Pasco aims to start 2010-11 school year a bit earlier

NOVEMBER 02, 2009

One of the perks of gaining "high-performing" status from the Florida Department of Education is a school district's ability to start classes sooner than two weeks before Labor Day.

That's exactly what the Pasco school district is contemplating.

The proposed 2010-11 calendar making its way to superintendent Heather Fiorentino for consideration would bring students back to school on August 16 -- three weeks before Labor Day.

That would allow students to get more class days in before the FCAT exam than in the current year, when Labor Day fell so late that students didn't make it back to school until the last week of August. Labor Day comes late again next year -- Sept. 6 -- leaving the district with much the same situation if it doesn't use its new status.

Assistant superintendent Renalia DuBose stressed that the calendar remains a draft proposal and that Fiorentino has yet to recommend anything to the School Board. She expected formal action before January.

Posted by Times Editor at 3:28:24 pm on November 02, 2009 in

Pasco County

| Permalink | Comments |

Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours

Most Recent Blog Posts

School prayer bill survives its first Florida House committee February 13

Carol Cook says she's running for re-election February 13

Hillsborough teachers union president is challenged by two critics of Gates reforms February 13

USF gets disproportionate cut in Senate budget recommendations February 13

Class size in Pasco schools: Where it's a problem, and where it isn't February 13

Florida education news: School prayer, parent trigger, home schooling and more February 13

Coming up: State Board of Education, FCAT writing, spring break and more February 12

Florida education news: Special education, school construction, homeless students and more February 12

A weekend interview with Monica Verra-Tirado, new director of the Florida Bureau of Exceptional Education February 11

Florida education news: Success story, four-day school week, online education and more February 11

About the blog

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

Meet the team

THE TEAM

Rebecca Catalanello covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail her: rcatalanello@tampabay.com.

Tony Marrero covers Hernando County schools. E-mail him: tmarrero@tampabay.com.

Marlene Sokol covers Hillsborough County schools. E-mail her: sokol@tampabay.com.

Ron Matus covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail him: matus@tampabay.com.

Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Pasco County schools. E-mail him: solochek@tampabay.com.

Kim Wilmath covers the University of South Florida. E-mail her: kwilmath@tampabay.com.

Comment Policy

Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that:

Is libelous

Is abusive, harassing, or threatening

Is obscene, vulgar, or profane

Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive

Is illegal or encourages criminal acts

Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution

Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others

Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious)

Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises

The Tampa Bay Times does not edit posts but reserves the right to delete comments that violate our policy.

Registration FAQ

Read our Frequently Asked Questions on how to register to comment on the site.