TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Public Schools held its first public meetings on possible redistricting Monday at Middleton and Plant City high schools.

What You Need To Know

  • The first public meetings on possible Hillsborough County Public Schools redistricting were held at Middleton and Plant City high schools Monday night

  • The district is considering redistricting scenarios that include boundary changes and repurposing schools

  • Superintendent Addison Davis said the focus of this second phase of the process is hearing from the public. He encouraged residents to attend the remaining meetings or comment online

  • Parents said they attended to learn more about the plans and make sure the community's voice is heard during this process

"Phase 2 of this process is all about seeking community input," said HCPS Superintendent Addison Davis during a media availability earlier in the day. "We know that some very difficult decisions and scenarios have been put in front of our community and the school district, but we have to be able to seek input from our community."

The district is considering three scenarios put together by consulting firm WXY Studio that include a combination of boundary changes and school repurposing. Margarita Novack said she came out to the meeting at Middleton because she wants to know what the scenarios could mean for her family. She has four children who will be in elementary, middle and high school in the district next year. 

“With them being in all those schools, I’m very concerned about how and why those decisions are being made,” Novack said.

Whatever scenario is chosen will also play a role in another part of her family’s future.

“We’re trying to move into a home, but we’re trying to figure out where we’re going to be moving and what schools are going to apply to us,” she said.

April Cobb said she has three sons in the district, one of whom could be impacted, depending on the scenario chosen. 

“We’re not against the boundary changes,” Cobb said. “We are more so here to be able to make sure that we’re allowing the community and parents that reside in the community to have a voice around what they think is best for their children. We’re not against it. We just want to make sure that there’s equity in this process.”

A concern of some parents in the days leading up to the meetings was that redistricting would lead to less diverse schools, both racially and economically. Davis told the audience at Middleton that details of the scenarios were not related to race, but to analytics from WXY. According to a presentation Davis gave, socioeconomically disadvantaged students are slightly more likely to be rezoned but would see more benefits than other students in each scenario. 

Davis has said 11,000-24,000 students could be impacted by redistricting, depending on which scenario is chosen.

“We’re very sensitive to this information and how it impacts communities and how it impacts our entire organization,” Davis said. “However, as an organizational leader, we have to be able to look at the utilization of our schools. We have to be able to look at the course offerings at our schools, as well, being able to look at over-utilized schools, under-utilized schools, the distance that children transition to and from school every single day, and then also look at the financials that are impacted to be able to create and offer educational experiences every single day.”

Davis stressed that no decision has been made and said the feedback the district hears this week will be a factor in the ultimate choice. He encouraged residents to attend the remaining in-person meetings or submit feedback via the interactive map tool on the HCPS Boundary Analysis website. The last day to comment is Friday, Jan. 13.
 

The remaining meetings will be held from 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. and take place at:


Tuesday

Brandon High School

Sumner High School
 

Wednesday

Plant High School

Leto High School
 

Thursday

Gaither High School

Sickles High School
 

Friday

Bloomingdale High School

Wharton High School