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Alison Crumbley

Pasco schools brace for tough budget

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Pasco County Schools is gearing up for a tough budget year.

“We have been working on budget,” Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning told school board members at a May 5 virtual school board meeting.

“It’s not a so-rosy picture of a budget. We’re working with department budgets and the district budget as a whole. We know that it’s going to be tight, and we’re very cautious going into this next budget and school year, not knowing what the Legislature is going to do, or possibly do, as it relates to any special session.

“I just wanted the board to know that we’re having some very, very, very serious discussions about the budget,” Browning said.

Pasco County School board member Allen Altman tells board members that the district is likely to encounter a tough budget year. (File)

Board member Allen Altman told his colleagues that they need to be forward-thinking about the possibility of budget cuts.

He said having to make cuts during the Great Recession was “the worst experience of my elected career.”

“I can tell you that I’ve talked to a couple of directors of state agencies in the past week, who have quietly been told to look at what a 20% cut would do. And, I looked today at the sales tax figures for Florida for month of March and they were down $770 million, and April is expected to be even worse.

“We don’t need to start jumping out of ships yet, but I think that it would be prudent for us to be cognizant of the situation that the state and other local governments may be in and consider that, as we make decisions going forward,” he said.

He also told board members he had met with the Value Adjustment Board and the county’s tax roll will be certified at about $27.4 billion for 2019. That compares to slightly more than $25 billion for 2018.

But, he said, “there is some fear going forward that commercial real estate, especially in retail and boxes, could see upwards of a 20% decline.”

Board member Cynthia Armstrong said she listened to a webinar hosted by the Florida School Boards Association that featured three chief financial officers talking about what to expect, and what school boards should be doing.

Revenue figures for April will be released on May 25, which should give the district an idea of what it will be looking at, she said.

During the webinar, the CFO said  “to expect that it’s very possible that the Legislature might go into special session, say in November, and adjust the budget, and we definitely could have some drawbacks,” Armstrong said.

“So, when we do our budget, we’re going to have to think about that, that it’s very likely that the budget could be cut, partway through the year, and we need to make sure that we’re planning for that,” she said.

“It’s going to be a very tough budgeting year for us,” she said.

She also noted that supporting the pay raise that’s in state legislation may require the district to reduce its staffing allocations.

Armstrong also urged the board to return to a face-to-face board meetings, to the degree possible, as soon as possible.

She said that fosters better communications at a time when important conversations must be had.

School board member Alison Crumbley agreed that discussions are more effective when they are done in person, to the degree possible.

“Hopefully, we’re going to get to that point really, really soon,” she said.

School will feel different, going forward
Don Peace, president of United School Employees of Pasco (USEP), commented on distance learning and what to expect in the future.

“Some students have found that they are better suited to this manner of learning. Still others long to be back in the traditional classroom, interacting with teachers and classmates,” Peace said.

“Maybe there’s case to be made that a hybrid of sorts could be utilized for future learning, capturing the best of both worlds,” Peace added.

“Whatever the case, I think we better have some options available next fall.

“However next year plays out, whether we start on time, or after Labor Day, it will definitely not be the same scenario that we left before Spring Break.

“Families may decide it not best for their student to return to a brick-and-mortar building for either real, or imagined, fears.

“Some of our teachers may elect not to return for their own reasons.

“I think that next year is going to be really trying for all of us, in matters other than just financial.

“I am asking the district to keep USEP in the communication loop, regarding any future plans, as we certainly are all in this together,” Peace said.

Published May 20, 2020

School remains in session, online

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Students aren’t returning to campus, but leaders in the Pasco County school district are encouraged by the progress students are making online.

The district went to online learning on March 31, after Gov. Ron DeSantis closed school campuses until at least April 15, due to concerns about the threat of the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

DeSantis has since announced that school campuses would remain closed for the remainder of the school year.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said that he supports keeping the campuses closed because he could not “in good conscience” reopen the campuses.

Still, the district remains engaged in online instruction, the superintendent said during the board’s April 21 meeting.

Vanessa Hilton, chief academic officer for the district, shared some statistics from the district’s foray into distance learning.

“We definitely have some trends in the data,” she told school board members, and those listening in on the meeting.

“Monday engagement is always higher for each week so far,” Hilton said.

But, she also noted: “We do have students engaged throughout the week. Even on Saturday and Sunday, we average 20,000 to 36,000 participation, which are actions of engagement.

“Overall, in Week 3, we had about 98% engagement of students,” she said.

School board member Alison Crumbley responded: “Wow — to those numbers you shared. Ninety-eight percent engagement is unbelievable to me.”

The school board member said that Pasco County’s efforts are vastly different than what’s happening around the country.

She said she recently listened to a call-in show, which involved people from around the country.

“Many kids have no devices. Some districts aren’t even doing anything,” Crumbley said.

Hilton also told board members that the district is in the process of issuing hot spots to some families to enable Internet access.

“Those will be prioritized initially for some of our homeless families and families that really are away where there would be infrastructure for Internet,” she said.

“Since Day 1, I wanted to let you know that we have had over 43 million page views and access of files, and just under 15 million modules of units of study.

“We had 7,278,753 assignments submitted; 4,438,379 engagements in discussions; and, 1,214,552 announcements — which are direct communications between teachers and leaders to the students and families, that we miss so much.”

Kevin Shibley, assistant superintendent for administration, provided an update regarding device distribution to students.

“We are just shy of 18,000 computers that we have issued to students, to aid them in distance learning. We are continuing to have schools enter devices that they have distributed to students, so I expect that number to continue to creep up in coming weeks,” Shibley said.

Hilton also told board members that the district is issuing hot spots to some families to enable Internet access.

Hilton also noted that some changes have been made.

“Through feedback of families and students — students themselves, very resourceful students themselves, and staff — we have made adjustments, particularly to our elementary workload, to minimize stress and ensure that learning continues,” Hilton added.

The district also has been creating weekly parent newsletters, teacher newsletters and periodic secondary student newsletters, she said.

Plus, she noted, “our teachers also have their own collaborative space on Facebook. It’s incredibly impressive, impressive evidence of their sharing and learning together across the district.”

Finally, she reported that on April 20, students submitted 111,150 assignments.

“We had almost 66,000 users working across the day, and at the peak time — which is about midday for us — almost 21,000 students were learning at the same time together,” Hilton said.

School board members heaped praise on the efforts of district staff, teachers and parents, grandparents and guardians.

Board chairwoman Colleen Beaudoin said she’s seen the collaboration taking place among teachers, and she recognized that the volume of student assignments being completed also means that a significant amount of grading is being done by teachers.

She also added: “I have seen our school-based teachers and leaders, and they are extremely creative in the ways they are connecting with the students and each other.

“Our principals and our teachers are really going all out. Their posts have been entertaining, inspiring, innovative and heartwarming.”

Marcy Hetzler-Nettles, assistant superintendent for middle schools, gave a shout-out to Rushe Middle School students who had been planning to put on the play, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

When the show was cancelled because of COVID-19, a student put together a video of cast members singing the song, “Happiness,” which he sent to drama teacher Jeff Roush.

Also, Tom Schimmer, author of “Grading from the Inside Out,” made a surprise pop-in visit during a Zoom book study group meeting of teachers, Hetzler-Nettles added.

Monica Isle, assistant superintendent for high schools, told the board about an act of generosity made by seniors from Sunlake High School. They made a donation to Keystone Community Church’s Second Serving program, after their trip to Grad Bash was canceled. They had raised the money to pay for buses to Grad Bash.

Isle also mentioned the band from Mitchell High School will be doing a virtual concert series.

David Scanga, assistant superintendent for elementary schools, told the board that elementary school principal Todd Cluff has been doing nightly readings for students from “Little House on the Prairie.”

Scanga added: “I thought that was an excellent book to choose, in terms of a family that’s rather isolated and dependent on themselves to entertain and survive.”

Scanga also observed that “teachers and administrators are finding fun ways to engage,” which he thinks offers a good way to build connections with families.

Board member Megan Harding also expressed appreciation for the dedication of the district’s teachers and to the help provided by parents and guardians.

She said she’s attended some teacher Zoom meetings with their students.

“I’ve been blown away,” Harding said. “Those students are engaged. They are excited to be there.

“They miss their teachers, their teachers miss them.”

Harding also praised the parents and guardians.

“I know this isn’t something that they signed up for. They’re trying to work from home and to try to help their child be academically successful, and they’re also trying to keep their household afloat while ensuring their children are doing their schoolwork. I want to thank them for their partnership. I want to  thank them for doing their best to balance it all,” she said.

Published April 29, 2020

New East Pasco school gets a name

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A new high school that will focus on technology, STEM and business programs on the east side of Pasco County will be called the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation.

The Pasco County School Board approved that name unanimously during the board’s Feb. 18 meeting.

The school is located at Curley Road and Keifer Road in Wesley Chapel on the former Kirkland Ranch property.

Program plans for the school include academies for Business, Finance & Marketing; Digital Technology; Engineering Technology; Health Science & Human Services; Transportation Technology; and Building Technology, according to Pasco County Schools’ Facebook page.

The school will serve grades nine through 12 and offer industry certification in high-demand career fields with a focus on technology, STEM, and business, the Facebook page adds.

The name Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation encompasses both the area where it will operate, and in general, to the school’s mission.

Board members received about 100 suggested names for the school.

Board member Alison Crumbley said there were so many fine people on the list that she couldn’t narrow it down to just one.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong said the name — Academy of Innovation — is broad enough to cover the ever-evolving direction of career and technical education.

“As we know, CTE is changing daily,” Armstrong said.

The new school is slated to open in August 2022.

Published February 26, 2020

Political Agenda 01/29/2020

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Corley issues warning
Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley has issued a warning that The Voter Participation Center (VPC) again has launched a voter registration mail campaign targeting Pasco County voters, according to a news release from Corley’s office.

The mail campaign contains “inaccurate information that is often alarming and confusing,” the release says.

Previously, these mailings “have been sent to family members who are deceased, their pets and underage children, and adult children who no longer reside or never resided in the household or the state of Florida,” the release adds.

“The mailings that reach eligible voters often arouse suspicion because they are already registered and feel that their registration has somehow been compromised,” the release continues.

Corley also noted that “VPC has also begun text messaging voters in advance of the mailing using an outdated list of phone numbers. We have already received reports that the messages are addressed to people who no longer have the phone number.”

The supervisor of elections also observed: “Our experience has been that VPC tactics further erode voter confidence at a time when the security of our elections is in the forefront. Please know that these organizations are in no way affiliated with my office.”

Pasco voters can register online at https://registertovoteflorida.gov/en/Registration/Index. They also can update their status there, too.

They can check their voter registration status online at https://registration.elections.myflorida.com/CheckVoterStatus
For additional information or assistance, call (800) 851-8754.

Wesley Chapel Republican Club
The Wesley Chapel Republican Club meets at Wesley Chapel Toyota, 5300 Eagleston Blvd, Wesley Chapel, on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The meeting features speakers, networking, coffee and dessert. New members and guests are welcome. For more information, contact Peter Cracchiolo (813) 360-9813.

More candidates vying for Pasco County offices
Alison Crumbley has pre-filed in the race of Pasco County School Board, District 4. The school board is a nonpartisan race. No one has filed so far to challenge the incumbent.

Mike Fasano has pre-filed for the office of tax collector. So far, the Republican incumbent does not face any challengers.

 

School district expands mental health services

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The Pasco County school district has been ramping up training and tapping into outside sources, in its quest to build a better mental health support network for students.

Statistics from across the school district underscore a compelling need for increased services.

District figures show that more than 1,200 suicide assessments were done last year of students in elementary, middle and high schools.

The breakdown showed that 463 suicide assessments were reported at the elementary school level; 408 at the middle school level; and, 308 at the high school level.

There also were nearly 600 threat assessments across the district, with 278 reported at the elementary level; 134 at the middle school level; and, 186 at the high school level.

Jeannine Welch, Melissa Musselwhite and Vicki Papaemanuel are leading up efforts to expand mental health services within Pasco County Schools. (B.C. Manion)

District data regarding Baker Act cases reported 171 at the elementary level; 211 at the middle school level; and, 207 at the high school level.

Baker Act cases involve individuals who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others who are referred for mental evaluation.

“We obviously have many students that need significant support from us, relating to mental health,” said Melissa Musselwhite, the district’s director of student support programs, during a school board session on mental health held this summer.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning pointed to the suicide assessments.

“Twelve hundred and sixty — 463 just in elementary school alone,” Browning noted.

He also observed there were more suicide assessments at elementary level, than in high school.

“The same with threats,” noted School Board Chairwoman Alison Crumbley. “It’s (threats) higher at elementary.”

Jeannine Welch, senior supervisor for student support services, told board members that it’s  difficult to pinpoint what the statistics mean. For instance, a suicide assessment could refer to a student who was assessed, but not in any danger.

Musselwhite also said more information is needed: “Do we have the same standard for kids we are referring, let’s say for suicide assessment?

“If the kid has scissors and says, ‘I’m going to stab you,’ or ‘I’m going to stab myself,’ do we have a common practice across the district how we respond to that?

“Those are questions. I don’t know. We really need to analyze the data more deeply,” Musselwhite said.

Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools David Scanga said the statistics are telling.

“It does reflect the stress level of elementary that probably 10 years ago we didn’t see,” he said. “So, the stress on the families, the stress on the communities, the stress within the building. I hear what Melissa is saying, but we also know and agree that there are things in elementary that we’re dealing with that are more frequent — not that they were never there — but they are more frequent than they were in the past.”

To help address the needs, the district has been collaborating with Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, which has allowed the district to expand its services.

Central Florida has worked out a memorandum of understanding with all of the providers, so the district doesn’t have to obtain a separate contract for a specialized service, Welch said.

Students receiving services are run through a voucher system.

That helps stretch the district’s spending capacity because if a child is eligible for Medicaid, or would be potentially eligible, those dollars are used first, Welch said.

The district has added key personnel and has expanded training efforts.

It has added mental health coaches to coach school-based student services staff regarding mental health initiatives.

The mental health liaison has been able to help analyze data, and also has provided “literally, someone to call instantly in order to be able to problem-solve with some of the situations we have within schools,” Musselwhite said.

The district is working to improve its supports for students.

When a student has been Baker-acted, for instance, the district wants to be sure it supports that student when he or sure returns to school.

“We want to make sure that it’s truly done as a safety net for them,” Welch said.

“We’ve had kids that have been gone for a week and come back, and said they’ve been on a Disney cruise. They weren’t on the Disney cruise,” Welch said.

The district has ramped up training.

“We are required to train staff and make sure they have first-aiders at schools. When this first came out, we had zero trainers,” Welch said. “This summer we’ve trained 688 staff members.”

The district continues to build on its capacity, she said.

“We spent this year building up trainers,” she said.

“It shouldn’t just be the administrator. It should be others that, these are embedded practices that live on, regardless of the leadership,” she said.

“The state has rolled out a new threat assessment  protocol that we’ll be training all student services and administrative staff, in the next month (by Oct. 1),” Musselwhite said.

“The majority of the day will be around the threat assessment, behavioral threat assessment that the state mandated, using a specific  tool and a training platform,” said Vicki Papaemanuel, who will be overseeing the training for the district.

“The second half of the day will be around threat to self or suicide assessment,” she said.

Threat assessments
Elementary: 278
Middle: 134
High School: 186
Total: 598

Suicide assessments
Elementary: 463
Middle: 408
High School: 308
Total: 1,260

2018-2019 Baker Act Data
Elementary: 171
Middle: 211
High school: 207

Source: Pasco County Schools

Published September 18, 2019

Pasco to open K-8 school in fall 2021

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The groundbreaking last week for Starkey Ranch K-8 School was celebrated in grand fashion —  at a gathering that included a high school jazz band and color guard, preschoolers, a private developer partner, elected leaders and government officials.

The school is the second phase of a partnership between Pasco County Schools, Pasco County government and Wheelock Communities, the private developers of Starkey Ranch, a community off State Road 54 in Trinity.

Members of the Pasco County School Board join top district staff in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Starkey Ranch K-8 School. (B.C. Manion)

One part of the project is the Starkey District Park, which opened its first phase in November 2017. Two additional phases are planned for the park.

Starkey Ranch K-8 School, located near the district park, is the public school district’s first school specifically designed for elementary and middle school students.

It is expected to open in August 2021, with about 1,000 elementary school students and 600 middle school students.

The school campus includes a gymnasium, athletic fields, a running track and sports courts that will be available during non-school hours to residents, through a shared-use agreement.

Additionally, there’s a third part of the partnership that involves construction of what’s been dubbed TLC, which stands for theater, library and cultural center.

Matt Call, project director for Starkey Ranch, talked about the collaborative attitude the partners have shared.

“It began as an idea to work together to create something great,” Call said.

The approach that’s been used, he said, “is something that we sometimes feel is missing in society today — just the idea of putting aside our own differences and our own desires, and really coming together and working to do something.”

His enthusiasm for the partnership was shared by Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning.

“We have looked forward to this day for a very, very long time,” Browning told the crowd.

The joint efforts will yield a community asset, he said.

“These amenities add, not only to Starkey Ranch, but also to Pasco County as a whole,” Browning said.

This is what the Starkey Ranch K-8 School campus will look like. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

And, because the facilities will be shared — instead of being duplicated, Browning said, “the taxpayers are winners on this project.”

The superintendent added: “We want it to be a community place. We want it to be a place where people come and gather, and socialize and learn.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells noted that “from the county standpoint, the last time we built a library, my father was a county commissioner. That was in 1982.

“This is a very, very exciting day. The TLC is the first of its kind in Pasco County.”

The center will accommodate public library patrons and students. It also will have a 250-seat theater and three maker spaces.

Like the other speakers, Wells praised the cooperative arrangement to pursue these facilities.

“It’s not very often that we all come together to do things,” Wells said, noting that government agencies have a tendency to operate in silos.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, a former school board member, said she hopes that Starkey Ranch K-8 School is so successful that the school district will build more in the future.

“I’m so excited for the residents that live here and for all of those lucky kids who are going to be able to experience this kind of school,” Starkey said.

She also talked about the TLC.

“We have worked really hard to make this facility different than the normal facility. We’re going to have outdoor space, where you can have cocktail parties,” she said.

She expressed gratitude that both the school board and the Pasco County Commission put in some extra money to make the TLC “exactly what we wanted.”

School board chairwoman Alison Crumbley said the project is exciting because of what the school will offer for students. She’s also pleased by the presence of the theater and cultural center because she’s a proponent of the arts.

Browning said the K-8 model will provide “opportunities for middle-schoolers to mentor elementary school kids, which is a great, great thing for us.”

No decision has been made yet on the boundaries for the new school, said Chris Williams, director of planning for the school district.

Beyond assigning students from Starkey Ranch to the school, various options are being discussed, including the possibility of a magnet school to fill the remaining spots, he said.

The school construction budget is $44.4 million.

Published September 11, 2019

‘Engage’ kids: Improve attendance

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Students typically don’t decide to drop out of school overnight.

And, there’s typically more to the story, when a student starts missing school on a regular basis.

At least those were a couple points of discussion last week during a Pasco County School Board workshop on the topic of school attendance.

Pasco County School Board vice chairwoman Colleen Beaudoin said students may be able to make up the work or tests they missed when they are out, but they also miss out on valuable learning opportunities and interactions with their peers. (File)

“Attendance is really a symptom of something else that is happening with our students,” said Angel Hernandez, senior supervisor of student support programs and services for the district.

Pasco County has been working to define what on-track, at-risk and off-track means, in terms of attendance, behavior, academic performance and discipline. In high school, the measures include GPA and progress of meeting graduation requirements.

The reasons students miss school can vary from being ill, to being on vacation, to choosing not to be there because they are disengaged, Hernandez told school board members.

“Disengagement is preceded by other things,” he said, which can range from poor academic performance, to mental health or other issues.

Some kids don’t want to be at school, Hernandez said. They say things like, “I don’t feel welcome at my school. I’m not being treated nicely.”

Not being at school has consequences, he added.

“We know the reality is that when our students are not in school, they are not engaged in school, and when they’re disengaged, they fall short of meeting that goal and graduating, and achieving success once they leave our system,” he said.

The district can track attendance through data, which allows it to make a closer analysis.

It can break down the data by grade level, demographic group and day, week or month.

Overall, 38,500 Pasco students were on track for the year in attendance, while 24,200 were at risk and 12,400 were off-track, Hernandez said.

The data reveals that there are no demographic groups that appear to be at greater risk than others, Hernandez said. “They’re all within the 90s,” he said.

He also noted that sixth grade has the highest attendance rating.

When the district looks at its attendance rates, it’s not just looking at unexcused absences, but excused absences, too.

School Board member Cynthia Armstrong, a former teacher, voiced concerns about the growing number of children missing school for family vacations.

“Parents would never think, in the past, about taking their kids out for a cruise just because they could get the cruise cheaper during the school year. That seems to be just a growing trend,” Armstrong said.

Pasco County School Board member Cynthia Armstrong said she’s noticed of a trend in recent years of more parents taking their children out of school for family vacations.

She asked: “How are we stressing to parents that attendance is important?”

A change to the district’s code of conduct allows students to make up any and all assignments, tests or related work of any excused or unexcused absence at full credit.

But, even when students can make up the credit, they’re still losing out, said School Board vice chairwoman Colleen Beaudoin.

“Even if they can show up later and make up the test, they’re missing learning opportunities. They’re missing the chance to interact with their peers, and they’re missing the group work, the projects,” Beaudoin said.

School Board chairwoman Alison Crumbley wondered what the district does to address the kids who are there, but are just not understanding the content.

Hernandez said efforts are being made to give students quizzes to help check how they’re doing, so extra help can be offered to help them catch up before the end of the course, when it’s too late.

Hernandez also noted that some schools have dances or other celebrations to encourage good attendance.

Along those lines, School Board member Megan Harding said it’s important for schools to be consistent.

She recalled students being excited about the prospect of attending a quarterly dance party.

“They didn’t make it the first quarter, but the second quarter came and there was no dance party; the third quarter came, and there was no dance party.

“There was no consistency,” Harding said.

“Is there going to be some consistency or accountability within our schools?” Harding asked. “Those little ones they really do want that dance party.”

Hernandez said it takes a team effort to tackle the issue.

“It used to be that this work happened through the lens of social work,” he said. “We’re trying to break away from that, as we build a compassionate schools frame for our sites, we want all of our other members to engage.”

Superintendent Kurt Browning said parents need to hear from the district level — not just the school level — about the importance of attendance.

He said he expects increased efforts to reach out to parents, through newsletters and periodic phone calls to emphasize how important it is for children to be in school.

The district has an obligation to make school engaging and to set high standards, and to help students to understand there’s a connection between being in school and being successful in life, Browning said.

Attendance by grade level
Pre-kindergarten: 88.1 percent

First grade : 93.7 percent

Second grade: 94.6 percent

Third grade: 94.8 percent

Fourth grade: 94.7 percent

Fifth grade:  94.8 percent

Sixth grade: 95.4 percent

Seventh grade: 94.9 percent

Eighth grade:  94.4 percent

Ninth grade:  94.8 percent

10th grade:  93.9 percent

11th grade:  93.3 percent

12th grade:  91.2 percent

Source: Pasco County Schools

Ways to combat school absenteeism

  • Recognize good and improved attendance
  • Engage parents and students
  • Provide personalized early outreach
  • Monitor attendance data and practice
  • Develop programmatic responses to barriers

Source: Pasco County Schools

Published August 07, 2019

Project needs outpace funding in Pasco County Schools

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As Pasco County Schools heads into a new school year, the district faces a perennial issue: There’s not enough money to cover district construction and maintenance needs.

“Our current debt is about $525 million,” Chris Williams, director of planning told Pasco County School Board members during a workshop last week.

Pasco’s rapid growth continues to create demand for new or expanded schools, and the district’s list of maintenance needs is lengthy.

There are buildings “that aren’t even on the list, that we can’t even get to,” said Alison Crumbley, school board chairwoman.

“There are lots of projects that need to be done that are not being done,” Williams agreed.

The state reduced its Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) fund for Pasco County Schools to zero for next year, Williams said.

“We received $1.2 million in ’18-’19, but are projected to receive zero this year,” he said.

“Of course, as you can tell with the current debt, our capital needs continue to outpace our revenue.”

School Board member Allen Altman said for people who are unfamiliar with the district’s size and scope, it’s hard to fathom its needs.

“We have, as a district, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,400 individual buildings.

“You think about that and you look at the dollars that are here for maintenance and repair.

“We are below the estimated needed cost for the maintenance for our facilities. There is no golden pot of money,” Altman said.

So, as district staff deliberates on priorities, there is generally give-and-take between departments, Altman said.

He described how the conversations can go: One employee will say, “‘We can patch up this roof for one more year so you can get this safety thing you need done, over here.”

And, a food and nutrition employee will say: “OK, we’ll give up this serving line, so you all can fix that HVAC over there.”

“I want people to understand these are big dollar numbers we’re looking at, but when you spread over the number of campuses, the number of facilities and the amount of people coming in and out of them every day, just to maintain them — there is no pot of money sitting there,” Altman said.

The district must build new schools, renovate existing schools, fix roofs, paint buildings, provide buses, improve safety, upgrade technology, replace furniture and make myriad repairs, district officials say. The dollars simply don’t stretch far enough, they say.

There is some bright news, Williams said.

“In the tax roll, we’re projecting an 8.67 increase,” he said. This is the second year the county has exceeded the tax roll that was achieved back in 2007-2008.

The Penny for Pasco revenues also are projected to be up.

“Our Penny for Pasco collections continue to be at the highest level of collection since the inception of the Penny (tax).

In 2019-2020, the Penny revenue is projected to be $31.1 million, which Williams characterized as “very good news.”

The planning director also noted that impact fees are expected to come in at $26 million, which is higher than initially anticipated.

Even so, Altman said: “New residential growth never pays for itself. In spite of that impact fee number coming in higher than expected, it still does not cover our cost.”

Published July 31, 2019

Pay raises elusive in Pasco schools

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Pasco County school officials are still searching for ways to provide some sort of raise for district employees — although the prospect did not appear promising at a board meeting last week.

At the board’s July 24 meeting, numerous teachers and other support personnel took turns urging the Pasco School Board to make employee pay a budget priority.

The current budget proposal does not include pay raises for any district employees.

Christine Goddard, a Spanish teacher at Land O’ Lakes High School, urged the board to make salary increases a budget priority.

Pasco County School Board member Colleen Beaudoin

She loves teaching in the district, she said, but is disappointed that her salary hasn’t improved much in the past couple of years.

“You can’t put your students first, if you continue to put your teachers last, in budget considerations,” Goddard said.

Sue Jenkins, a bus driver who lives in New Port Richey, said she loves her job and the kids she drives, but has to work two jobs.

“I’m too old to work two jobs for very long, so please make us a consideration,” she said.

Cheryl Vinson, of Lutz, noted that Pasco’s pay is not keeping pace with its neighboring counties.

“At my school alone, we have lost seven teachers who have moved to go back to their home states of New York, of Ohio, have gone to other districts because they can’t afford to live in Pasco County anymore. I have numerous friends who work second jobs.”

Beth Vogel, of New Port Richey, who works as registrar for the district, urged board members to take another look at the pay rate for registrars. She said the starting pay for them is $9.25 an hour.

“Our pay does not reflect the work that we do,” Vogel said. Registrars have extensive responsibilities, handling massive amounts of confidential information.

“It’s an endless, endless task. We are not compensated for what we do,” Vogel said.

Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco, called for the union and school district to work together to seek solutions.

“I implore all of you to be creative and innovative in your thinking this year, as together we seek to provide meaningful salary adjustments for all employees,” Peace said.

“I would also like to ask for the district to consider forming a joint task force with USEP to investigate the possibility of a ballot initiative and to investigate the processes needed to accomplish that task.

“We should be partnering together to message our legislators both here in the district, who obviously have not been working for us, and also in Tallahassee, to implore changes to public school funding, and to educate the public on the need for properly funding public schools and programs,” Peace said.

School board members Colleen Beaudoin and Alison Crumbley responded to the speakers.

“Your pleas are not falling on deaf ears,” Beaudoin said.

“Every board member here, we did set our priorities months ago, and every one of us said that salaries is our priority,” she said.

“We all know that the quality of the people we want to keep is paramount, and it needs to be commensurate to the pay. We want the best people teaching our kids. We know people are leaving. I was heartbroken last week when somebody asked me for a reference to leave the county,” she added.

“I’m sorry you’re in this position, that you are coming here feeling that you have to beg,” she said. “We’re trying. Staff is working on it.”

Crumbley thanked those who came forward to address the board.

“We’re very determined to do what we can and get employee raises,” she said.

“We know this is essential. We know, from the bottom of our hearts. This isn’t over,” she added.

New safety, mental health programs required
It remains unclear how the district would pay for an employee pay raise.

It costs about $4.1 million to provide a 1 percent raise for district employees, said Olga Swinson, the district’s chief finance officer.

The district won’t know its total enrollment until October, at which point it can take another look at the numbers, she said.

There’s a chance enrollment could exceed projections, or that projected enrollment at public charter schools could be lower-than-expected.

In either case, the district revenue picture would improve.

It is true that this year’s student allocation was at its highest rate, but that figure fails to account for inflation, according to Swinson’s budget presentation to the board.

In 2007-2008, the base allocation per student was $7,306. That compares to a base allocation per student of $7,408 for 2018-2019.

When cost-of-living increases are included, however, the allocation per student needs to be $8,528, Swinson said.

Superintendent Kurt Browning also noted that the Florida Legislature tied local districts hands by refusing to allow growth to pay for itself.

The required local effort, which was certified by the state, is 4.031 mills, Swinson said. That’s a reduction from the 4.317 mills that it was last year.

If legislators had allowed local districts to keep the same millage rate for required local effort as they had last year, the district would have $8.2 million more to use to support pay raises, Browning said.

That would essentially equate to a 2 percent pay raise for district employees.

Also, although the Legislature provided more dollars to local districts, they also mandated that most of that new money be spent on school security and mental health services, district officials said.

The school board is scheduled to vote on the tentative tax rate for schools at its July 31 meeting at 6 p.m., after The Laker/Lutz News’ press deadline.

Based on the proposed tax rate, the owner of a $125,000 home, assuming a $25,000 homestead exemption would bay $627.90 in school taxes in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. That compares to $656.50 for 2017-2018, a decrease of $28.60. If the Legislature had allowed districts to levy the same millage rate as they did last year, Pasco County would have generated an additional $8.2 million in revenues.

Published August 1, 2018

Raises unlikely this year in Pasco County Schools

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Pasco County School Board members have expressed a desire to give teachers a raise, but according to Superintendent Kurt Browning, there’s no money available to make that happen.

Browning’s remarks came during a budget workshop last week in the board room at the district’s headquarters in Land O’ Lakes.

Olga Swinson, the district’s chief financial officer, provided a run-through of budget numbers for board members — noting that these numbers will change before the board’s next budget workshop, which is set for July 24.

However, based on what the district knows now, there’s a projected deficit of about $1.2 million, she said.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning
(Randy Underhill)

Based on that, the district will have to find cuts to balance the budget before the board takes its first vote on the budget July 31, Browning said.

“I think what we’re all looking for here is where we can find money for teacher raises because we all said that was a priority for us,” said board member Colleen Beaudoin.

Swinson responded: “Obviously, we didn’t get enough money for salary raises.”

Beaudoin noted: “I’m concerned that we’re losing good people.”

The district needs to look at such issues as how much it costs to hire, onboard, train and support new staff when it loses current employees, Beaudoin said.

“What’s our risk/reward? What’s our return on investment?” the school board member asked.

The district also needs to consider issues such as “the time it takes to get someone to their peak performance,” Beaudoin continued. “Not increasing salaries is hurting us in other ways.”

Board vice chairwoman Alison Crumbley agreed: “It has a snowball effect.”

Browning said: “I would love to find money for salary increases for instructional, SRPs, administrators, everybody.”

But, the superintendent said the state did not provide enough money to make that happen.

He noted that Hillsborough County’s school district is providing large salary increases, but it is cutting hundreds of jobs to cover the costs.

“I, as a superintendent, am not ready to make a recommendation to this board that we start cutting positions, critical positions in the schools, to give raises to remaining staff,” Browning said.

“We’re not cutting positions this year. Everybody, and I’ll just say it, ought to be thankful they have a job, based on the funding we received from the state.

“It’s unfortunate that they did not provide the dollars that we needed in order to continue to improve salaries,” the superintendent said.

State lawmakers claim that they provided record funding for school districts, Browning said, “what they stop short of saying is they’re also telling you how to spend it.

“If you look at that, almost $4 million is going to the safe school allocation and the mental health,” he said.

Plus, about $5.3 million of the state funding is going to charter schools.

Browning said the district’s salaries have improved in recent years, but the funding is not there to improve them again this year.

But, he acknowledged Beaudoin’s and Crumbley’s concerns.

“We know we’ve got to get our salaries competitive. I know that,” Browning said.

Published June 27, 2018