HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012 01 30 Other - Referenced by the Mayor and City Commission Date: January 30, 2012
The attached document was referenced and
reviewed by the Mayor and City Commission
during the January 30, 2012 City Commission
Workshop.
C
u CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA
""' 959 1126 EAST STATE ROAD 434
WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA 32708 -2799
�L ORIO ' Telephone (407) 327 -1800
www.winterspringsfl.org
CHARLES LACEY
Office of the Mayor
January 30, 2012
Mr. Dan Finley
669 N. Endeavour Drive
Winter Springs, FL 32708
Re: Keeth Elementary
Dear Mr. Finley,
First, please allow me to express my gratitude for your efforts in regards to Keeth Elementary
and our community. A City is always stronger when its citizens come together for the common
good and betterment of their community.
In this respect, the Commission, City Manager and I applaud your efforts and share your
concerns relative to Keeth Elementary School. We understand we are living in tough economic
times and, thus, organizations, such as the Seminole County School Board, are faced with tough
financial decisions; but it is difficult to understand why a school with the resume of Keeth
Elementary, has been ranked second on a list of potential school closings.
A school that:
• has been an "A" rated school for the past nine consecutive years,
• had the highest writing scores in Seminole County and the 4th highest scores in the
State of Florida in 4th Grade FCAT Writes for 2010 -2011,
• has received the Florida Department of Education Five Star School Award for exemplary
programs that integrate the school and community involvement,
• has strong parent and community support with over 12,000 volunteer hours logged, and
• has an active PTA that has received numerous annual awards from the Seminole County
Council of PTAs.
This is a direct testament to the dedication of our students and the unwavering involvement
and support of their parents, as well as the faculty and staff of Keeth Elementary.
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It is my understanding that the Seminole County Public Schools staff has established criteria to
evaluate those schools for potential closing to include student population, necessary facility
repairs, transportation costs, and reapportionment /rezoning impacts.
With this in mind, it is important that consideration be given to the following relevant and
applicable data:
• Currently, 469 new homes are currently under various phases of construction in the City
of Winter Springs, in close proximity to Keeth Elementary School. These are firm
developments capable of providing new students within the next school year. Future
plans for the Winter Springs Town Center call for approximately 1,500 more, which
would directly impact and provide additional student population to Keeth Elementary
School. At an estimated student generation rate of 0.2, this equates to close to 100 new
students in short order and upwards of 300 more students in the future.
• The prior re- zoning of a large contingent of Winter Springs students, who live in close
proximity to Keeth Elementary School, to Lawton Elementary School in Oviedo directly
contributes to the reported deficiency in student population at Keeth Elementary
School.
Further, the Winter Springs community was disrupted by the closing and reapportionment of
Longwood Elementary School students to various Winter Springs Schools just this past year, and
further reapportionment of Keeth students would again unjustly disrupt the lives of residents of
the Winter Springs Community.
In closing, the City Commission and I feel the temporary suspension of operations or permanent
closing of Keeth Elementary School would have an overall dramatic negative impact on our
community, and we encourage the Seminole County School Board to strongly consider all the
relevant facts and data before any final decision is made.
Sincerely,