Times bobbles enrollment story
July 31, 2007 at 1:59 pm by Wayne GarciaIt was a top story in this morning’s Times: For the first time in ages, enrollment in Hillsborough County schools is predicted to drop by 4,300 smiling little faces. Problem is it ain’t so.
Hillsborough school officials say the figures used in the story are wrong. Spokeswoman Linda Cobbe writes, “For those of you who might be confused by the St. Pete Times report today that we are projecting student enrollment to decline by 4,300 in the upcoming school year, please know that the story was incorrect. The Times is updating the article on their website with the correct numbers and a new headline. They are also correcting the education blog, The Gradebook. In addition, there will be a correction in tomorrow’s paper, with the article from tonight’s school board meeting.”
The Times topped its online version with the following correction but left the original story intact (for now):
Correction: The enrollment numbers in this story are incorrect. The Hillsborough school district is projecting flat enrollment for the coming school year, and slow to moderate growth for the next few years.
The Gradebook blog likewise mea culpa’s but gives no details on what happened.
