About 50 people gathered in Tampa's Rotary Riverfront Park Wednesday morning to discuss a number of public school closures planned in Hillsborough County.
A mix of parents, teachers, students and community members held signs with the message, “Save Pizzo,” referring to a Tampa K-8 school that could close its doors for good next year.
Speaking to the crowd, Stephanie Walker described how Pizzo was a "godsend" for her children.
"I was going to give up on Hillsborough County Public Schools, just in general, after all of the bad experiences that I've had — bullying, overcrowded classes, my kids being overlooked," Walker said.
She said her daughters — one in fourth grade and another in eighth — have transferred to their fair share of schools for those reasons. That is, until they found Pizzo K-8.
They don't live within the school's boundaries, but Walker was able to enroll her daughters through the Choice Hardship program. She said she had heard about the school's supportive environment and was relieved to finally find a place her daughters can thrive.
The small class sizes helped, Walker said. Extracurricular activities like the school's drum line and special events like attending USF basketball games kept her daughters engaged.
But most of all, it was the teachers and staff that made a difference, Walker said.
"Unbeknownst to me, I signed my kids up to a doomed school," she said.
Pizzo K-8 is one of several Hillsborough County public schools slated for closure or reassignment next year. Though most of the changes are due to falling enrollment, that isn't the case for Pizzo.
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The school sits on the University of South Florida Tampa campus. Two years ago, negotiations for a new lease between the university and Hillsborough County School District ended in a 900% rent hike for the land Pizzo sits on.
That doesn't include a $1 million parking fee and annual security fees for university police.
Hillsborough Schools Deputy Superintendent Chris Farkas described conversations with USF in 2024 as "adversarial." For thirty years, the district had rented the land for $60,000 a year.
In the new lease, annual rent jumped to more than half a million dollars, a rate more consistent with the university's "other on-campus sublease agreements," a USF spokesperson said at the time.
"It was really heartbreaking, especially coming from USF, I kind of felt ashamed of the school. Many of these kids have been here for years, and there's no school like Pizzo. You have parents coming in from other schools saying, 'I want my kid to be here,' because Pizzo is just that great."Sarah Polin, fourth-grade teacher at Pizzo K-8
But for a government entity that doesn't generate revenue, the increase is a "huge challenge," Farkas said.
Board members speculated USF had other plans for the land. At the time, USF said they haven't determined next steps yet. WUSF has reached out to the university with additional questions.
At a recent school board meeting, board members said they had no choice but to vote to close the school. That and other school closures will need a second hearing.
Pizzo's elementary school students would be reassigned to five nearby schools. Sixth to eighth graders will go to their zoned middle schools.
Walker said she's considering looking into charter or private schools, not wanting her daughters to relive bad experiences they've had in their zoned schools.
Fourth grader Nathalie Rodriguez said she's nervous at the thought of relocating to a new school.
"Because Pizzo is like family to me and stuff," said Rodriguez, who's attended the school since Pre-K.
She wonders if her friends will come with her and whether new classmates will like her.
Rodriguez's mom, Patsy Salgado, says she's worried Nathalie and her younger sister, who's in Pre-K and has special needs, will be split up.
"They are together because she can support her sister. So if they close the school, it's going to be really hard," said Salgado.
Sarah Polin, who teaches 4th grade reading and writing at Pizzo, has taught Rodriguez for years now. Polin interned at the campus school while she was a student at USF, then went straight into teaching after she graduated.
"It was really heartbreaking, especially coming from USF, I kind of felt ashamed of the school," said Polin. "Many of these kids have been here for years, and there's no school like Pizzo. You have parents coming in from other schools saying, 'I want my kid to be here,' because Pizzo is just that great."
The school serves predominantly Black and Hispanic students, and a majority receive free and reduced price lunch.
Polin described Pizzo as a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds.
"It really gives you an eye-opening experience of what others are experiencing and their cultures," said Polin.
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At Sulphur Springs K-8, the community is facing the similar woes. The district is planning to convert the school back into an elementary, and reassign middle schoolers to three adjacent schools: Sligh, Memorial and Woodson K-8.
But the change can upend families' daily routines, said Sulphur Springs parent Joanna Cade.
"Fortunately, I'm able to adjust my schedule to accommodate my kids," said Cade. "That is not the norm for our community."
Cade said she knows families whose kids walk to Sulphur Springs K-8. Relocating some of them to another campus, even if it is an adjacent one, could be dangerous, she said.
"It's not walkable. Even the parts that do have sidewalks, a lot of those sidewalks get flooded. A lot of those sidewalks are muddy, and some of them are just broken up from people, parking, trees growing out, things like that," said Cade.
The area is slated for infrastructure improvements, including creating safer streets, but that plan is still in the works.
Sulphur Springs math teacher Temakia Dunning said she's concerned about students being thrust into a new environment.
"The teachers are there, not just to teach, but they love on the kids. They stand up and fill in when the parents aren't there," said Dunning. "It's in every sense of the word, community."
According to district documents, the closures and reassignments are supposed to increase operational efficiency. By reassigning students to other schools with more capacity, district leaders say they'll be able to expand opportunities for students.
But Cade questioned whether those opportunities will really outweigh the negative impacts on kids.
"It makes me feel less than because we're just a number," said Cade.
