Seven Pinellas County schools landed on the chopping block Sept. 10 as superintendent Kevin Hendrick released his latest proposal to cope with declining enrollment.
The list: Tarpon Springs Fundamental, Kings Highway, Blanton, Azalea, Bear Creek and Sexton elementary schools, and Lealman Innovation.
But wait. There’s more.
The recommendations also include converting several campuses into fundamental, magnet and K-8 schools — some of the district’s most popular and pursued models — in addition to expanding early learning options for children under 5 years old.
“It’s not a school closure plan. It’s how do we make better choices for families” while continuing to balance the budget, Hendrick said. “These are the best decisions when you put in all the inputs. We do feel like we’ve provided more choices and more opportunities, even if they’re not closer to home.”
All told, Hendrick projected the proposal, which was scheduled to go to the school board for a vote on Oct. 13, would save about $25 million in annual expenses by eliminating duplicate jobs and cutting utility usage. It also would reduce the amount of unused student seats by almost 5,000.
Converting buildings for different uses would cost just under $7 million.
So, what’s the plan? Here’s a breakdown by region.
South Pinellas
Hendrick and other district leaders have routinely said they wouldn’t propose closing high schools. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t reconsider how they operate, though.
Boca Ciega High, which has seen its student population shrink by half over the past nine years, is recommended to become a technical high school with six career tracks, starting in 2028-29. Students in the school’s attendance zone who aren’t interested in those tracks would instead attend Hollins or Gibbs.
That change could lead to a smaller high school than Boca Ciega already is, Hendrick acknowledged. That’s why the plan also calls for renaming Azalea Middle School and relocating it to a three-story building on the Boca Ciega campus.
“It will have access to those career-technical pathways we are trying to grow,” Hendrick said, stressing it will operate separately from the high school, while sharing some facilities.
The Azalea Middle campus would become a new K-8 school, absorbing Azalea Elementary, which would relocate in 2028 from its current location. The K-8 would remain a neighborhood school, with children in sixth through eighth grades able to choose it or the career-tech focused middle school.
Bear Creek Elementary, a small and aging school that has shrunk to 189 students, would close, with about half its students reassigned to Gulfport and the rest to Fairmount Park, both underused A-rated schools.
By the numbers, the other south county school that should have been on the list is Woodlawn Elementary, which is only about a quarter filled. But Hendrick said other factors came into play, including a partner that would “bring good community value” lined up to lease the Sexton property.
Sexton students would be rezoned to Woodlawn or Lynch elementary.
The final piece in South Pinellas is the closure of Lealman Innovation, an alternative school that can hold 1,000 students but currently serves 201. The district also has a partner set to lease that site, Feeding Tampa Bay.
Mid-Pinellas
Over the past decade, the district introduced more magnets and other options to mid-county, which had fewer choices than the north and south.
Its only fundamental school, Madeira Beach, has a lengthy waiting list.
The plan calls for another at Pinellas Park Elementary, which would convert to a K-5 fundamental. As a result, it would lose its attendance zone, as all fundamentals are choice only.
The district also would close Blanton, which needs about $2.4 million in improvements and has limited parking, making it a poor location for expansion, Hendrick said.
Those changes would require several attendance zone changes. Among them: Blanton students would be sent to Rawlings or Westgate elementary, and Pinellas Park children would be reassigned to Skyview or Lealman Avenue if they are not interested in attending the fundamental.
North Pinellas
The traditional elementary and middle schools in Tarpon Springs are geographically isolated and sit about half empty. Hendrick contends the popularity of the fundamental model will change that dynamic.
His proposal calls for closing tiny Tarpon Springs Fundamental and relocating it to Tarpon Springs Middle, which would be transformed into a fundamental K-8 campus. It would add about 200 more elementary seats.
It also could attract area children who attend the fundamental elementary but travel to Clearwater for that model in sixth through eighth grades. That could open more seats at Clearwater Fundamental Middle, a highly sought-after school that’s nearly 90% full.
“What did people tell us? They like fundamental. They like K-8. This is in response to that,” Hendrick said.
Those who aren’t interested could still attend Tarpon Springs Elementary and Carwise Middle.
The plan also calls for closing Kings Highway Elementary, which has about 168 students, relocating its classes to Sandy Lane Elementary, an arts magnet across the street. Kings Highway would become an early learning center for 2- to 4-year-olds, with the possibility of adding programs for infants.
Families who don’t want to attend the magnet could go to Skycrest Elementary instead.
East Lake Middle School Academy of Engineering also is slated to add 66 seats, expanding magnet and technical opportunities in the region. It would use available classrooms at East Lake High, where the program resides.
Some other schools, including Garrison-Jones, Dunedin and San Jose elementary, will see attendance zone changes, too.
Next steps
The district came up with its plan after holding several public forums and receiving input from the community. It’s the second round of changes, following the closure of two schools and conversion of five others last year.
Moving forward, the district intends to hold meetings at all the affected schools by Sept. 22. People were able to bring concerns and questions to the board at a Sept. 22 meeting in Largo.
Any schools recommended for closure would have another set of meetings after that, to discuss specific details such as transportation, programs and so forth.
The board has scheduled a workshop to review the feedback on Oct. 6, with a final vote planned for the board’s Oct. 13 meeting.
All recommendations are to be posted on the district’s Planning for Progress page. That will include an address lookup to determine whether your family is impacted.
Hendrick sounded confident that the plan will appeal to families, perhaps attracting some back from charters, private schools and homeschooling. He noted that after Cross Bayou Elementary closed this fall, 199 of the 209 students remained enrolled in the district.
He also observed that, with many more open seats remaining, additional changes could come in future years.
It’s understood, he said, that when the district takes away any school, families will look at every available option.
“That’s why our choices have to be as good or better,” he said.
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