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Despite Award-Winning Effort, Class Is Canceled

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By LIZ BLEAU

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 21, 2008

VALRICO - At the same time Susan Carpenter was waiting to hear whether she had won a Florida Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award, she learned her agricultural program is being cut from Mulrennan Middle School's curriculum.

Carpenter, who was one of three Florida teachers to win the award this year, has been at Mulrennan for two years and has taught agriscience for 25 years.

Agriculture and orchestra are two of the elective courses at Mulrennan expected to be eliminated because of a lack of enrollment, she said.

Mulrennan Principal Tim Ducker said the agriculture program is being cut because not enough students have been signing up for it.

"It's been borderline for a while," he said of enrollment in the class. "It's never been real strong."

Carpenter said she believes enrollment has been low because of students' and parents' misunderstanding about how the elective sign-up sheets are supposed to be filled out.

Jeannette River, whose son Adrian, 12, is in Carpenter's class, said she and other parents are trying to save the program and plan to call and send letters to school officials.

"My son loves his school because he has this class," she said. "It's a big attraction for him."

Carpenter will teach agriculture at Eisenhower Middle School in Gibsonton beginning in August.

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com.

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