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School Boundaries To Be Objective

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: November 19, 2008

NORTHDALE - Bill Lazarus hopes to take the emotions out of the school boundary process.

The Hillsborough County School District plans to overhaul attendance boundaries for four high schools as it prepares to open Steinbrenner High School in Lutz. It has hired Tampa firm SeerAnalytics as a consultant.

Lazarus, the company's CEO, spoke to more than 100 parents Nov. 12 at Gaither High School about the process he would use. He said SeerAnalytics would make recommendations based on objective data, such as transportation costs and distances, instead of passionate pleas from neighbors.

"Will we make you all happy? No," Lazarus said. "Will there be fairness of process? Yes. Will there be transparency? Absolutely."

But reactions from the crowd showed it might be tough to remove emotion while making boundary decisions.

Dozens of parents stood up in the middle of the meeting to demonstrate they wanted Lutz students to be assigned to the same high school instead of divided among Steinbrenner, Gaither and Freedom high schools.
Chamberlain High parents asked why no one was considering assigning students from that crowded school to Gaither.

Others asked whether the district would keep neighborhoods together and how they could give input.

The district used to present maps to the community that showed what neighborhoods would attend what schools in a boundary proposal. Parents would respond, and district officials would take those comments and any changes to the school board for a vote.

This time, the maps will come near the end of the process. SeerAnalytics is compiling data that includes how the school would impact transportation, how full it would be and how student diversity would break down. The company will weigh those factors and present some scenarios to the district to share with committees or at meetings.

"We're coming up with the best way to allocate resources to the most kids so they don't have to sit on the bus most of the time and so school classes don't remain empty," Lazarus said. "We're making the decisions based on data. Everybody is treated the same. ... Do we know if this is going to affect anyone's kids in particular? We do not."

The maps - and which families are affected - will not be known until the district has decided what scenarios it likes. Boundary details for Steinbrenner, which opens in August, would likely come in early 2009.

"It's a different process, but it still has the same goal in mind," said Steve Ayers, director of community and parent relations for the district.

Steinbrenner could wind up affecting students at Freedom, Gaither, Sickles and Alonso high schools. Chamberlain also is crowded, operating at 115 percent of its capacity, but the district wants to concentrate on schools farther north. Alonso students would not move to Steinbrenner but may shift to Sickles if enough Sickles students get transferred to Steinbrenner.

WHO WILL MOVE?

Steinbrenner High School will open in August, affecting boundaries at Sickles, Gaither, Freedom and Alonso high schools. All of the schools except for Freedom are filled beyond their capacities. Here is how the schools stack up:

•Freedom, enrollment is at 89 percent of its capacity

•Gaither, 109 percent

•Alonso, 113 percent

•Sickles, 131 percent

Source: Hillsborough County School District

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503. Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503.

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