Hillsborough County Public Schools will undergo many changes this year, and some of the most significant improvements will enhance students’ safety and security. Superintendent MaryEllen Elia announced these plans and other updates at a conference Aug. 15, at Bailey Elementary School.
The district has spent $1.6 million to increase school security, which was partially a response to recent tragedies, such as school shootings nationwide.
These funds aided the addition of 20 community school officers. All of the CSOs have extensive experience in law enforcement, security or the military. They will be devoted to securing Hillsborough schools all day, every day.
Each CSO will cover about six schools, but potentially more or less, depending on locations and populations.
“These guys are assigned to a zone of schools,” said Bill Belcher, senior ranking lieutenant of security for Hillsborough County Public Schools. “Each day, they’re the first responder to those six or seven schools in their zone.”
He said the goal was to organize the zones so that the response time for any school would be 10 minutes or less.
The officers will help direct traffic in the mornings and afternoons, make sure doors and gates are locked and interact with students between classes.
“I’m not just a person with a gun, but I’m an advocate for the children,” said Quentinlee Morgan, who will be a CSO for schools in south Tampa. “I’m here to help.”
Transportation was another major theme. Last year, district leaders had developed a transportation improvement plan to solve certain problems, such as buses breaking down or arriving late to school. The school board has approved the purchase of 100 new buses, which will be phased into circulation this school year.
In addition, there are 200 spare buses that are immediately available to replace malfunctioning buses in emergency situations.
“It holds the opportunity for there to be as little disruption as possible in our transportation system,” Elia said.
School Board meetings are held in the Raymond O. Shelton School Administrative Center auditorium, 901 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. A schedule is available at sdhc.k12.fl.us. Video recordings of school board meetings are available on-demand at sdhcwebcasts.com.
BY THE NUMBERS
203,506: The number of students (Pre-K to 12)
15,880: The number of teachers
279: The number of schools in the district
20: The number of community school officers
$37,569.47: The beginning teacher salary