Hillsborough OKs school boundary alterations despite superintendent change
A major initiative to change school attendance boundaries across Hillsborough County will proceed on schedule, even though the person leading it is leaving.
The school board voted 4-3 on Tuesday to implement the plan developed by Superintendent Addison Davis with the assistance of WXY Studios consulting firm.
The vote came despite pleas from some families to pump the brakes now that Davis has resigned, effective July 14.
Board member Jessica Vaughn, who has been critical of the project since its early stages, said she received numerous emails from constituents who are anxious about the changes, especially as Davis will not be present to carry them out.
“I have gotten an overwhelming number of requests that ask for us to hold off on this,” Vaughn said.
Among the questions not yet answered are what will become of six schools that are slated to close. One school, Just Elementary in West Tampa, has closed already.
Plans are under discussion to reopen Just and Adams Middle School after two years. Monroe and McLane middle schools, along with Cleveland and Kimbell elementary schools, also are scheduled to be closed in the summer of 2024.
But it’s unclear who will see those plans through as the district changes leaders. Van Ayres, a top school district official and longtime Hillsborough educator, was named Tuesday as interim superintendent.
Davis said said some of the closed schools will be used for office space, as the board has instructed him not to sell them. Under that scenario, the district could sell office buildings elsewhere.
The idea behind the plan, which also adjusts attendance boundaries at dozens of other schools, is to make more efficient use of classroom space and school personnel.
“I urge this board to move forward with this recommendation regardless of leadership,” Davis said. “This is the right thing to do for this school district.”
The votes and arguments for and against the plan were similar to those voiced before Davis announced his plans to leave.
Board member Karen Perez said the district, in pursuing the boundary plan, was not listening to the wishes of the community.
Board member Henry “Shake” Washington spoke of the families in his electoral district, saying, “I have 4,300 students who are being moved all around the county, so my answer is going to be no if we do it tonight or if we do it a month from now.”
Arguing to proceed with the changes, board chairperson Nadia Combs said “there will never be a perfect time” to change boundaries. The $13.4 million yearly savings that the plan would create is money needed to pay teachers competitive salaries, she added.
“How can we provide a quality education when we don’t have teachers?” Combs asked.
For board members Lynn Gray, Patti Rendon and Stacy Hahn, arguments in favor of the plan included a desire to avoid uncertainty as the search for a new superintendent begins.
“I think we do have to demonstrate to the community that we can see something through,” Hahn said. “I am just very nervous that stopping at this point is going to be a theme as big decisions come before us.”
Rendon, who voted for the earlier decision to appoint Ayres even though she would have preferred to wait a week, said, “I think it’s crucial that we show the public the faith that we have in our interim superintendent. I think it’s critically important that we stay the course and show that this district is solid.”
