TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Parents in Pinellas County are calling for more transparency as the school district moves forward with plans to consolidate schools and families prepare for changes next school year.
Construction is set to begin at Tarpon Springs Middle School after the Pinellas County School Board approved funding this week to transform the campus into a traditional K-8 school. The plan would bring together students from Sunset Hills Elementary and Tarpon Springs Middle School.
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Some Sunset Hills parents say they still need crucial information about what the transition will look like before deciding where to send their children next year.
Parent Melissa Torres said families want assurances that the school will be ready in time for the start of the next school year.
“I think an assurance that one, the plan is going to be done by August. The school will be ready to go. No portables and the building will be retrofitted for lower elementary children, including kindergarten," Torres said.
Parent Christopher Bannon said the unanswered questions have caused his family to consider other options.
“We even talked about homeschooling because we don't have faith in the system because they haven't placed that. They haven't given us those answers. So we have nothing to go off of, zero to go off of,” Bannon said.
The concerns come as the Pinellas County Council PTA has sent a letter to the school board asking for a committee to be established to review enrollment and attendance.
Raegan Miller, Vice President of Leadership for the Pinellas County Council PTA, said she believes such a committee could have given families more time to discuss the proposed changes before the Superintendent presented recommendations to the School Board.
“I feel like it would really have helped our community. It would have given us some time to have some honest discussions before the superintendent's recommendations were rolled out to the school board,” Miller said.
The school district held community meetings throughout the summer to gather feedback. However, parents say they wanted more time between the release of the superintendent’s recommendations and the school board moving forward with the plans.
Miller said that concern was one reason the PTA decided to send the letter.
“Because what you've seen is the superintendent's recommendations got rolled out, there were some slight tweaks made, but really you've just seen a lot of public outcry, and I feel like we could have made all those tweaks in advance if people had really understood what was on the table,” Miller said.
The School Board approved funding this week for changes at Tarpon Springs Middle School, including new corridors, entrances and classrooms designed to accommodate younger students.
The District says it plans to hold a community meeting during the week of Nov. 16 to share construction timelines with families.
School board members also said they want to answer parents’ questions this week as the consolidation process moves forward.
The District said the School Board received the PTA’s letter and that board members will decide what happens next.
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Tampa Bay 28 reporter Maya Sargent is here to highlight the triumphs and explore the concerns from her neighbors in North Pinellas County. From Clearwater to Tarpon Springs and everywhere in between - fill out the form below to connect with Maya.
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