Wharton’s Warren Among District’s Budget Casualties

Jas Warren

This is not how Jas Warren, Wharton High’s theatre teacher and director, expected the curtain to close on his long career.

Warren, who has been at the school since it opened in 1997 and helped lead the theatre department to dozens of awards and State competition appearances, is one of many teachers caught in the crosshairs after budget cuts were announced last week by Hillsborough County Superintendent of Schools Addison Davis in an effort to chop down a $100-million deficit.

The cuts mean that more than 1,200 positions in the country’s seventh-largest school district are being eliminated.

In New Tampa, Warren was far from the only teacher to be affected, but was one of the most senior among teachers who found their positions eliminated as the District continues to struggle with finances. Wharton’s theatre program has been one of the District’s best for many years.

“I guess I’m kind of a little bit sad, a little bit angry and kind of surprised,” says Warren. “I’ve done nothing but exemplary work for 31 years. I thought that meant something. I’ve been at Wharton for 24 straight years; I stood here when it was nothing but a dirt floor, and we’ve had award-winning theater productions, won at the District level and went on to the State level where we have received superior ratings. But, I guess that doesn’t seem to matter much.”

It does matter to parent Kelly Miller, whose daughter went through Warren’s program and whose son also attends the school. Miller says she was disappointed to see the program lose its founder.

“The school is known for its award- winning theater programs,” Miller says. “I’m very shocked at this. Without him, the program will collapse.”

Warren, like many of those who have seen their positions eliminated in the most recent round of cuts, was moved into the teacher’s pool — where he could land another job, although there will be few theatre positions available — because there were fewer students to teach these days.

A Hall of Fame inductee for the international Educational Theatre Association, Warren says he has been told he was being let go because he didn’t have enough students — although he still has about 50 kids in his program now, which is down from 110-120 pre-Covid. 

He says he has been overwhelmed with the level of support and outrage from former students and parents, and will keep on fighting “until there is nothing to fight for.”

The theatre program will go on at Wharton, under the direction of a new teacher who also teaches other classes. The same goes for the band program at Benito Middle school, where 10-year veteran Staisy Kibart was told she no longer would run the program (but would be guaranteed a job somewhere else in the District) and it would be taken over, presumably, by another teacher.

Kibart says that when cuts were made last fall, she was told something was coming down. This time, she says she was caught off guard. “We were told something could happen in the fall when cuts were coming in October, but that conversation was never had this time around,” Kibart says. “I was pulled in Wednesday afternoon (April 14) and the bomb was dropped. They said we have to let a music teacher go, and it’s you.”

Benito will have a net loss of 8.08 positions, while Liberty Middle School will lose 6.88. Turner-Bartels K-8 School, however, is losing 16 positions, including five positions in grades 1-4, three Exceptional Student Education (ESE) positions and a music teacher, believed to be chorus.

At the high schools, Wharton actually gained some key positions (including two in reading) and will suffer a net loss of only 3.48 positions, while Freedom High will lose 12.32 positions.

However, Freedom principal Kevin Stephenson says those numbers don’t equal teachers. When vacancies that will go unfilled are unaccounted for, he “only” expects to lose 5-6 teachers.

Stephenson says the cuts will hurt everyone, but are needed.

“It’s something our District really needs to do to get into alignment financially,” he says. “There are challenges, but we have those every year. You have to make payroll, and that means doing things that are really tough.”

Jessica Vaughn

The cuts come after dozens of meetings between Davis, the School Board and principals and assistant principals this year. 

District 3 School Board member Jessica Vaughn, a Tampa Palms resident, says the cuts are hard on so many but she feels Davis and his staff tried to be as thoughtful as they could, by including school administrators in the process.

But, in order to avoid a state takeover of the District for not meeting certain thresholds in the county reserves, as well as payroll, Vaughn said the action had to be taken.

“I don’t see any way around the cuts to avoid the State taking us over,” she says. “We have to stay out of receivership. I don’t trust the intentions of the State when it comes to doing what’s best for the District.”

Instead of directing her ire at Davis, Vaughn pointed a finger at the State legislature, which she says has continued to vote against providing more money for education and has instead focused on charter school expansion.

Necessary or not, “I think that these cuts drastically, drastically hurt our School District, and that we will feel it for a long time to come.”

Rep. Driskell, Wharton Students Team Up On Environmental Bill

State Rep. Fentrice Driskell (top row, second from the left) picked the brains of some Wharton High students to formulate an environmental bill to try to pass at the upcoming state legislative session, which begins March 2.

If a bill gets passed during this upcoming State of Florida legislative session that helps eliminate food waste and, in the process, provides the Sunshine State with environmental benefits, you might just have some Wharton High students to thank for it.

During a Zoom class on Jan. 28 moderated by District 63 State Rep. Fentrice Driskell, the Wharton students were asked to debate three potential bills they had been given, and whichever one they found to be the most preferable, Rep. Driskell would take with her to Tallahassee when the 60-day legislative session begins March 2 and work to get it passed.

“This is a new initiative for me,” Rep. Driskell said. “I have heard of other members doing this, but I wanted to put my own spin on it.”

Each of the bills debated had a strong climate change component to them, something near to Driskell’s heart — before attending Harvard University and Georgetown Law School, she was an officer in the environment club at Lake Gibson High in Lakeland. 

“We were setting out to save the world,” she told the class. “Never doubt that young people can save the world, and part of the reason we are having real conversation around climate change is because the younger generation is pushing us to do so.”

The students in the class of Mary Johnson (AP Environmental Science) and Chad Reed (AP U.S. Government) chose a version of the Rhode Island Refuse Disposal Act, which ensures that the organic-waste materials generated by educational facilities are recycled at an authorized composting facility or anaerobic digestion facility.

“There is a lot of food waste,” said Sarai Guzman, a senior, who added that since she moved to Tampa she has noticed excessive waste, especially in schools. “We need to help those who don’t get as much food.”

Zoe Craig, a junior, agreed. She said she has volunteered a lot in a local food pantry, and sees the need for food in the community. 

Sonya Patel, also a junior, also voted for the food waste bill, stressing its environmental benefits.

“It would lead to less going to the landfill, and the less landfill, the less we burn, which (means) less greenhouse gas,” she said. “There is a whole chain of reactions involved with that.”

Senior Mark Johnson agreed that the gashouse effect of less waste would provide a large benefit to society.

The other bills presented for discussion included one dealing with testing for and eliminating lead in the water of schools and child daycare centers, and another focused on an energy security and disaster resilience pilot program to create solar energy storage systems at certain facilities which could provide needed power following natural disasters.

The Lead-Safe Schools and Daycares Act also was a popular choice of the class. Kylie Lewis said she thought the transparency of the bill — requiring testing results to be made available to district leaders and parents — was great, while senior Vlada Pitner said the safety issue was important. 

“There have been a lot of problems in the district in Hillsborough County with lead being in the water,” Pitner said. “It’s a big issue and I feel like a lot of people overlook it. And, it affects the next generation, who we want to be healthy.”

Senior Jonathan Arms cast his vote for the solar energy bill, primarily because of the possibilities it could open up.

“If we could prove to the other states that solar energy is viable and can properly be used as a back up, then there is no real excuse it can’t be used as a primary source,” Arms said. “Maybe we can start using solar energy for big projects, maybe we start making, I don’t know, solar-powered cars. That would be kind of cool. I kind of like (what this bill could mean for the future).”

In a non-Covid world, Driskell says she would have liked to break off into groups for further debate. Instead, she put it to a vote, with 47 percent of the class picking the food waste bill. She called the experience a success.

“It went better than I expected,” Driskell said. “The kids were so impressive to me. They were engaged the whole time. I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better.”

Driskell said the class was the first of many she would like to do in New Tampa, and that she will approach other schools in the future. She chose Wharton for this one because of her relationship with principal Mike Rowan, whom she met in 2018 shortly after being elected for the first time. 

She will now take the bill, rework the language in it, and work on getting it sponsored. It would then go into committee and, if deemed favorable by the House committee and by a House vote, it would be sent to the Senate floor for a final yes or no vote.

Driskell joked that she will tell the Senators that there would be some angry high school students calling them if the bill doesn’t pass, telling the Wharton students to be ready to go.

“I didn’t grow up knowing elected officials,” she said. “I had no sense of how accessible government is on the local and state level. I hope this sparks curiosity in the minds of these students. Maybe it gets them engaged at this level, at an early age, and they will want to stay engaged for the rest of their lives.”

Congrats to New Tampa’s Teachers of the Year!

Here are this year’s Teacher of the Year nominees, as chosen by their respective schools in New Tampa. Also listed are the Ida S. Baker (ISB) Diversity Educator of the Year and the Instructional Support Employee (ISE) of the Year nominees from each New Tampa school.

Turner Bartels K-8 School
Teacher: Briana Rabiero, 2nd Grade
ISB: Marelisa Moreno 
ISE: Sue Garcia
Liberty Middle School
Teacher: Megan Sullivan, Reading
ISB: Brenda Silva 
ISE: Daina Vasquez
Hunter’s Green Elementary
Teacher: Brittany Nieves, 1st Grade
ISB: Amanda Palmer 
ISE: Lorrie Noble
Pride Elementary
Teacher: Deana Brennen, 1st Grade
ISB: Eva Garcia 
ISE: Emma Torres
Heritage Elementary 
Teacher: Autumn Banks, 4th Grade
ISB: Laura Korte 
ISE: Yesenia Ackels
Tampa Palms Elementary
Teacher: Ashley Weston, 1st Grade
ISB: Caitlin Walker 
ISE: Patricia Hollenbeck
Freedom High
Teacher: Christina Grigoropoulos, Science
ISB: Bonnie Fuhrmeister
ISE: Walfriedo Lemes
Benito Middle School
Teacher: Daniel Gostkowski, Math
ISB: Sherri Jackson 
ISE: Veronica Gonzalez
Wharton High
Teacher: Michael Sawyer, Business Technology
ISB: Carmen Fernandez
ISE: Rafael Leon
Chiles Elementary
Teacher: Yessica Gilford, Art
ISB: Michael Zang 
ISE: Shamila Weeratunga
Clark Elementary
Teacher: Deborah Finnk, Media Specialist
ISB: Michelle Lilius
ISE: Nydia De Hoyos

HGE’s Amanda Palmer Among Final Four For Hillsborough Award

Amanda Palmer

Of the nearly 250 nominations that came in to the Hillsborough Education Foundation for the Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year award, Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE) teacher Amanda Palmer was named one of just four finalists considered for the award this year.

And, although she didn’t take home the prize on Jan. 21 (at a ceremony held at Blake High School in Tampa with a mostly virtual audience), she says she was thankful just to be considered.

“I feel so honored and grateful,” she says. “First, that the Hunter’s Green staff nominated me, and then to know it went to the District level, it blows my mind.”

Palmer teaches students with varying exceptionalities (VE), working with students in the regular classroom who need additional support because of a diagnosis or disability. The students are part of a regular class, and Palmer comes in to their classrooms to help them be successful in that inclusive classroom environment.

“I’m like their biggest cheerleader,” she says.

Palmer says that she was completely shocked back in December, when Mike McCollum, chief advancement officer with the Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF), and a parade of administrators and others told her the big news that she had been chosen as a finalist.

“When they came to the school to surprise me, I said, ‘Is this real life?,” Palmer says.

The Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year is one of three awards given out each year by HEF. 

The foundation explains that Ida S. Baker became Cape Coral High’s first principal in 1977 who went to on to become the first African-American to serve as Deputy Superintendent for the Florida Department of Education (DoE). She was known for her efforts to support diverse students and encourage academic success and, after her passing in 1992, the DoE created this statewide award in her honor.

For the award, each school in Hillsborough County may nominate one teacher who “embodies the pioneering spirit of Ida S. Baker by going above and beyond to meet the needs of our diverse student population.”

The other two annual awards given by HEF are Teacher of the Year and Instructional Support Employee of the Year.

All 11 schools in New Tampa submitted a nominee in each category (see next page). This year, Palmer was the only New Tampa nominee to be chosen as a finalist.

When Palmer was a student at the University of South Florida, she interned at HGE as a first grade teacher. She then filled in temporarily as a VE teacher, and says she fell in love.

“I never knew this position existed,” she says. Palmer got certified in order to be the school’s VE teacher, and even went back to USF to earn a Master’s degree in Exceptional Student Education. She has spent her entire teaching career — nine years now — as the VE teacher at HGE.

She says she loves the way her job allows her to work with not just the 22 students currently included in her caseload, but also with the other students in the classrooms she supports.

While Palmer was able to bring a limited number of guests to the awards ceremony with her, all her other supporters, family and friends watched online in a virtual watch party “room” just for her. Each of the other finalists had their own watch party rooms, too.

About the whole experience, Palmer says, “I think it’s pretty amazing. All for just doing something I love.”

High School Fall Sports Season To Be ‘Challenging’

At our press time, Freedom High was expected to open its 2020 football season on Sept. 11, hosting its New Tampa neighbor and archrival Wharton High, but the toughest opponent for both teams to combat that night likely wasn’t each other.

It was Covid-19.

And, that doesn’t just go for football. Avoiding the virus is arguably the biggest challenge facing teams across Hillsborough County (and the country), as high school athletes, their coaches and administrators try their best to remain socially distant and safe in what is certain to be the strangest prep sports season ever.

“It’s going to be very…what’s the word I’m looking for? Intensive,” says Wharton athletic director Eddie Henderson “It’s going to be a lot of work.”

The county is following all CDC guidelines for sports and also has issued its own 18-page guide, which covers everything from daily cleaning and sanitizing to quarantining and tracing those who become infected. The rules, which include the difficult-to-enforce ban on handshakes and high fives, seek to prevent a major outbreak of the virus.

Social distancing will be the key to keeping crowds at athletic events from spreading the virus.

One of the rules that will make football feel very different is that the bands and cheerleaders will not be permitted to travel to away games. That means that when the Wharton Social Distancers traveled to take on the Freedom Social Distancers, they had to leave behind some of their loudest and most ardent supporters, not to mention a group that is woven into the very fabric of the Friday night football experience.

The crowds will be smaller. A limited number of fans will be allowed into sporting events like football and volleyball this fall — players (and band members) are allowed to choose only four spectators, but they have to be registered on a list at least a day before each game, so they can be issued electronic tickets. Each player’s foursome will be a “spectator pod” and will be required to sit together.

Fans, who must wear masks in the stands, will find seats clearly marked off in groups of four, socially distant from other pods.

The biggest hurdle, however, will be keeping the athletes healthy. If an athlete tests positive, he/she and anyone in close contact with them will be quarantined for 14 days. That can wipe out any team’s roster in a hurry.

Football will be a huge challenge, due to the unavoidable closer quarters presented by bus transportation and the sheer number of players (often ranging anywhere from 50 to 80 or so) cramming into small locker rooms.

The football teams at Hillsborough and Jefferson high schools have already had infected players and, as a result, may not be able to play the first two weeks of the season.

“I’m holding my breath, and the reason is that, when we’re putting this many people together, you just don’t know,” Henderson says.

While football is the biggest concern, every sport will present its own set of issues. 

For example, cross country will have to stagger its starts to avoid large gatherings of runners from multiple schools. Volleyball players will be expected to avoid the traditional high-five after every point, and swim meets with multiple teams may be hard to find. In fact, Wharton’s usual “home” pool at the New Tampa YMCA is not permitting the Wildcats to host any meets there.

Provided that high school sports can make it all work under such unique and demanding circumstances, middle school sports will not begin until the second quarter, with track starting first on Oct. 12, followed by flag football and volleyball on Oct. 19.

“Everything is so uncertain,” Henderson says. “Are we gonna be able to push through or will there be a setback? I hope we can push through — I want to see the kids play. They have suffered enough the last six months with (the 2019-20 school year) getting cut short, and the makeshift way of doing school. I hope we push through.”