has unmanned aerial systems, solar panels, and other high tech devices, as well as computers and iPads for each student.

Published December 30, 2015

Parents oppose proposed Elem W boundaries

By

Scores of parents from the communities of Arbor Woods and Northwood are opposed to proposed school boundaries that would send their children from their Wesley Chapel community over to Denham Oaks Elementary, in Lutz.

About 100 people showed up at a community meeting on Nov. 19 to seek changes to the proposed boundaries for Elementary W, a new school being built off Mansfield Boulevard.

They told officials they understand that Seven Oaks Elementary needs relief from overcrowding, but they don’t want their children to be sent to a school in a different community.

They raised numerous concerns.

Vince Iglio, a parent from Arbor Woods, questioned the school district’s projections regarding future growth, particularly in the area of Denham Oaks Elementary. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Vince Iglio, a parent from Arbor Woods, questioned the school district’s projections regarding future growth, particularly in the area of Denham Oaks Elementary.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

They don’t want to contend with the traffic on State Road 56, particularly near Interstate 75.

They don’t want their children to leave an A-rated school to go to one with a lower grade.

They want their children to have access to the same programs and services that they now enjoy at their current school.

They’re concerned about how the shift will affect which middle school and high school their children will attend.

And, they question the accuracy of the district’s projections.

They want district officials to change the boundaries so children in Arbor Woods and Northwood can attend Sand Pine Elementary, which is closer to where they live.

Elementary School W, now under construction off Mansfield Boulevard, is intended to provide some relief for Seven Oaks and Double Branch elementary schools. It also has some space available to accommodate anticipated growth, said Chris Williams, director of planning for Pasco County Schools.

A boundary committee for Pasco County Schools has recommended a number of shifts that would affect the boundaries of Seven Oaks, Double Branch, Sand Pine and Denham Oaks.

Williams said the committee considers a number of factors when recommending school boundaries.

Those include school capacity, current enrollment and growth projections. The committee also attempts to avoid splitting subdivisions and considers traffic, he said.

Vince Iglio, representing Arbor Woods, said his neighborhood has just 25 students, which would have a negligible impact, if the students were assigned to Sand Pine.

Chris Williams, the director of planning for Pasco County Schools, explains the process used by a boundary committee to make recommendations regarding a school’s boundaries to the Pasco County School Board, which makes the final decision.
Chris Williams, the director of planning for Pasco County Schools, explains the process used by a boundary committee to make recommendations regarding a school’s boundaries to the Pasco County School Board, which makes the final decision.

But, Williams said, if Arbor Woods were assigned to Sand Pine, the district should also consider other parts of Northwood, which would yield an impact of roughly 200 students.

Iglio questioned the district’s projections for Denham Oaks. He said the school could become overcrowded as early as next year, given the development that’s springing up in the area.

Williams said he expects that all of the schools affected by Elementary W’s boundaries will continue to grow, but some areas are expecting greater growth pressures.

Jennifer Northey, president of the Parent Teacher Association at Denham Oaks, told parents gathered in her school’s cafeteria that she understood why they were fighting the move. She said she’d be doing the same thing if her school’s boundaries were being changed and her family was affected.

She said she came to the meeting to reassure the parents that good things are happening at Denham Oaks.

David Scanga, a district administrator who supervises numerous schools, including Denham Oaks, said he understands parent’s concerns. He told them that Denham Oaks has been making great strides in improving its performance.

Ali Soofi, a resident of Arbor Woods, detailed some of the concerns of the Arbor Woods community in an email to The Laker/Lutz News.

“All of us knew that eventually we would be rezoned to a different school,” Soofi wrote. “However, none of us realized that we would be moved to a different city.

“Zero part of our rationale has to do with any school ratings,” Soofi added. “We just want to stay in Wesley Chapel, where we spend all our time, money, and worship.”

The Pasco County School Board has the final word on school boundaries, and it is slated to consider the boundaries at public hearings set for Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.

Elementary W boundary hearings
What: Public hearings for proposed boundaries for Elementary W, a new school which will open next school year in Wesley Chapel.
When: Dec. 1 at 9:30 a.m., and Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.
Where: Pasco County Schools district complex, Building No. 3 North, at 7205 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Published November 25, 2015

 

Higher school impact fees coming to Pasco?

By

A discussion has begun in Pasco County that could lead to higher impact fees paid by new residential development to address growing demands for school construction.

Increased school impact fees might provide a source of revenue that could help plug the growing gap between the revenue the district receives and its construction needs, according to district officials.

But the idea of an increased school impact fee is a long way from reality.

The swarm of students passing through school corridors at Wiregrass Ranch High School is like a traffic jam. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch HIgh School)
The swarm of students passing through school corridors at Wiregrass Ranch High School is like a traffic jam.
(Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch HIgh School)

Any increase would have to be recommended by the Pasco School Board and adopted by the Pasco County Commission.

The last time the school board sought a school impact fee increase in 2007 it fell flat.

The current rate is $4,356 per single-family unit. A recommendation was made in 2007 to increase the single-family home impact feet to $8,606.

That proposed increase was rejected.

No new rate has been proposed yet, but the district has hired Tischler Bise, to conduct an impact fee update study.

Tischler Bise has done work on these issues for a number of Florida school districts, including DeSoto, Lee, Manatee and Seminole counties. It also did the Pasco school district’s study in 2007.

Carson Bise of Tischler Bise gave school board members an overview of the current situation at a July 7 workshop.

The district’s school construction funding has been declining for a variety of reasons, Bise said.

Property value declines have led to lower revenues, he said. For instance, in 2007-2008, the district received $42.3 million for capital projects, compared to the $32.4 million in 2014-2015, Bise said.

Other sources of state funding have been cut drastically, or eliminated entirely, he added.

The sluggish economy also reduced Penny for Pasco proceeds, Bise said.

The first time the optional penny sales tax passed, the school district’s share yielded $145.1 million.

The second penny, which took effect in 2015, is expected to generate about $226 million. But, that money cannot be spent on new school construction. It can only be spent on maintenance and new technology.

School impact fees, which are collected only from new residential development, can be spent to purchase land, to buy buses, furniture and portables, to construct facilities or for debt service.

As of the end of 2014, the district has collected $120 million in school impact fees.

Since 2002, however, the district has built 22 new schools at a cost of $301 million, Bise said.

Oakstead Elementary, Dr. John Long Middle, Double Branch Elementary, Charles S. Rushe Middle, Wiregrass Ranch High, Sunlake High, New River Elementary, Veterans Elementary, Watergrass Elementary and Connerton Elementary schools are the new schools that have opened in The Laker/Lutz News’ coverage area since 2002.

Elementary School W in Wiregrass Ranch is slated to open in 2016, and Elementary B in Bexley Ranch South and High School GGG on Old Pasco Road are scheduled to open in 2017.

Bise told officials that impact fee revenue must earmark money for specific capital projects, which encourages disciplined capital improvement planning.

He also noted that the revenues help to ensure adequate public facilities, which is a plus for homebuilders who are seeking to attract buyers to a particular market.

“In our experience, the smart developers like impact fees because it (the fee) guarantees that they’re going to be in business,” Bise said. “They get the fact that having a great school system, or a great road network or a great park system makes the community attractive and makes their product marketable, and also helps from an economic development perspective, as well.”

It’s not difficult to see that more schools will be needed, as growth ramps up in Pasco County.

During a discussion of the district’s construction plan, immediately prior to the impact fee workshop, school board member Alison Crumbley voiced concerns about providing schools for children who will be living in the new subdivisions that are on the drawing boards, or sprouting up in the county’s State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor.

Superintendent Kurt Browning echoed those sentiments.

Even without that new construction, the district is feeling the squeeze.

This fall, Wiregrass Ranch High School is expected to have around 2,500 students. It is going to a 10-period day to help manage the number of students on its campus. The entire student body will be there just three periods of the day, with the impacts lessened because roughly 500 of those students will be eating lunch during any particular time.

Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd told school board members that district already is making efforts to ensure that the building community is part of the impact fee discussion.

Bise also reminded school board members that even their support would not be enough.

“Although you are your own taxing entity, you don’t control your destiny in terms of impact fees. The Board of County Commissioners sets that rate for you,” he said.

He also noted that Florida is the only state where his firm does impact fee studies where that’s the case.

Published July 22, 2015