Who's responsible for the monkey biz? Who made these numbers up? Who hid them?

From: Lee De Cesare [mailto:tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 7:50 AM

9/6/06 Tampa Tribune

The district sold the need for increasing the school impact fee on projections that enrollment was growing by about 6,000 students a year, requiring five new schools a year to keep up. Just three days after the commission's vote, a Hillsborough schools official told a state official that significantly fewer students were expected this year - a prediction never shared with the commission or the community. And on the first day of school, it became clear this year's enrollment projections were off. Now it appears enrollment growth might be only one-third of what was projected.

Scott, the swing vote in July, is encouraging the district to come back before the commission, take its lumps on the flawed projection and refine its numbers. District officials should heed that request because they currently have a credibility issue when it comes to projections.

The public and its elected officials need accurate information to make decisions regarding taxes and fees. If the process of projecting enrollment is flawed, as it appears to be, it should be refined to prevent more surprises.

Mr. Hegarty:

I ask for the public information of 1. the name of the "Hillsborough schools official [who] told a state official that significantly fewer students were expected this year---a prediction never shared with the commission or the community."

2. The name of the administrators responsible for making the projection.

3. The name of the person(s) in the administration who "never shared [the school-generated] prediction with the community."

I cannot imagine why the Tribune reporter didn't elicit this information in the name of the public's right to know with what competence the administration and School Board made this enrollment projection and with what degree of candor it published this public information. I also want to know which person(s) was responsible for conveying these data to the community.

Was your office responsible for conveying this information to the community, sir?

This is public information. Please don't delay sending it and make me ask for the information repeatedly.

lee drury de cesare

15316 Gulf Boulevard 802

Madeira Beach, FL 33708

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