The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Northwood

An overpass at State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs?

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It’s a long way from reality, but Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore wants to begin taking steps toward the possibility of an overpass at State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The commission chairman broached the idea during the commission’s Aug. 19 meeting.

“If you know the intersection of 581, that’s Bruce B. Downs, and (State Road) 56 — that’s one of the largest intersections in the nation. It’s huge,” Moore said.

“For bikers and walkers, that is impossible to cross,” he noted.

“It’d be great for our citizens to have access, especially bike access, all across there,” Moore said. “All four corners have numerous things to benefit the citizens.”

In addition to The Shops at Wiregrass, there also are a number of shops and restaurants along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, the county leader said.

There’s also a multi-use path, and State Road 56 has been extended over to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills.

“I would love to see if we can look at possibly getting — I’m going to call it a flyover —  for bikes and walkers. I mean, golf carts would be cool, too, but if that can’t happen, at least for bikes and walkers,” Moore said.

Creating this overpass would help the county move closer to its concept of creating walkable communities, Moore added.

“We have a number of neighborhoods, very close to that intersection,” he said, mentioning Seven Oaks and Northwood, as well as numerous townhouse and apartment communities.

“It’s just hard for them to get over,” Moore said. “If you want to make this bike-able, walkable — you need to have access.

“We have the new brewery coming, that’s going to be one of the largest in West Florida,” he added.

Moore said he raised the issue because he wanted to get a conversation going about the potential improvement.

Fellow Commissioner Kathryn Starkey told Moore:  “I think that would be great to have something like that over there, it’s just a process.”

To move forward with the idea, she advised him to get in touch with Tina Russo, who heads up the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

Starkey also added that getting an improvement like that built would need to go through the Metropolitan Planning Organization process.

Published August 26, 2020

School district acquires new school site in Northwood

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Taylor Morrison of Florida Inc., has conveyed a site for a future elementary school in the Northwood residential development.

Northwood is a master-planned community in southern Pasco County, on the north side of County Line Road, east of Interstate 75 and west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The community is nearing build-out.

Taylor Morrison agreed to provide approximately 15 acres, more or less, of usable uplands for the school site, in exchange for impact fee credits estimated at a value of $450,000.

In addition, Taylor Morrison dedicated easements for an already-constructed stormwater pond and access from road from County Line Road.

The school site has already been filled and graded.

For the access road to be built in the proper alignment with the road to the south of County Line Road, a small triangle of property must be acquired from a third party, according to a school district document. District staff has negotiated that purchase and a future board item will be brought to the school board for its approval.

The Pasco County School Board approved the transaction, without discussion, as part of its consent agenda at its July 3 meeting.

Published July 18, 2018

Superintendent calls social media appeals ‘problematic’

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Concerns raised about a Go Fund Me site during a recent Pasco County School Board meeting prompted Superintendent Kurt Browning to voice concerns over how appeals for help are posted by teachers on social media sites.

The issue came up when Amy Bracewell, a parent who lives in Northwood, told school board members that a posting on a Go Fund Me site was seeking funds to purchase materials for students at Denham Oaks Elementary.

Superintendent Kurt Browning said social media appeals can create a false impression about district’s efforts.
Superintendent Kurt Browning said social media appeals can create a false impression about district’s efforts.

The posting said that 42 percent of the students in the school’s first-grade have reading deficiencies and need additional materials.

Bracewell lives in Northwood, a community in Wesley Chapel, which has been reassigned to attend Denham Oaks Elementary, in Lutz, next school year.

She and other parents objected to their children being moved from their Wesley Chapel community to attend a school in Lutz, with a lower academic rating.

“Considering that I have a kindergartner starting in the fall, I find it extremely disturbing to find a Go Fund Me page set up for the first-graders of Denham Oaks Elementary School,” she told board members.

Browning said he became aware of the Go Fund Me site the evening before the Dec. 15 school board meeting.

The superintendent said the post “was somewhat troubling to me, because it made it sound that we, as a district, were not providing the level of materials to those schools. That is just not the case.

“We provide the materials at every one of our schools that support our students in learning to read and learning to read on grade level,” Browning said.

“They wanted additional materials and were asking for contributions to pay for those additional materials,” he said.

He also asked teachers and other staff members to be careful when they are making social media appeals to be sure they accurately convey the nature of the request.

“The whole Go Fund Me pages and the Donor Choose pages, in my opinion, are incredibly problematic for this district,” he said. “They’re problematic as a whole.”

Sometimes requests are made for materials that are not compatible with district needs, he said. For instance, “iPad minis will not support many of the things that we do in classrooms,” he said.

Browning also noted, it’s impossible for the district to monitor all of the requests that are posted on social media.

With 87 schools in the district, he said, “We just don’t have the resources to do that.”

So, he urged caution in the postings, noting the message they send doesn’t just affect one school, but reflects on the entire district.

Published December 30, 2015

New school boundaries approved

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Pasco County School Board members adopted boundaries for Elementary School W in Wesley Chapel, despite objections by parents living in Northwood and Arbor Woods.

In approving the boundaries, the board members also approved a plan by school district staff to add gifted services to Denham Oaks Elementary School in Lutz.

Parents had objected to their children losing gifted services, and the district responded – at the recommendation of board member Allen Altman and other board members – by adding the services at Denham Oaks.

Some parents also voiced concerns about a waiting list for the child care program at Denham Oaks, but Superintendent Kurt Browning said additional staff is expected to be hired for the program.

The board’s unanimous vote on the school boundaries came despite concerns voiced repeatedly by parents who wanted to keep their children at schools within their Wesley Chapel community.

They said shifting their children to the Lutz school would disrupt their established day care arrangements. They also said it would be harder for commuting parents to make it to after-school events.

Some said they had moved into their neighborhoods specifically because of the schools serving them. And, they also voiced concerns about the impacts that the boundary change would have on their child’s assigned middle school and high school.

Parents also asked if children entering fifth-grade could be grandfathered in, which some board members said the district should try to do, if possible.

Ray Bonti, assistant superintendent for support services, said the district has a past practice of allowing parents of children going into fifth-graders to apply for school choice to attend that school.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong, who made the motion to approve the boundary change, said she realized the boundary change “is painful for the parents.”

But, she added, “We do have to sometimes make very difficult decisions.”

Board member Altman, who seconded the motion, said offering the gifted services at Denham Oaks is important. The district may not be able to alleviate geographic impacts of boundary shifts, but should do what it can to ensure that students have the same academic opportunities, he said, during the first public hearing on the boundary change.

Board member Alison Crumbley noted that, “Those of you who came out tonight, you’re the kind of parents that make schools really good. You could be the core of leaders, and your children, I’m sure, too, in the school. And that’s a really valuable asset.”

Steve Luikart, another board member, who is a former educator said, “When the parents get on board and say, ‘Whatever it is, we’re going to make the best of it.’ Their students will make the best of it. It’s going to start in the home.

“We’re having to make decisions that we don’t like making. But, the mending is going to start at home. It will be up to you as parents to make that transition as easy and as simple as possible,” Luikart said.

But, he also noted that the school district will do what it can to help.

Published December 23, 2015

 

 

 

School boundary changes gain first-round approval

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The Pasco County School Board has given first-round approval of proposed boundaries for Elementary School W, a school under construction in Wesley Chapel.

The unanimous vote came despite objections from parents living in Northwood and in Arbor Woods, who do not want their children moved to Denham Oaks Elementary, which is in Lutz.

“I want another option given to us,” said Amy Bracewell, who lives in Northwood.

“We moved here before we had children because of the area and the school options available to us,” said Bracewell, who now has two children who will be affected by the boundary shifts.

“Our family lives in Wesley Chapel, we shop in Wesley Chapel, and we worship in Wesley Chapel,” she said. “I feel that the changes you have proposed will have negative effects on the students that live in Northwood.”

The impacts go beyond the school day, she explained.

Pasco County School Board members will cast a final vote on proposed school boundaries for Elementary W, a school now being built off Mansfield Boulevard in Wesley Chapel. Some parents oppose the new school’s proposed boundaries because their children would be shifted to Denham Oaks in Lutz. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Pasco County School Board members will cast a final vote on proposed school boundaries for Elementary W, a school now being built off Mansfield Boulevard in Wesley Chapel. Some parents oppose the new school’s proposed boundaries because their children would be shifted to Denham Oaks in Lutz.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

“Any parents that use day care in Wesley Chapel will have to change to another day care, because they will not transport our children to Denham Oaks,” she said. So, children who have essentially known each other since birth will no longer be able to attend the same day care, she said.

Kellie Barragan, another Northwood parent, urged board members to reconsider the proposed boundary plan. “I really implore you to find a way for Northwood to go to Sand Pine (Elementary),” she said.

Chris Keller, who lives in Belle Chase, told board members “we understand the need for change. But, we don’t feel that the changes being proposed are in the best interests of our children.”

His chief concern is dealing with transportation issues that will arise — affecting childcare arrangements and after-school activities.

“A lot of the current places within Wesley Chapel will not serve the Lutz area and Denham Oaks,” Keller said.

He asked the board to direct district staff to take another look at the proposed boundaries.

Allen Altman, vice chairman of the school board, said he’s well aware of the area’s traffic issues because he has an office off State Road 54, near Denham Oaks Elementary.

However, he said, “Ultimately, at some point in time, we have to draw a line.”

Whenever a line is drawn, some people are going to be unhappy about where it was drawn, Altman said.

While the board can’t avoid geographic disruptions caused by new boundaries, it can address concerns about educational services, said Altman, noting he’s heard concerns from parents who are worried about losing services for academically gifted students.

Altman said he would support the proposed boundaries with the stipulation that the district comes back with a plan for how it will address that issue.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong and Board Chairwoman Joanne Hurley agreed with Altman.

After the vote, Vincent Iglio, who lives in Arbor Woods, urged the board to consider the consequences of the proposed boundaries.

“We’re not drawing lines based on actuarial tables. We’re drawing lines based on students, communities and families,” Iglio said.

He urged the board to consider “a reasonable option” which he said would allow the children living in Arbor Woods to attend Sand Pine Elementary.

During a recent community meeting at Denham Oaks Elementary, Chris Williams, the director of planning for Pasco County Schools, told those gathered that the boundary committee recommended that the Northwood subdivision, including Arbor Woods, be sent to Denham Oaks Elementary.

Iglio expressed frustration at the district’s process.

“I believed in my heart that these were open for public debate. All I’ve seen so far is a defense of the first option,” Iglio said.

Although she gave first-round approval of the proposed boundaries, Hurley said has not made her final decision yet.

“I’m always open to hearing from the public until right before the second hearing,” Hurley said.

The board will have its second and final hearing on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be in the school district complex, Building No. 3 North, at 7205 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

Published December 9, 2015

Parents oppose proposed Elem W boundaries

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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