Tampabay.com

DECEMBER 21, 2011

Santa Claus sighted at Pasco School Board meeting

photo.jpgWearing a shirt reading "Who's your Santa?," a man looking suspiciously like Santa Claus (but who goes by the name of Land O'Lakes High School math teacher Pat Connolly) urged the Pasco School Board to take a closer look at its proposed new nepotism and fraternization policy. 

He suggested the proposal doesn't go far enough, in that it does not account for the chain of command. Relatives should not be working in the same supervisory chain, he said, otherwise some unintended consequences might arise. It might be tough to judge those who are naughty when their spouse is your boss, he said.

Then he left the building.

photo-1_1.jpgA short while later, a man looking suspiciously like Pat Connolly (but who signed his speaker's card as Kris Kringle) arrived, shaking jingle bells and shouting a hearty "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

He proclaimed the Pasco school system a success, and its employees nice, and said that while he could not solve the district's financial problems, he gave the gift of wisdom to work well with those things already at everyone's disposal. Then he disappeared.

Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours
Loading...

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

Advertisement

Advertisement

Video

THE TEAM

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

Cara Fitzpatrick covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail her: cfitzpatrick@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.

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

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

Registration FAQ

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