Pasco eyes attendance zones

Pasco's generally complaint-free school boundary rezoning process could face its biggest test later this year.

As the district makes plans to open a new high school in Hudson and new elementary schools in Land O'Lakes and Odessa in 2010, it's also considering wide-scale rezoning.

Officials quietly have been taking steps to "look at the boundaries for all of the west side middle and high schools" next fall, planning director Chris Williams tells the Gradebook. The goal is to evenly spread enrollment across the region as Pasco opens what's likely to be the last new high school in west Pasco for a while.

Meanwhile, five central Pasco elementary schools -- Longleaf, Sanders, Oakstead, Lake Myrtle and Trinity -- could see boundary shifts too as the district aims to ease crowding with two additional campuses.

This year's proposals pale in comparison.

Anclote High in Holiday would take about 700 teens from Mitchell High and another 300 from Gulf High. Watergrass Elementary in Wesley Chapel would get about half of Wesley Chapel Elementary's 1,000 students. You can see the proposals on the Pasco web site and attend parent meetings on the recommendations at Wesley Chapel Elementary at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and at Paul R. Smith Middle at 7 p.m. Monday.

Few are complaining about those.

Comments

pst,
We shall call them... morons.

[Bernie]

What about Cypress Elementary School? It is grossly overcrowded and in need of population relief. Water's Edge hs very significantly contributed to this problem.

Could you explain how boundaries for schools are going to cause your neighborhood's housing value to dissipate?

[publicschoolteacher]

When the teachers complain about ridiculous and wasteful policy, we are called "whiners." When parents complain about their children possibly being sent to a brand new school with state-of-the-art equipment, what should we call you?

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[taxpayer]

I live in an area that will be affected by this program and am highly insulted by Pasco's ridiculous new idea. I can tell you this much. My neighborhood's housing values will dissipate and then, it will hit the fan. Perhaps Pasco needs to remember who butters their bread.

[Mom]

It's gonna hit the fan. The Trinity/Odessa parents won't see this one coming. It's not the just the elementary kids who will be affected. Some students that should have been pushed to Paul R. Smith are *finally* going to be sent to fill the empty desks. There will also be more pushed to Rushe (think Gunn Highway and on) to alleviate the overcrowding at Seven Springs Middle. Unless you live on top of the school it's not a guarantee anymore.