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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2008

School District Announces Hiring Freeze

Pasco schools Superintendent Heather Fiorentino announced a hiring freeze as part of an effort to save money in the face of a mounting budget shortfall.

As of Nov. 11, the Pasco County School District's budget shortfall is $8.7 million. That's on top of $16 million the school board already cut from the general fund when the fiscal year began.

District staff has figured out ways to cut about half that amount through unfilled positions, hiring delays when positions are filled, fuel savings and other cost-trimming efforts, according to Olga Swinson, the district's chief finance officer.

The staff is looking to school board members for suggestions on ways to cut the other half.

An even bigger hit to the budget could be coming, though.

The state is now expecting an additional revenue shortfall of $1.5 billion. About $500 million of that would come from school district budgets. Pasco's estimated share of that would be between $10 million and $15 million, Swinson said.

That equates to about 320 to 440 jobs, she said.

Any budget cuts would come from the district's general fund, which pays for the day-to-day operation of the schools. Salaries and benefits account for about 85 percent of the general fund.

Board member Joanne Hurley said sports, staff development and administrative costs are among the areas the district should review for possible cuts. She said some schools may need to cut the number of assistant principals, something the district has balked at.

The 2009-10 budget could be even worse, Fiorentino said. State officials have said revenue for next year is expected to be at the 2005-06 level, when the district had 13 fewer schools, 4,000 fewer students and 1,500 fewer employees.

County To Add Online Bill Payment Option

Come June, Pasco County water and sewer customers will be able to pay their bills online.

County officials plan to begin testing a Web-based system in February that will eliminate the need for most of the county's 95,000 utility customers to mail or hand-deliver their payments to the utility office.

The goal is to make bill-paying more convenient, James Cerny, the county's information technology director, told county commissioners.

The county already offers customers the option of using electronic transfers to pay their bills - a system that gives the county access to their bank accounts. About 19 percent of the county's customers use that system.

"The billing system we have currently was fine when we had 10 or 15 thousand customers," said Michael Nurrenbrock, who directs the county's Office of Management and Budget. He said the current system can't handle the larger customer load.

Pasco County SWAT Team Earns Honor

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office SWAT team was recently honored by members of the Dade City Rotary Club for its service to the community. The award was named in honor of team member Gordie Larkin, who was on hand during the presentation.

In 2002, Larkin was shot between the eyes while issuing a search warrant. He was back on the force a year later. Addressing a crowd of about 100 at the Dade City Business Center, Larkin spoke of the pride he had in his fellow SWAT team members.

Sheriff's Capt. Skip Stone, who leads the SWAT team, described the job as "usually volatile."

Larkin credited God with helping him through his situation. Then his gaze fell to the back of the room, where Josh Cooley sat in a wheelchair.

"And by Josh's help," Larkin said.

A member of the SWAT team, Cooley went to Larkin's aid. Cooley later went to Iraq as a Marine Corps reservist and sustained a brain injury after being hit by shrapnel from a roadside bomb in 2005. Larkin and Cooley were among the roughly 25 SWAT team members recognized for their service to the community.

Book Lets Readers Thumb Through Zephyrhills History

"Zephyrhills From A to Z," a new book about the city's history, will be unveiled during a Dec. 19 event.

The 296-page book is loaded with interesting facts, biographies and family histories.

For example, Willa Rice is one of four former mayors who all lived in the same 5th Avenue house at some point.

Elkin spent eight years researching and compiling an encyclopedia of information for the resource book. She set aside time every Thursday and worked closely with Margaret Seppanen, president of the Zephyrhills Historical Association.

The books were printed and bound at a press in Dexter, Mich., and will arrive in Zephyrhills this week. The city ordered 700 copies for the first publication, which will be unveiled at a book party on Dec. 19 at the Zephyrhills Depot Museum.

After the party, copies will be available for sale at the depot museum, the Zephyrhills Library or City Hall, or they can be purchased online from University of Tampa Press. The price is $32.05.

Donations Sought For School Art Projects

Creation Station is putting out a call for reusable materials of all kinds that can be used in classroom art and crafts projects.

Located at the District School Board of Pasco County offices, 7227 Land O' Lakes Blvd, Building 5A, the Creation Station has been a resource for district teachers, as well as local nonprofit groups, for about 15 years. It is a member of the Florida Reusable Resources Network, a group of 18 centers around the state dedicated to collecting reusable materials and putting them to creative, educational use.

The center is usually filled with materials of all kinds - paper, plastic, wood, cardboard, wallpaper and fabric swatches, artificial flora, cans, boxes, bottles and various materials that would otherwise end up in someone's.

The center is currently experiencing a shortage in almost everything, as the demand for materials has gone up and donations have gone down since the start of the school year.

Center staff keeps a record of who takes what and when, in large part to anticipate what materials will likely be most in demand in the future. Teachers and group leaders can take up to 75 pounds per visit. In the past three months, 3,500 pounds of reusable materials have been claimed.

Items on the center's wish list for donation include art and craft supplies, binders, newer books, ceramics, compact discs, computer games, computer accessories, corkboards, decorations, desktop accessories, egg cartons, fabric, file folders, silk or dried flowers, paper and more.

Donations can be brought in during business hours or left on the building's front porch. To have donations picked up from a home or business or for any questions about Creation Station, contact Bryant at (813) 794-2752 or kbryant@pasco.k12.fl.us.

Officials Seek Ways To Decrease Court-Case Bottlenecks

Pasco County officials will search for ways to decrease the backlog of court cases which can leave jails overcrowded.

Commissioner Ann Hildebrand and Sheriff Bob White volunteered to serve on a subcommittee as members of the Pasco County Public Safety Coordinating Council.

Two judges are handling huge felony caseloads. One judge already is hearing 60 to 80 cases a day.

In some instances, a pre-trial conference might take place a month and a half after the initial, advisory hearing, Halkitis observed.

In the past, senior judges had assisted from time to time to clear up a backlog of cases, Halkitis recalled. But no money exists in tight budgets these days to hire senior judges.

Still, Pasco jails are crowded enough that the county recently has been transferring 25 prisoners to the Hernando County jail and paying $55 per day per inmate to house them there.

Information courtesy of The Pasco Tribune and The Suncoast News.

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