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Current and zoned students for new STEM middle schools do not have to go through lottery

 
Published Jan. 27, 2016

Families have through Jan. 31 to apply for Pasco County's magnet programs, including new ones at Bayonet Point and Centennial middle schools.

The designation of those schools as STEM magnets has raised concerns among some parents, who already send their children there through open enrollment. They want to know if their kids have to go through a lottery to get back in.

In past years, the lottery was the answer. School choice approvals were regularly eliminated when the district changed attendance zones at a campus.

Not so this time around.

The district's educational options website states clearly that students "currently enrolled" at the two schools "and/or students who live within the schools' attendance zones" do not have to apply to attend.

Families that apply should get word of the outcome on Feb. 12.

UNION UPRISING: The United School Employees of Pasco leadership hasn't taken too kindly to fliers posted throughout Pasco School District buildings urging non-instructional workers to "Join the 4,000" in petitioning to shed the union.

"We can no longer tolerate the USEP treating us like stepchildren," the flier proclaims.

USEP president Kenny Blankenship has demanded the district have the posters removed, citing the district's policy limiting advertising. He further reminded administrators of his organization's role as sole bargaining agent for district employees.

"The district should not be meeting with this group of employees to discuss any issues that may be perceived as being related to bargaining, including the processing of grievances," Blankenship wrote in an email to the district.

The administration, which has frequently sparred with the USEP, rejected his request.

"While we can imagine the USEP's frustration with this type of dissension, we also have to respect our employees' right of free speech," director of employee relations Betsy Kuhn responded via email. "We have and will continue to recognize your organization as our employees' exclusive bargaining representative as long as you are.

"That being said, we cannot place either the district or your organization at risk by censuring or otherwise restricting employees from exercising their fundamental rights under the Florida Constitution and the Florida Public Employee Relations Act."

The petition drive continues.

REMODELING: The building where the Pasco County School Board has met for decades is about to get an overhaul.

"We're going to update it," assistant superintendent Ray Bonti said. "The original stuff is still in there."

District workers will clean and repaint the entry to Building 3, change out the furniture and carpeting, and "dress it up a little bit," similar to the district's recent refreshing of its main administrative building entrance, Bonti said.

During the work, the board will relocate its public meetings to Training Room C in the back half of the structure. The meetings of Feb. 16, March 1 and March 15 will be affected, with the board returning to its usual chamber on April 5.

Contact Jeffrey S. Solochek at jsolochek@tampabay.com.