Plans to reconfigure public school offerings in Tarpon Springs took another turn Thursday as superintendent Kevin Hendrick told parents he’s recommending the changes approved a month ago not take effect until fall 2028.
A year’s delay, which the school board must approve, would give the district more time to prepare for the moves, Hendrick wrote in an email to families.
“This approach will ensure that families, staff, and students have a clear understanding of both the educational opportunities and facility enhancements that will contribute to a successful K-8 experience,” he wrote, stressing that he remains confident in the plan.
It includes closing the Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary campus, expanding the fundamental school into a K-8 program at nearby Sunset Hills Elementary, and relocating Sunset Hills students into Tarpon Springs Middle, which would become a traditional K-8 school.
The district’s efforts to more efficiently use its space as enrollment declines have roiled the north Pinellas community since the first round of proposals came out in September. One part of Tarpon Springs initially worried about losing traditional middle school seats, while Hendrick’s revised recommendation irked the Sunset Hills area that hadn’t been included earlier.
His latest missive reheated the still simmering discussion.
“It feels like they got strong-armed,” said Megan Delgado, a parent at Tarpon Springs Fundamental.
Since the board OK’d the plan, parents from Sunset Hills Elementary have protested each subsequent action, including a contract for a project engineer to make improvements at Tarpon Springs Middle and updates to the district’s choice and magnet policy that codified the program changes.
Several have called on the board to reverse its vote. Some saw Hendrick’s letter as an opening to further press the point.
“Postponing the vote to give us time to digest the information and hold meaningful discussions is exactly what we as a community were asking of the school board in the first place,” said Alyssa Tatum, a Sunset Hills parent.
“While we are still fighting to save Sunset Hills, this decision gives us another year to potentially change course on the school merger,” she added.
Delgado said it’s already come at a cost, sowing hostility in the community.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster,” she said. “Now it feels like we’re back in limbo again.”
And that reduces confidence in the district, said Erin Smith, another Tarpon Springs Fundamental parent. If officials were so certain a month ago that the changes could be completed on time, she said, why aren’t they now?
“This new recommendation is making us distrust the district and superintendent,” Smith said.
She also wondered how postponing the inevitable would impact other aspects of the district’s initiative. Officials have said they don’t want to propose another round of closures and consolidations until after they assess the outcomes of the current group, yet they also profess the need to act in the face of projected enrollment declines through 2050.
School board members said they were cognizant of the situation. But they also saw value in delay.
“By giving it that extra time, the board and the district can make sure the school is exactly what we want it to be,” said Lisa Cane, who opposed the plan for Tarpon-area schools.
Cane referred to several parents’ criticism that Tarpon Springs Middle could not be retrofitted for primary ages by the fall. Many said they wanted to see what type of campus their young children would be attending before committing to it.
“It’s probably better,” said board member Katie Blaxberg. “It gives facilities and the construction team the ability to do it well and do it right.”
There might be an added cost to moving more slowly, Blaxberg acknowledged. “This, I think, gives everyone a chance to breathe.”
The superintendent’s recommendation is set to go to the board on Dec. 15.
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