LARGO — Sexton Elementary in St. Petersburg is off the table for next week’s Pinellas County School Board vote on school closures, and Tarpon Springs families got a new plan they say they asked for.
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick presented revised Planning for Progress recommendations at a School Board workshop Tuesday, after weeks of pushback from parents. Going into the workshop, seven schools were proposed for closure at the end of this school year. After it, the list headed to the Oct. 13 vote is down to six, WFLA reported.
“It’s not something you can just lay out a recommendation and vote the next week,” Hendrick said, according to Bay News 9. “I think you have to listen, continue to gather feedback, knowing that you’re not going to make everyone happy, because everyone’s unique situation is different. But I think we’ve arrived at some good conclusions.”
Sexton gets more time
The district is holding off on a decision about Sexton while it meets with families and looks at other options involving nearby Lynch and Woodlawn elementary schools. Both have lower utilization than Sexton. Woodlawn is running at 25% of capacity, according to WFLA. The earliest a new Sexton proposal could come back is in about two weeks.
Sexton parents had circulated a petition and questioned why their school was chosen over emptier campuses nearby. Last month, board Chair Caprice Edmond asked the district to study closing Woodlawn instead and keeping Sexton open, as TBO reported.
“I’m hopeful, a glimmer of hope, because other board members asked the same questions we all have,” Sexton parent Sarah Henley told Bay News 9. “We want to know why ours. We want to know a bigger plan.”
Edmond said finances can’t be the only factor. “At the end of the day, this is not solely a financial decision,” she said. “It’s impacting lives, students, teachers and community, so I like to have all pieces.”
Two K-8 schools for Tarpon Springs
The original plan would have closed Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary and Tarpon Springs Middle and opened a single fundamental K-8. Hendrick now recommends two K-8 schools instead: a neighborhood K-8 that combines Sunset Hills Elementary with Tarpon Springs Middle, and a fundamental K-8 built out of Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary on the Sunset Hills campus, FOX 13 reported.
Parents from all three schools had worked together on an alternative. “We worked really hard as a Tarpon community as a whole,” said Megan Delgado, a Tarpon Springs Fundamental parent. “So we’re very excited they listened.”
Still on the list
Lealman Innovation Academy, Kings Highway Elementary, Blanton Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary remain in the closure plan, according to FOX 13. Other recommendations include adding seats at East Lake Middle School Academy of Engineering, relocating and renaming Azalea Middle, turning a relocated Azalea Elementary into a K-8 with a larger zone, and opening a fundamental K-5 on the Pinellas Park Elementary campus.
The closures are part of an effort to cut about $25 million in recurring annual costs, according to FOX 13. Hendrick has pointed to a 25% drop in local birth rates over 35 years and more than 45,000 empty student seats across the county. He said more closures are likely in the years ahead.
What’s next
The School Board votes Tuesday, Oct. 13, on the closures that are moving forward. Zoning changes for affected schools will be handled separately at a later meeting. Community meetings continue at several schools this week, and the district’s recommendations and school-by-school details are on the Planning for Progress page.