A Good Idea Gone Bad

I would doubt many citizens think our Hillsborough County educators a creative, visionary lot, particularly those in upper management. Go see: student transportation, school boundary changes, school calendars, or any peeved parent. Just ask former Tribune editorial chief Rosemary “The Hammer” Goudreau.

On the other hand, even the Tribune and Times were forced to report that Hillsborough is an “A” rated district, that Superintendent Elia and staff were proactive in anticipating budget cuts, and that graduation rates for Hillsborough students lead all other large districts.

A few years back, Dr. Michael Grego, then assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, had a Lewis and Clark “lets explore the vast unknown” idea and decided to open another adult technical (vocational) center in east county. On the face of it, a good idea: Open classes for new students, build a first-class teaching auditorium with all possible technology, create business training opportunities by locating the school in a huge corporate park.

Sound good so far????? The school district even named the school after famous local figures.

On the first day of classes four years ago, Aparicio-Levy Technical Center opened for business….and there were no students. A while later, a formal Grand Opening was held, with administrators and board members sipping soft drinks and congratulating each other….and there were no students.

To this day, the school district would have to spin every possible bit of data and every possible enrollment number to justify the salary versus student enrollment quotient. Built at the end of a dead end road north of the Sabel Park business center, where no one will ever see its sign or stumble across its existence, Aparicio-Levy Technical Center is a financial dog. It always has been and I doubt anything will change.

A great idea was lost to poor planning, poor marketing, lousy logistics. I’ll let others determine the voracity of administrative energy.

Poor Aparicio-Levy. It got no stickin support. It coulda been a contender.

posted by admin @ 7:33 PM