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Pasco School District work session, date not confirmed yet

1 h 32 min · 2 videos

Click any moment below to jump the video to that second. Video length 57 min.

Playing part 2 · 57 min of 2. Back to part 1

What happened

What happened at this meeting

Part 1 · 35 min

Pasco staff propose consolidating Fox Hollow Elementary and redesigning two 34668 schools 12:43

  • The proposal also called for relocating the West Pasco Education Academy to the former Calusa campus. 17:36
  • A staff member said the proposal would come back to the board for a vote on November 3rd, and a board member said no final decision had been made. 19:36
Item by item (9)
  1. Superintendent introduces academic proposal 0:00
    • The superintendent said the plan, dubbed Elevate 34668, was focused on academics and also addressed enrollment changes and unused space. 0:02
    • The superintendent said it had been 14 years since a traditional school in the 34668 zip code ranked at an A or a B status, with 6 Fs, 9 Ds and 24 C rankings in that time. 1:13
  2. Survey results and school performance data 3:11
    • A staff member said over 1,400 community members provided input through the Thought Exchange survey, with over 25,000 ratings and 6 recommendations. 4:07
    • The staff member said small schools carry overhead such as a principal, plant manager and clinic personnel, and have fewer elective offerings. 5:31
    • The staff member said Fox Hollow Elementary School was rated a D as recently as 2025. 7:21
  3. Proposed program redesigns 9:03
    • A staff member said Schrader Elementary would be redesigned as a dedicated STEAM school aligned with STEM programs at Bayonet Point Middle School. 9:28
    • The staff member said Gulf Highlands Elementary would become Highlands Exploratory Academy, with a focus on careers, character and community through partnerships with CTE programs. 10:01
    • The staff member said Chasco K-8 had increased access to advanced coursework, including algebra, geometry and pre-AP courses. 12:06
  4. Consolidation, enrollment and alternative school relocation 12:43
    • A staff member said enrollment at the four schools was 3,511 students in '23-'24 and was projected at 2,479 for '27-'28, leaving 1,391 open seats. 12:43
    • The staff member said the West Pasco Education Academy would move to the former Calusa campus, near programs at Crinn and Marchman, after hurricane damage at its current site. 17:37
    • The staff member said families were notified October 15th and 16th, a vote would come November 3rd and rezoning would begin in January if the proposal passed. 19:32
  5. Questions on boundaries and school choice 20:00
    • A speaker asked what portion of Fox Hollow would be zoned to Chasco K-8. 20:03
    • A staff member said the western portion of Fox Hollow, generally everything west of 19 and a little east of 19, would be considered for Chasco K-8. 20:47
    • A staff member said families could be given priority to choose among the 3 schools as long as they have transportation. 21:50
  6. Invitation to negotiate for vacant buildings 22:10
    • A staff member recommended an invitation to negotiate, a competitive process under Florida law, to consider options for vacant buildings. 22:10
    • The staff member said a committee would evaluate proposals and staff would bring the best option to the board for approval. 23:09
  7. Staff transition, training and savings 23:42
    • A staff member said Fox Hollow staff were assured there is a place for everybody who wants to continue to work for the district. 24:02
    • A staff member said teachers would receive 3 full days of professional development this summer and ongoing professional learning next year. 25:14
    • A staff member said overhead staff savings for an elementary school would be approximately $1 million, not including facilities costs. 26:23
  8. Alternative school students and outcome measures 28:20
    • A speaker asked how West Pasco Education Academy students would be placed and kept on track for programs at Marchman and Crinn. 29:02
    • A speaker asked what measures would determine whether the decisions were successful, and the answer cited the Florida School Grading Model and the goal of an A or a B at every school. 30:15
  9. Closing comments 30:58
    • A speaker said savings from the Hudson Elementary School closure were reinvested in the Hudson Complex and its Cambridge program. 31:04
    • A board member said the proposal may be upsetting for some Fox Hollow families and staff and that no final decision had been made. 33:56
    • The board member said families and staff could share questions and concerns before the board takes any action. 34:17

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Part 2 · 57 min

Pasco school board approves naming Gulf High School track and field facility 32:26

  • A committee chair presented a report to the board and said classroom vacancies decreased from 296 down to 53. 23:12
  • A speaker at public comment raised concerns about bus driver pay and incentives, and a district staff member later said none of the supplements to drivers were being discontinued. 39:17
  • The board approved the consent agenda, an extension of the school board attorney contracts and the naming of a track and field facility. 46:48
  • A speaker requested a closed litigation session and a recess, and another speaker said the boardroom had to be cleared for a short recess. 55:53
Item by item (12)
  1. Opening and approval of minutes 0:31
    • The meeting opened with a thought for the day, given as a quote, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. 0:31
    • The board considered the draft minutes of the October 6th, 2026 board meeting. 3:05
    • The motion to approve the minutes carried. 3:26
  2. Buccaneers recognitions 3:38
    • A representative of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers presented Bucs Best Crew awards to district staff members and a school resource officer. 4:29
    • The representative also recognized two school board members who are concluding their service to the board. 14:15
  3. Item 22:32
    • A presenter said the dollars are being spent exactly how the board said they were going to be spent. 23:26
    • The committee chair said classroom vacancies decreased from 296 down to 53 and the starting teacher salary increased to $51,000 for 2025, including the supplement. 23:26
    • The committee chair said the district earned an A district rating for the first time since 2008. 27:40
  4. Request to name track facility 29:49
    • A principal read a letter requesting that the track and field facility at Gulf High School be named in honor of a longtime coach. 31:47
    • The letter said the coach dedicated 32 years to Gulf High School and the teams made 17 state appearances. 32:26
    • A speaker said the board would vote on the request at Item 16 after public comment. 34:44
  5. Public comment on agenda items 35:25
    • The same speaker said the average $35,000 a year salary for drivers is not competitive. 39:17
    • A speaker at public comment said the oversight committee report's statement on bus driver recruitment and retention was false and said there are no incentives or retention plans in place for the 26⁠-⁠27 school year. 39:51
    • Another speaker addressed the Elevate 34668 plan discussed at a workshop, which the speaker said includes closing Fox Hollow Elementary. 42:20
  6. Committee and staff reports 43:52
    • Board members reported no committee actions or no committee meetings. 43:59
    • Deputy superintendents reported nothing for the evening. 45:05
  7. Consent agenda 46:31
    • A speaker asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda with all addenda as presented by the superintendent. 46:39
    • The motion carried. ~46:48
  8. School board attorney contract extension 46:48
    • A speaker asked for a motion to approve the extension of school board attorney contracts and agreement for legal services. 46:48
    • The motion carried. ~47:40
  9. Track facility naming vote 47:40
    • The chair called for a motion to approve the naming of the track and field facility discussed earlier. 47:40
    • The motion carried. ~48:02
  10. Board member reports 48:02
    • A speaker said they attended the opening session of the Citizens Academy and thanked the participants on behalf of the board. 50:33
    • The same speaker discussed agenda item 13.5, a collaboration agreement with Step Up for Students, and said a federal tax credit of up to $7,800 for individuals begins January 1st, 2027. 52:05
  11. Bus driver supplement clarification 54:13
    • A district staff member said none of the RSS supplements to drivers are being discontinued. 54:26
    • The staff member said attendance and route choice incentives are not part of RSS and the district intends to propose continuing them, which the union would have to agree to. 54:56
  12. Attorney items and closed session 55:30
    • A speaker sought unanimous consent to allow the board chair to enter pre-hearing and post-hearing orders in a pending matter, and another speaker said they agreed. 55:30
    • The board's attorney requested a recess to conduct an advertised closed litigation session on a case against the School Board of Pasco County. 55:53
    • The chair said the boardroom had to be cleared and the board would return to remaining public comment cards afterward. 56:27

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Who spoke

Who spoke

We can’t yet tell who is speaking at this board’s meetings.

Video: posted by the district as “Pasco County School Board Workshop- October 20, 2026”