The Clock Is Ticking...Will They Pull Off A Hail Mary Pass?

Tick tock, tick tock.

One week ago, this is where things stood: WFLA

Bad For Business

The Tampa Bay Business Journal has now chimed in on the Windsor  Prep and East Windsor Middle Academy scandal.

Letter

It's been a long, and very active day. Before I sign off for the night though, I thought I would share the letter that I wrote to the Pinellas County School Board, as well as many others.

Death Watch

   Death watch...not my words...that was how WFLA worded it in their latest report.

Meeting Where We Learned We Left The Frying Pan For The Fire

  Well the much anticipated meeting has taken place, and boy I bet everyone feels just so darn reassured...or maube not.

  What we do know is $800,000 plus are unaccounted for!!  And that is just what has been discovered so far.

Charter Schools Are Money Machines

It kills me when I read articles or posts from gullible parents who actually believe that Charter Schools exist for the kids.

I. Just. Can't. Even...

Read this from the Tampa Bay Times

Research...Vote...Stand up for what is right. These are our tax dollars, and the Senators and Representatives work for us. Yet we are giving them all of our money.

Meeting

Wouldn't it have been interesting to have been a fly on the wall during the meeting at the school tonight?

As the parking lot empties, you have to wonder, do the parents and/or staff feel any more secure with this new alliance...with Alliance Education Services?

Someone on the PTA's FaceBook page looks like they are finally doing some research, and making some connections.

Of course their efforts,are about four years too late, now aren't they? Oh well, baby steps I suppose.

So for now I may just sit back and see what they find. I've been digging, but heck, I just get attacked and told I'm a mean person when I put the info out there. Let's see what they come up with.

But for now, entertain yourself by reading reviews left on the Facebook page for their AGABroward County school:  https://www.facebook.com/AGABroward/reviews/

Did They Do Their Homework?

Just got done reading an interesting article in the  TampaBay Times about the acquisition of Newpoint Education Partners by Alliance Education Services.

Yawn. More Comments and Some Facts *With 2 Updates*

So today I wake up to more lovely comments. All were badly phrased, with improperly used words, poor spelling, no sentence structure, etc. Clearly the products of the lovely "Last EARNED grade was an F but have now been granted a C" school Windsor Prep.

Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY COMMITTEE AGENDA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2014

Here's a link to the agenda of the MPO meeting on Oct 1, and School Transportation & Enhanced Pedestrian Safety Committee Agenda for September 17, 2014, from 9:00a.m. – 11:30a.m.

http://www.pinellascounty.org/mpo/agendas/STSC_Meeting/Sep%202014%20STSC%20Agenda.pdf

Most of it can be skipped over. Starting on pg 65 some interesting items pop up. In the notes it states:
"Another big issue that needs to be looked at who is responsible for the frontage of Charter School sites. There are a total of five Plato Academies. Windsor Academy is in process of redevelopment and they are anticipating 650 students. We are not the legal guardians of Charter Schools. Marshall shares that we are looking at zoning to remain the same for our next school year. District is hoping that with the re- opening of Gulf Beaches and Kings Highway as technology attractors, we can pull some of our students back in our schools. We still hope that since we have changed the Agenda it may encourage others to come and participate. We are a unique group and as we see annexations continue, there will be a sharing of jurisdictional boundaries. They would also have the opportunity to add items for new business and decide to leave at that point or stay for the additional information from STEPS. "

Further down, in site specific open studies, they note: 

Windsor Academy Travel to School concern # 13142 & 13144

Looking for Crossing Guards, speed regulations, traffic signs for school that is shoehorned 

in at the dead end of street. 175 vehicles moving in and out. Increase to enrollment 

projection. No secondary egress on this property. Looking at putting No Parking signs. Will 

not be able to complete driveway and expansion plan. Not sue of completion date yet.

Speed signs need to be put on 45th Street and 54th Ave N. Will test Collaborative agreement. 

Signal Warrant Study at 45th St and 54th Ave. 

Robert left message with asst. principal about contacting his parents to look at other means of 

access. Major construction in place.

* note that they have an inaccurate count of vehicles. That was the first year vehicle count, and is not reflective of the increase in enrollment over the last two years. The current year enrollment is over 580 students with an informal traffic count of over 400 vehicles going in and out morning and afternoon. This is a LOW number as neighbors have not yet been able to be out there before school starts, so a large number do not get counted. Of course it's on the agenda lol*

On page 108, it shows Charter School tracking and notes East Windsor Middle 

Location-Type # Relocatable units or permanent classrooms- 25
Owner - Lease Rent (from who???)
Year Started or Scheduled- 2014
Student Stations- 154
Students Enrolled- 154 ( this may have adjusted with lottery debacle lol)
Years in Contract- 1
Total Charter Students projected for 2018 - 2019 - 396

(So if current Windsor Prep enrollment stays at 580, and east Windsor meets the target of 396 enrolled by the 2018/19 school year, that will make a total of 986 kids, which is almost double the current enrollment, and will most likely double the number of cars coming in and out of the neighborhood each morning and afternoon. Really makes you look forward to school holidays and summer break now doesn't it?)