Winding Waters battles overcrowding
WEEKI WACHEE — It was 4 p.m., and parents waiting to pick up students at Winding Waters K-8 school were separated into three car lines that looped through the campus parking lot.
As he directed traffic, Principal Dave Dannemiller said that if he didn’t have vehicles snaking through the staff parking lot, the line of parents’ vehicles would extend onto nearby U.S. 19.
Students prepare to leave for the day at Winding Waters K-8. GEOFF FOX/STAFF
At the Hernando County School District’s 10-day enrollment count, Winding Waters had 1,406 students — more than 80 above the number school officials projected.
Since then, said Dannemiller, seven more students have enrolled there.
In temperatures above 90 degrees, Dannemiller maneuvered orange cones so traffic could flow more easily.
“By 4:25 p.m., we’ll be done,” he said. “That’s 25 minutes, but I don’t think it’s too bad. Occasionally parents will get frustrated, but I have great staff who help” direct traffic.
Shortly after Dannemiller said that, a woman in a pickup honked at a woman driving a small sedan. The sedan’s driver was talking on a cellphone and appeared to try to prevent the other driver from merging.
The etiquette breach was noticed by a substitute teacher helping direct traffic. The pickup then merged, and any potential drama was averted.
The student pick-up lanes are one example of how Dannemiller is battling overcrowding at Winding Waters, where 1,200 students attended last year, when the school operated as a kindergarten-through-seventh-grade school.
“It started as a K-5, and a new grade was added each year until it became a full K-8, as designed,” Dannemiller said.
Unfortunately, Dannemiller said, while the school is the newest one in the district, it was designed when mandated classroom sizes were smaller. With the school accommodating more students than it was designed for, classrooms and hallways are crowded.
“Right now I’ve got two double rooms with two teachers (and two classes) in one room,” Dannemiller said.
One of the double classrooms originally was a music room for elementary students. The elementary music room now is on the stage in the cafeteria.
“That can be difficult, though, when lunch is going on on the other side of the curtain,” Dannemiller said.
Because of overcrowding, Winding Waters’ occupational and physical therapy classes take place in a hallway. Those teachers share an office in what used to be a laundry room.
On another floor, 44 fourth-grade science students were moved to a larger classroom meant for middle schoolers.
When the bell rings to switch classes at Winding Waters, students walk one way down halls and one way up or down stairs. Signs on the walls act like traffic signals, informing students which way to go.
Overall, the Hernando County School District had slightly more than 21,500 students — about 300 more than projected.
Challenger K-8 school in Spring Hill had some 80 students more than projected, while each high school in the county had more students than anticipated.
The high schools’ numbers ranged from Springstead High’s 1,708 students — more than 100 students more than projected — to Hernando High’s 1,199 students, or 36 more than projected.
“Because of the increased enrollment, we should get more money, per student, from the state,” said Eric Williams, the school district’s spokesman. “It’s absolutely a positive to have as many students as possible. We welcome growth, not just because of funding, but it means our communities are growing.”
While the high schools had more students, several elementary schools — Brooksville, Chocachatti, Morton, Pine Grove and Westside — had fewer students than expected.
At Challenger K-8, Principal Michael Maine said he sees the higher-than-projected number of students as positive, because the extra students are involved in the school’s gifted program.
Also, Maine is not battling the same space issues as Dannemiller at Winding Waters.
“All of our children are in classrooms,” Maine said. “With our portables, our capacity is 1,600, but we’re under that. We’re close, but I’ve got two empty portables.”
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