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Charter school plans push

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By LENORA LAKE

llake@tampatrib.com

Published: October 28, 2009

NORTH TAMPA - Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School administrators and board members hope an intense recruitment plan will increase school enrollment by almost 50 percent next year.

The publicly funded charter school at 11602 N. 15th St. hopes to grow from 271 students to 400 students by the 2010-11 school year.

Recruitment objectives, including attracting 100 to 125 ninth-graders, were unveiled at a recent board meeting at which board member Paul Bowdoin volunteered his company's assistance.
Bowdoin said the marketing department of HDR Engineering could assist Principal Phildra Swagger, faculty members and students in developing a "capture plan" to target potential students and showcase the 3-year-old school.

The offer came after tense moments when board member Jorge Valiente said the school needed to do more to attract students by making presentations to potential feeder schools and being at community events. Valiente chided the school administration for not participating in a recent high school fair at a charter middle school.

Grabbing the meeting agenda, Valiente said: "All the problems, all the issues we have here will be taken care of by recruiting good students."

The school's geographic location is an asset in the plans, he said.

"We have New Tampa; we have Temple Terrace. We have a lot of people we can attract from," Valiente said. "Right now with Terrace Community School, we are not their first choice. Why aren't we there every other month - putting our name out there? I know you have a family ... but we all do."

Swagger responded that "I don't want you to think we don't get out in the community." She told of the school's Key Club participation in a recent community walk.

She said she did not know how the school missed participating in the high school fair because she had asked to be notified of the date.

The school, founded by former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Derrick Brooks and businessman Eddie DeBartolo, is chartered for 500 students and includes a mission for the school to reach out to first-generation college-bound students. But growth has been slower than expected, with this year's projection of 350 students not met.

Swagger said the economy's downturn has affected enrollment because transportation is not provided, which can be a hardship for some parents. Some students also have changed custodial parents and moved away. A few others were asked to leave when their grade-point average did not meet the required 2.0.

She said the school also is competing with established schools that have local alumni and a strong track record.

"Many from our neighbor charter (middle) school got accepted, but when they got that IB (International Baccalaureate at King High) acceptance, they went there," Swagger said.

She said the school's strengths should be emphasized. Those include 100 percent of the first graduating class in June going on to post-secondary programs; its small, orderly environment; and the strong academic program.

After the board meeting, Swagger said she did not think Valiente's comments were meant as a personal attack on her role as principal.

"As a growing school, it is important we try to keep our enrollment as full as possible," Swagger said.

Tribune correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 259-7662.

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