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Six of seven ‘just one of many ideas’ to get more money to Pasco teachers, official says

The proposal has generated significant opposition within the ranks.
 
Published Sept. 25, 2018

The idea of having Pasco County teachers work longer days in exchange for more pay has generated significant opposition since school district administrators floated the concept in late August.

At the time, officials said they were serious about the "six of seven" plan, which would have extended the work day by 30 minutes and had middle and high school teachers instruct six of the day's seven periods.

But in a Sept. 21 letter to one vehemently opposed educator, deputy superintendent Ray Gadd indicated it's "just one of many ideas" being considered to redirect money to wages. Others have simply been less publicized or vetted, such as taking money from the district insurance plan reserves.

"The six of seven idea was presented at a public workshop in a non-aggressive, calm manner with full knowledge that it likely wouldn't fly," Gadd wrote to Land O'Lakes High math teacher Pat Connolly, who has spoken and written passionately against it.

Gadd noted that the United School Employees of Pasco would have to negotiate the concept for it to take hold, as superintendent Kurt Browning has stressed in messages to staff. He added that the administration sent a survey to the faculty to get feedback on the idea.

"That is not the action an individual would take if they were planning on shoving something down someone's throat," Gadd stated.

Nearly 1,000 teachers anonymously responded to the survey, which asked four open-ended questions. One of those was, "What, if anything, do you see as the positives for this option?"

Among the responses, 90 offered some version of "none," while 83 offered "nothing" and another 50 said "see no positives." The most popular answer was a form of "more money," but it usually was accompanied with a "but," frequently identifying longer days and teacher burnout as the fallout.

Many people worried about potential changes to planning time.

That is not to say the idea was universally panned. Some respondents said they "loved" it and that it sounded "fantastic."

With the district budget now adopted, School Board members have asked the administration for ideas about getting employees more pay — whether "six of seven" or some other model. Gadd and others have said publicly that they need solutions that remain within the balanced budget, and not just complaints.

Negotiations are expected to resume in mid October.