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A shot across the bow in Pasco's superintendent race
Pasco schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino hasn't drawn a top-tier opponent in her reelection bid yet.
You might not be able to tell that with a letter to the Tampa Bay Times that ran this morning.
Former assistant superintendent Ray Gadd, considered one of two possible challengers to Fiorentino, blasted the incumbent for her recent decision to explore creating magnet schools in Pasco County. He wrote, in part:
"We have a couple career academies that seem to be making some good progress but they remain unavailable to kids across the county. Nor do we have anything that remotely approximates some of the magnet schools you will find in the Tampa Bay area such as the East Lake High School Engineering Academy. We have had the capital and intellectual resources to explore these options for years but have done very little. ... Read more
Pasco submits its class size plan
Hoping to get out of its $4 million class size fine, the Pasco county school district has turned in its plan to fully comply with the 2002 voter mandate.
The plan, attached below, really is nothing more than a state-generated form filled out.
For elementary schools, the district indicates one of two things for each school that was over the cap in October — whether the school will reassign existing staff to deal with the over-capacity classes, or add more full-time teachers to the school. For secondary schools, it states the same thing for each: "Due to an increase in student numbers, changes could not be made to meet the class size deadline. The district will assist this school in correcting scheduling issues. The district will assist the school in moving students from classes that are over in class size to classes that are under. If this school is still not in compliance, there will be a need to hire additional teachers." ... Read more
Pasco School Board chair completes petition for ballot, while one opponent drops out
While some potential candidates are still pondering whether to run, Pasco School Board chairwoman Joanne Hurley has already completed her petition to appear on the 2012 ballot.
Hurley learned late last week that the Pasco elections office had received and verified all the 2,918 signatures she needs to qualify for her reelection bid to board District 2. That means she won't have to pay the qualifying fee, something that no candidates avoided in the 2010 . ... Read more
Class size in Pasco schools: Where it's a problem, and where it isn't
Pasco County schools face a $4 million fine for failing to meet the state's class size requirements this year. If officials hope to reduce the penalty, they must submit a plan to the Florida Department of Education by Wednesday, and then meet the mark come October.
"We are going to meet class size next year," School Board chairwoman Joanne Hurley said.
Getting there means knowing the full scope of the problem. District leaders acknowledged, for instance, that they can't predict for a certainty how many students will enroll next year. They do understand, though, that middle and high schools, with their more varied schedules including the ability to take online classes, will prove more difficult to resolve than elementary schools.
That said, the district did examine which schools were most out of compliance with the mandate, and which fell in line with the expectations. ... Read more
A weekend interview with Monica Verra-Tirado, new director of the Florida Bureau of Exceptional Education
Monica Verra-Tirado earned a reputation as a problem solver with a passion for kids during her seven years leading Pasco County's department of special education. So when the post of bureau chief for the state's Exceptional Education division opened last year, her name naturally came up. The department recruited her, and after several weeks of waiting, Verra-Tirado officially got word that she had won the job a week ago. She spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about her education philosophy and her plans to oversee the state agency.
Why are you leaving Pasco schools to go work for the state?
I am just totally excited about the opportunity to work with the Department of Education and learn new ways I can help our state, which will also help Pasco County, to serve our students better, help them to meet the new requirements successfully. So I see this as an opportunity to learn and grow and serve not only Pasco but all the children in the state of Florida.
What ideas do you bring from Pasco that you think will be able to help you in Tallahassee? ... Read more
One-third would change schools with four-day week, Pasco survey shows
An unscientific survey of Pasco County residents (we say unscientific because you could respond multiple times -- one person did so nine times) has revealed some interesting thoughts to consider as the School Board ponders whether to change its calendar so radically.
The preliminary results (attached below) indicate that:
- A third of respondents would consider moving to a different school if the district adopted the proposed four-day school week
- A majority believed that a four-day week would negatively affect the quality of their children's academic experience
- Just over half would prefer Fridays off, if a four-day week were adopted. Less than one-fifth selected Mondays.
Overall, the responses were evenly split between those who strongly agreed with the concept and those who strongly opposed it. ... Read more
Pasco parents turn out to talk about four-day week
About 70 Pasco County parents and school district employees came to Pasco Middle School on Thursday evening to express their general dismay with the possibility of moving to a four-day school week.
"Why is it that if everything is on the table ... have we not looked at privatizing nonessential services?" asked Jason Saenz of Land O'Lakes, suggesting that the School Board has not taken a tough look at all the other options.
Kim Cicanese, whose daughter attends Pasco Middle, worried about the notion of leaving children unattended at home on an extra day off. ... Read more
Pasco schools face $7 million fix for $4 million class size fine
Pasco County school district officials face a $4 million fine for failing to meet Florida's class size rules this year. They can reduce the amount by 75 percent if they submit a plan to the state by Feb. 15 showing how they'll comply next year.
Although the plan is not yet complete, the bottom line figure is shaping up. To meet the mark, district officials project they'll need to spend $6.9 million to hire 126 teachers.
Board members said they fully intend to meet class size in 2012-13. But they worried that the cost of compliance, plus the $1 million fine, would further pinch a district budget that already faces the loss of $22 million in non-recurring revenue sources such as federal "Edujobs" money. ... Read more
Pasco school district official to take state ESE spot
Monica Verra-Tirado, Pasco County's director of exceptional student education for seven years, has resigned her position effective Feb. 24 to take over the state's Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services. She will replace Bambi Lockman, who left the department last year.
She begins Feb. 27. The bureau officially announced the appointment on Friday in its newsletter.
Verra-Tirado, who recently completed her doctorate in education leadership from USF, has a master's degree in special education, also from USF. After spending her entire career in Pasco, where she also graduated from high school, she said she looks forward to "bringing a district perspective to the state level, and to serving the state's kids." ... Read more
Should adults take roles in high school musicals?
It's high school musical time across Pasco County. Talented teens are preparing for roles large and small in shows known from Broadway, like West Side Story, as well as shows written for them (Wesley Chapel's Presidents! The Musical).
At Mitchell High, two roles in Beauty and the Beast were held aside for teachers, kids need not audition. And it's not the first time. Last year, teachers played leads in that school's production of Fiddler on the Roof, saying the parts were too difficult for their students.
Teacher David O'Hara defended the decision, explaining he wouldn't want students to flop onstage in front of an audience. But his is not a common practice in Pasco County, and at least one School Board member says it shouldn't be. ... Read more
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