The Laker/Lutz News

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

Veterans Elementary School

Changes afoot, as school bells ring in a new year

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School bells are summoning students back to classes in Hillsborough and Pasco counties — and some students will be attending classes on entirely new campuses.

Sunlake Academy of Math and Science, a new public charter school in Hillsborough County, begins its inaugural school year on Aug. 10. It is located at 18681 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz.

Sunlake Academy of Math and Science, at 18681 N. Dale Mabry Highway, is opening this year as a new public charter school in Hillsborough County. The school, located in Lutz, will serve elementary and middle school students. (B.C. Manion)

Meanwhile, Pasco County is opening Bexley Elementary, at 4380 Ballantrae Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, and Cypress Creek Middle High School, in Wesley Chapel.

Students arriving at Land O’ Lakes High School will find reconfigured spaces, to accommodate a $29 million makeover.

At Sunlake High School and Rushe Middle School, there will be a new traffic pattern for student drop-off and pickups, and at Wiregrass Ranch High, the school will be back to operating on a seven-period day.

Those are just a few of the changes in store for the new school year, which begins in Hillsborough County on Aug. 10 and in Pasco County on Aug. 14.

Some changes, which are state mandates, affect public school students in both counties.

Other changes affect students at a particular school or within a specific county.

For instance, the Pasco school district is revising its crisis plans to give students and staff a better chance to survive an active threat on campus.

Meanwhile, Principal Vicki Wolin will lead the new Bexley Elementary School, in the Bexley subdivision off State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes. That school was built to ease crowding at Oakstead and Odessa elementary schools.

Bexley is also part of the school district’s feeder pattern for the Aviation Academy at Sunlake High School.

As such, Bexley will have drones, flight simulators and robotics. Its STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lab is situated in its media center, which it calls its REC Center, which stands for Research, Engage and Collaborate.

Cypress Creek Middle High School, at 8701 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel, will serve students previously assigned to Wiregrass Ranch, Wesley Chapel and Sunlake high schools and John Long, Weightman and Rushe middle schools.

Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles, previously principal at Wesley Chapel High, will recognize many of the students streaming onto the campus for their first day.

But, there will be many unfamiliar faces, too.

The school has been hosting events ahead of opening day to help students get acquainted with the school and to find out what it has to offer.

Cypress Creek Middle High will serve sixth- through 11th-graders its initial year and will add a senior class its second year.

The new high school’s curriculum runs the gamut from ballet to digital design to American Sign Language. It offers several certification programs, including Microsoft Office, QuickBooks and Autodesk Inventor.

Cypress Creek’s middle school curriculum includes Criminal Justice and Engineering academies, plus core classes.

The new schools aren’t the only places where Pasco County students will have a chance for new experiences.

The district also is expanding its Cambridge Programme to San Antonio Elementary School.

And, Zephyrhills High School is adding a new academy of Building Construction Technology and Public Safety Telecommunications 911 certification for the Academy of Criminal Justice.

A new public charter school also has opened in Pasco County, too, bringing the district’s total number of charter schools to 11. The new charter is called Pasco MYcroSchool and is located in New Port Richey.

Besides new schools and programs, Pasco County also has shifted some principals since last school year and promoted an assistant principal to the top post.

Those changes are:

  • Principal Scott Atkins has moved from Sand Pine Elementary School to West Zephyrhills Elementary School.
  • Christine Twardosz has transferred from Centennial Elementary School to Sand Pine.
  • Gretchen Rudolph Fladd has moved from Veterans to Centennial.
  • Melissa Bidgood, who was an assistant principal at Watergrass Elementary, has been promoted to the principal’s post at Veterans.

Parents wanting to know more about the upcoming school year should check out their school’s website.

School websites can provide a wealth of information. They generally list important upcoming dates for school activities, such as cheerleader tryouts, booster club meetings, school spirit nights and parent-teacher events.

The websites also often let parents know how they can get involved at school and how they can help their children at home.

Most schools also have Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, and some post videos to YouTube, too.

Websites maintained by the Hillsborough and Pasco school districts can also provide useful information, too.

Free breakfasts
Pasco County Schools will serve free breakfasts to all students at these sites in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area during the 2017-2018 school year:

Elementary schools

  • Centennial Elementary
  • Chester Taylor Elementary
  • Lacoochee Elementary
  • Pasco Elementary
  • Quail Hollow Elementary
  • Rodney B. Cox Elementary
  • West Zephyrhills Elementary
  • Woodland Elementary

Middle schools:

  • Centennial Middle
  • Pasco Middle
  • Stewart Middle

High schools:

  • Pasco High
  • Zephyrhills High

 

Meal prices for Pasco County Schools
Reduced-price meals

Reduced-price breakfast: .30
Reduced-price lunch: .40
Full-price meals
Full-price breakfast
Elementary: $1.35
Secondary: $1.50
Charter, K-8: $1.50
Charter, high school: $1.60
Full-price lunch
Elementary: $2.50
Middle: $3
High: $3.25

Published August 9, 2017

Wesley Chapel Boulevard to be six lanes

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Pasco County now is on a path to widen County Road 54 — also known as Wesley Chapel Boulevard — to a six-lane divided road.

The move comes nearly 15 years after the county proposed widening the road from two lanes to four lanes.

The project also will include a multi-use trail on one side and a sidewalk on the other side.

No construction start date is announced, but the road’s design is about 90 percent complete.

Sierra Properties, the developers for Cypress Creek Town Center, are building an entrance into the mall off County Road 54, also known as Wesley Chapel Boulevard. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Sierra Properties, the developers for Cypress Creek Town Center, are building an entrance into the mall off County Road 54, also known as Wesley Chapel Boulevard.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

The Pasco County Commission approved a road re-evaluation study on Aug. 9, which is the next step in what has been a drawn out process.

A 2003 study that looked at future traffic needs anticipated widening the road to four lanes. At the time, data showed that by 2025 slightly more than 20,000 vehicles a day would travel the corridor.

More recent data estimates that the average daily vehicles by 2040 will exceed 52,000.

“(The original study) didn’t capture all of the growth going on in this dynamic part of the county,” said Mike Campo, of Kisinger Campo & Associates. The Tampa-based engineering firm was hired in 2008 to provide design services for the road project.

The extra traffic lanes take into account the explosive growth at an intersection where State Road 54, State Road 56 and County Road 54 meet up. The intersection is just west of the Interstate 75 interchange.

All-around growth is evident at Tampa Premium Outlets, the soon-to-open Florida Hospital Center Ice sports complex and Holiday Inn Express, and the soon-to-rise Cypress Creek Town Center.

A newly announced project, Brightworks Crossing, could add a maximum of 350 apartments, offices, self-storage and a 150-room hotel on vacant land across from a planned entrance into Cypress Creek Town Center.

The mall’s developers currently are building the entrance as part of the initial roadwork to improve County Road 54.

As part of the study, residents weighed in with their opinions at a workshop held in January at Veterans Elementary School. They expressed frustrations with a road that no longer can handle the volume of motorists moving north and south along County Road 54.

Getting in and out of subdivisions, such as Stagecoach and Grand Oaks, means long waits and safety risks, they said.

“We are tired of playing Russian Roulette every time we leave or enter the subdivision (Grand Oaks),” wrote Robert Potts in a written comment from the workshop.

Beyond the mall entrance, the county plans to widen the corridor to six lanes to just north of Magnolia Boulevard. There will be 4-foot bicycle lanes, a median, 5-foot sidewalks on the eastern side, and an 8-foot multi-use trail on the western side.

No additional right of way will be purchased.

The widening will take advantage of rights of way donated to the county from Stagecoach and Grand Oaks subdivisions. Three traffic signals are planned at Stagecoach, at Grand Oaks near Veterans Elementary School, and at Cypress Creek Town Center.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore pressed for a traffic signal at Compark 75, an industrial park off Wesley Chapel Boulevard. Campo and Pasco County engineer Chris Wert said all intersections would be reviewed.

However, because Compark is less than a half-mile from the Grand Oaks signal, it isn’t certain the industrial park could meet distance requirements.

Compark currently is expanding its facilities, and Moore said nearby vacant land could be developed in the future.

“We’re talking basically about an employment center there,” Moore said. “People are going in and out of there on a daily basis.”

Published August 24, 2016

Wesley Chapel Boulevard to be widened

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The developer of Cypress Creek Town Center could issue bids for a redesign along County Road 54, also known as Wesley Chapel Boulevard, as early as February.

If that happens, construction could begin in April to widen a stretch of roadway from its intersection with State Road 56 north past a planned entry in the mall.

“That’s optimistic,” said Brent Whitley, vice president of Sierra Properties Inc. “But, we want to be completed by the end of the year.”

Additional roadwork by Pasco County might not happen until 2020, but area residents are eager to see a start on easing traffic woes on the existing two-lane portion of Wesley Chapel Boulevard.

Residents listen as Michael Campo, roadway project engineer with Kisinger Campo & Associates, answers questions about the proposed road design for County Road 54. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Residents listen as Michael Campo, roadway project engineer with Kisinger Campo & Associates, answers questions about the proposed road design for County Road 54.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

More than 100 residents attended a workshop on Jan.15 to check out the proposed road project. County transportation planners and representatives of Kisinger Campo & Associates were on hand at Veterans Elementary School to answer questions and listen to input on the road design.

The goal is to build a six-lane divided roadway from north of State Road 56 to north of Magnolia Boulevard. The project will provide three 12-foot traffic lanes on both sides of a median. There also will be bicycle lanes, a five-foot-wide sidewalk on the west side of the road, and an eight-foot sidewalk on the east side.

On the county’s part, completion of the roadway’s design is expected in 2016. Construction to start where the mall’s expanded roadwork ends won’t happen until right-of-way acquisition is completed. That process will begin in 2016. Funding for the project is included in Pasco County’s five-year capital improvement budget.

Sierra Properties, the mall developer, is responsible for that portion of the road that runs past the mall, located north of State Road 56 at the intersection with Wesley Chapel Boulevard.

A traffic signal is planned at the mall’s entrance.

Most of the residents at the workshop expressed frustrations about increasing traffic congestion, long waits to turn onto Wesley Chapel Boulevard as they exit their subdivisions and concerns about right-of-way acquisition.

Currently, the road has six lanes where Wesley Chapel Boulevard and State Road 56 meet, but it quickly tapers to two lanes beyond the mall’s property.

“The main issue is being able to get in and out of Grand Oaks,” said Jim Clark, who moved to Grand Oaks in 1997. “It’s a tremendous problem especially going east.”

A wait of 10 minutes or more to exit the subdivision is not unusual, he said.

“We really do need a stop light,” said his wife, Trisha Clark.

The couple will get their wish.

County planners said new traffic signals would be installed at Grand Oaks and at Stagecoach, in addition to the light at the mall.

New growth, both residential and commercial, gets the blame for the increasing traffic woes.

“Because of the expansion of new car dealerships, it’s growing greatly, which is a good thing,” said Ed Rogers, who lives in Grand Oaks. “But, now we have trucks at all hours of the night. The noise will be even more.”

Rogers and his neighbor, Kay Kleinhample, also had concerns that the county would buy up right-of-way that would take down Grand Oaks’ entrance wall, and even all or part of their homes.

That won’t be the case, according to county planners.

Instead, the right-of-way still needed for the project will come from the east side of Wesley Chapel Boulevard. That could affect some businesses, but no homes will be lost, they said.

Concerns still remain about the timing and how the redesign will work.

“What are they going to do to make our living a little easier?” Kleinhample said.

Published January 20, 2016

Local students vie for $10,000 video prize

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The fifth-grade media club at Veterans Elementary School is vying for the $10,000 grand prize in the annual Trees Rock video contest sponsored by Scotties Tissues.

The club’s video has been deemed a top 10 finalist in a national competition.

The contest calls for videos that explain the importance of trees. The $10,000 prize is intended for use in a sustainable project, such as tree plantings, outdoor classrooms, greenhouses, gardens and so on.

Gadiel Ramirez records the sportscast featuring Jack Carbone as Jack Woodchuck, and Alyssa Bollent as Alyssa Leaf. (Photos courtesy of Veterans Elementary School)
Gadiel Ramirez records the sportscast featuring Jack Carbone as Jack Woodchuck, and Alyssa Bollent as Alyssa Leaf.
(Photos courtesy of Veterans Elementary School)

Students led by club co-advisers Susan Forgas and Mario Pineo worked on the video for weeks.

The students came up with the ideas for the segments, wrote the scripts, created costumes, filmed the segments and edited the three-minute video.

The video is based on the concept of someone flipping through the channels at night, landing on commercials or previews of shows.

“The kids kind of brought their own ideas,” Pineo said. “They sort of had an audition. Then we brainstormed how we would put those together and which ones we would include, and which ones made sense,” he said.

One segment is a portion of a mock sportscast hosted by Jack Carbone, playing the role of Jack Woodchuck, and Alyssa Bollent, playing the role of Alyssa Leaf.

Carbone also wrote the script for the segment, and Gadiel Ramirez shot the video.

Bollent also wrote the script for “Jennie the Genie,” with assistance from Caitlan Jamison and Julia Rosenberg.

Caitlan Jamison plays the role of Jennie the Genie, and Siena Bracciale plays the role of Sarah, in a segment called “Jennie the Genie.”
Caitlan Jamison plays the role of Jennie the Genie, and Siena Bracciale plays the role of Sarah, in a segment called “Jennie the Genie.”

Jamison played the role of Jennie, Siena Bracciale played Sarah, and Yasmin Fajardo worked the camera.

Isaac Machado played the role of Slash and also wrote the script for “Slash vs Arbor Girl.” Rosenberg played Arbor Girl, Joie Goletz was Woodchuck, and Ava Shortt shot the segment.

Alyssa Forgas, who is Susan Forgas’ niece, handled the camera for the “All Spice” advertisement, which also featured Ella Jennette and Lauren Rossman as rock stars and Lauren Carulli as a makeup artist. Carulli and Jennette co-wrote the ad.

Griffin Roberts played the role of Daniel Wood in one segment. He also created a Twitter page @VoteVes, to help attract votes for the video.

Isaac Machado plays Slash, a villain in a segment called “Slash vs. Arbor Girl.”
Isaac Machado plays Slash, a villain in a segment called “Slash vs. Arbor Girl.”

Throughout the process, students handled a variety of chores, shooting video, editing, writing scripts and coming up with costumes.

If the school wins, the students want to spend the money on the butterfly garden, an edible garden and a sensory garden, featuring plants that have scents.

This isn’t the first time Veterans Elementary has had success with the contest.

In 2013, Ryan and Rachel Mish, a brother-and-sister team from the school, placed in the top four.

During the next phase of the contest, which runs through Feb. 7, the public will have a chance to view the videos and vote to determine who wins the grand prize.

To view and vote for Veterans Elementary School’s video, go to ScottiesTreesRock.com.

Published January 20, 2016

 

Wesley Chapel Boulevard workshop set

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New growth in and around the intersections of State Road 56, County Road 54 and Interstate 75 is generating traffic jams.

The developments just keep coming.

Tampa Premium Outlets opened in October.

Culver’s and Cheddar’s Casual Café – are under construction.

Motorists round a curve leading from two lanes of County Road 54 into a more expansive four-lane divided roadway, with turn lanes, at the intersection with State Road 56. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Motorists round a curve leading from two lanes of County Road 54 into a more expansive four-lane divided roadway, with turn lanes, at the intersection with State Road 56.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

Site plans are filed, or on the way, for additional retail, hotels and offices as part of Cypress Creek Town Center.

Florida Hospital Center Ice — a sports complex featuring ice rinks and other sports courts – also is under construction.

One proposed traffic fix calls for widening County Road 54, which is also known as Wesley Chapel Boulevard, from north of State Road 56 to north of Magnolia Boulevard.

A public workshop will be held on Jan. 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., to discuss the estimated $53 million project and to gather public input on the road’s design.

The workshop will be held at Veterans Elementary School, 26940 Progress Parkway in Wesley Chapel.

People can view maps of the project, as well as ask questions of Pasco County officials and consultants from Kisinger Campo & Associates.

Representatives of the Florida Department of Transportation also are invited.

“It is a very big priority,” said Deborah Bolduc, the county’s program administrator for engineering services.

An initial study completed in 2003 recommended widening the two-lane road to match the now widened portion of the county road on its approach to the intersection with State Road 56.

Florida Hospital Center Ice, a new hockey and sports complex, has begun construction east of Interstate 75 and north of State Road 56. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Florida Hospital Center Ice, a new hockey and sports complex, has begun construction east of Interstate 75 and north of State Road 56.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

But, for motorists who turn off State Road 56 on to County Road 54, it’s only a short jaunt just beyond Old Cypress Creek Road before the four-lane, divided highway suddenly narrows to two lanes.

In the past decade more homes and businesses have been added to the area. Area residents often confront long waits along the road’s two-lane stretch waiting to navigate into the flow of traffic.

County officials decided to give the public a new look at the project and another opportunity to offer their thoughts.

“There could be some tweaks made based as a result of comments,” Bolduc said.

The widening project will be presented to the Pasco County Commission in spring. If approved, funds are budgeted for the next two years for design and right of way purchases.

Construction currently is scheduled for 2022, though Bolduc said that date could be pushed forward depending on availability of funding.

Published January 13, 2016 

Higher school impact fees coming to Pasco?

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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

Sanders magnet deadline is approaching

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The Jan. 15 deadline is approaching for applications to Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School – Pasco County’s first magnet school.

So far, the district has received around 1,400 applications for the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes. It is scheduled to open in August.

Considerable progress is being made on the construction of Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School – Pasco County’s first magnet school. Applications for the school, which are being accepted from across the district, must be filed by Jan. 15. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Considerable progress is being made on the construction of Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School – Pasco County’s first magnet school. Applications for the school, which are being accepted from across the district, must be filed by Jan. 15.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The school — which will emphasize science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics — is being built to accommodate 762 kindergarten through fifth-grade students.

As a magnet school, there are no attendance boundaries. Any elementary school student throughout the school district is eligible to apply.

A weighted lottery system will be used to select students. Pupils from nearby Connerton and Oakstead elementary schools, as well as children of Sander’s staff members, will have a higher priority for admission because Connerton and Oakstead are overcrowded.

Siblings of students accepted to Sanders also will be given extra weight in the lottery.

Once accepted, a student will be able to attend Sanders through fifth grade.

The district expects to notify parents of their child’s acceptance by email before Feb. 6.

Although the standards for the students will be the same, the learning approaches will be different.

The design of the school also will foster a greater degree of collaboration between students, and between students and teachers. A wetlands area with a boardwalk also will give students a chance to get up close with nature, creating opportunities for outdoor learning.

Sanders will use materials that are similar to those in traditional schools, except there will be a greater emphasis on technology, collaborative learning and independent thinking.

Sanders students will have some type of device allowing them to use technology to help solve problems and enhance learning. They also will have the arts infused into a curriculum that aims to create independent thinkers and learners.

Sanders’ design aims to encourage collaborative learning. When construction is completed, the school will have individual classrooms flanking both sides of a large space where students can work together on projects, where groups of children can work with teachers, and where larger presentations can be given.

Classrooms will have wireless technology. They also are set up to accommodate experiments. Space also will be provided within the school to allow students to store projects they are working on.

The school district also plans to send buses through neighborhoods within a five-mile radius to pick up students for Sanders. Those living farther away will use transportation hubs at Veterans, Moonlake and Trinity elementary schools, where they can catch a bus in the morning to Sanders and return there after school.

In a news conference that was held when the application period opened, Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said the district is committed to the success of its first magnet school.

He also made it clear that the district recognizes its need to compete for students and will be adding more educational choices in the future.

For more information, and a virtual tour, visit PascoSchools.org, and click on the Sanders banner at the top.

Published January 7, 2015

Some oppose planned Quail Hollow school boundaries

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When Pasco County School Board members consider proposed boundary changes for Quail Hollow Elementary School in January, they’ll likely hear from parents who oppose the idea of shifting their children from Wesley Chapel Elementary to the reconstructed school.

Buses will line up once again next school year when the massively remodeled Quail Hollow Elementary School reopens its doors. It was closed to create more traditional classroom spaces to replace its former ‘open’ design. (File Photo)
Buses will line up once again next school year when the massively remodeled Quail Hollow Elementary School reopens its doors. It was closed to create more traditional classroom spaces to replace its former ‘open’ design. (File Photo)

About three-dozen parents and students turned out for a Dec. 8 community meeting to discuss Quail Hollow’s proposed boundary, and some parents made it clear they don’t want their children transferred out of Wesley Chapel Elementary, Pasco County Schools planning director Chris Williams said.

Quail Hollow, at 7050 Quail Hollow Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, has been closed for a massive reconstruction project, and will reopen next fall. When it does, the school will have classroom doors and walls, unlike its previous “open design,” and will have updated technology.

A committee has been working on recommending proposed boundaries, which the school board is expected to consider at its 6 p.m. hearing on Jan. 20. A second and final vote is expected at the board’s Feb. 3 meeting.

The school will have more capacity than it did before. The proposed boundaries call for shifting some students there from Wesley Chapel and Veterans elementary schools. The Veterans students would come from an area that includes the Pasco Woods apartments, Williams said.

The area that would shift Wesley Chapel to Quail Hollow includes the neighborhoods of Wesley Pointe, Villages at Wesley Chapel, Citrus Trace and Saddleridge Estates.

There are 62 students living in the area that would be reassigned from Veterans to Quail Hollow, Williams said. There are 100 students living in the area that would be reassigned from Wesley Chapel to Quail Hollow.

Veterans has a capacity of 762 students, but currently has 828, including pre-kindergarten. So, Williams said, Veterans already is over capacity and could use relief.

Wesley Chapel Elementary has a capacity of 613 students, but will have far fewer students when children who attended Quail Hollow return to their school. However, Quail Hollow has space to accommodate a greater number of children, so the committee recommended reassigning students from Wesley Chapel to Quail Hollow to provide room for growth that is expected to result from the development of Epperson Ranch South near Overpass Road.

Some parents at the community meeting voiced concerns about shifting the communities north of State Road 54 and west of Interstate 75, Williams said. Quail Hollow is a little more than a mile farther away, but parents are concerned about the traffic congestion they could encounter along State Road 54 through Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Another concern raised at the meeting relates to the difference in Wesley Chapel and Quail Hollow’s performance. Wesley Chapel is an A school, based on the state’s criteria. Quail Hollow was a C school.

Beyond boundary changes, the district still needs to name a new principal for Quail Hollow. Superintendent Kurt Browning had intended to recommend Lane Morris, assistant principal at Gulfside Elementary School, as Quail Hollow’s principal. But Browning put that recommendation on hold after Gulfside principal Chris Clayton was placed on administrative leave pending investigation of reports he violated school district policy.

District officials do not anticipate Clayton returning to Gulfside, said Pasco County Schools spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said.

The Pasco County School Board is scheduled to take an initial vote on proposed boundary changes affecting Quail Hollow, Wesley Chapel and Veterans elementary schools at the board’s 6 p.m. meeting on Jan. 20.

The final vote is expected at the board’s 9:30 a.m. meeting on Feb. 3.

See this story in print: Click Here

Applications pouring in for Pasco’s first magnet school

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Pasco County Schools received more than 860 applications within the first four days of finding students for its first magnet facility, Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School.

Applications for Sanders — a school that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics — will be accepted through Jan. 15.

Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning says that Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School, Pasco’s first magnet school, is evidence the school district knows it needs to expand its educational choices. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning says that Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School, Pasco’s first magnet school, is evidence the school district knows it needs to expand its educational choices. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Lindsey Davis submitted the first application at 12:01 a.m., on Dec. 1, in hopes of securing a space for her 7-year-old son, Grant, to attend the school at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes.

Davis and her husband, Quentin, were at a news conference later that day where Superintendent Kurt Browning talked about the need for the school district to expand its educational options.

“As a district, we know that we must compete for the students we serve,” Browning said.

Davis believes that Sanders would be a good fit for her son.

“This is more his niche,” she said. “He loves science. He loves math. He loves basically everything this school is going to offer.

“I’m crossing my fingers that he gets picked.”

The school is set to open in August for the 2015-16 school year. It will serve 762 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, including a mix of children from throughout Pasco County reflecting the diverse nature of Pasco’s public schools.

The school district plans to provide bus transportation within a five-mile radius of the school. For those living farther away, the district will establish transportation hubs at Veterans, Moonlake and Trinity elementary schools where the kids can board a bus to ride to Sanders in the morning and will return to their hub after school.

Students will be selected through a weighted lottery system, with pupils from nearby Connerton and Oakstead elementary schools as well as children of Sander’s staff members given additional weight. Connerton and Oakstead are both operating with enrollments well beyond capacity.

Siblings of students accepted to Sanders also will be given extra weight in the lottery.

Once a student has been accepted, he or she student will be able to attend the school through fifth grade.

Although the standards for the students will be the same, the learning approaches will be different.

The design of the school also will foster a greater degree of collaboration between students, and between students and teachers. A wetlands area with a boardwalk also will give students a chance to get up close with nature, creating opportunities for outdoor learning.

Sanders will have materials that are similar to those in traditional schools, but there will be differences. For one thing, each student will have some type of device allowing them to use technology to help solve problems and enhance learning. They also will have the arts infused into a curriculum that aims to create independent thinkers and learners.

Sanders’ design aims to encourage collaborative learning. When construction is completed, the school will have individual classrooms that are flanked on both sides of a large space where students can work together on projects, where groups of children can work with teachers, and where larger presentations can be given.

Classrooms will have wireless technology. They also are set up to accommodate experiments. Space also will be provided within the school to allow students to store projects they are working on.

Jason Petry has been named the school’s principal, effective Jan. 6, and he’s excited about leading the district’s first magnet school. He said Sanders will emphasize collaboration, critical thinking and communication.

It will encourage children to “pose and answer questions for themselves,” he said.

Teachers and staff should be hired by early summer.

The construction is taking place on a site that was previously occupied by Sanders Memorial Elementary School. Four new buildings are being added, and three old buildings are being reconstructed at the site.

When it opens, Sanders will have a wall showcasing its history, which dates back to 1948. The display will include plaques from the original building, as well as historic photographs.

Correction
Sanders Memorial Elementary School opened in 1948. The Dec. 10 issue of The Laker/Lutz News reported an incorrect year.

Published December 10, 2014

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Community meeting set to discuss Quail Hollow boundaries

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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.

Children streamed toward Quail Hollow on the school’s last day in June 2013. The elementary school was closed for a massive remodeling which included added doors and walls to create traditional classroom spaces. (File photo)
Children streamed toward Quail Hollow on the school’s last day in June 2013. The elementary school was closed for a massive remodeling which included added doors and walls to create traditional classroom spaces. (File photo)

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 Road

The 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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