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Transitions after Just Elementary closed
Joneé Lewis reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The start of a new school year also meant a transition to a new school for students who previously attended Just Elementary School.
The school board voted 4-3 in favor of closing the school last year despite pleas from parents and community members. District leaders said the school was underperforming, under-enrolled and under-staffed.
The decision impacted more than 280 students, and a majority of them have since transferred to Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary. The principal says they’ve made extra efforts to help students and parents.
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"The transition has been pretty exciting. We've gotten lots of positive feedback from the parents that have come to visit. We had an open house where we even had a special room for students that were new to the school," Michelle Perez of Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School said.
The district created an advisory committee to assist with the transition and give input on future plans for the school. Members say they’ve received reports about the first few days and will continue to monitor.
"I am encouraged, but I'm still watching over them heavily about this process. So, I will always feel, and the NAACP will always stand by, that this process did not have to happen," Yvette Lewis, the Hillsborough NAACP president, said.
As community leaders say they will work to preserve the history of Just Elementary, the staff at Tampa Bay Boulevard says they’re making sure all necessary support services are in place.
"We’ve also worked together with district staff to plan lots of progress monitoring procedures that we're going to be following throughout the year to make sure that we're able to keep track of them academically as well as socially," Perez said.
This year the school also welcomed a new mascot, now known as the Buccaneers. They say it marks a new beginning for everyone.
"Being a part of these students’ lives is really a gift. They not only have us, their parents, but the whole district is behind them. We want nothing but success for all of our students, no matter where they've come from in the past. Together we are one here," Perez said.
Members of the advisory council say they’ve increased their meetings from once to twice a month and will meet again this week.