Meet the Principal: Debbie Fitzpatrick
A familiar face at Ballast Point Elementary wants to raise the bar even higher at the A-rated school.
When you take over the helm of one of the oldest, highest achieving and best situated elementary schools in the Hillsborough County School District fleet, why chart a different course? Ballast Point Elementary’s new principal Debbie Fitzpatrick plans to keep a steady bearing, rather than rock the boat. And who could blame her? From a new principal’s perspective, Ballast Point’s situation seems taylor-made: tucked inside an old Tampa enclave of affluence and power; robustly supported by parent groups and the community; rated an A school for 12 consecutive years; an historic, picturesque campus. “Ballast Point is unique,” said Fitzpatrick, “because there are a couple of generations in the neighborhood that have attended the school. I think …
