The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Starkey Ranch K-8

Starkey Ranch K-8 is set to open next fall

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A new kindergarten through eighth grade school that’s being constructed in the Starkey Ranch community now has an official name: Starkey Ranch K-8.

The school is scheduled to open next fall, and will part of a complex that includes a district park, a theater and library. The district park opened in November 2017.

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

The quartet of community amenities resulted from a public-public-private partnership involving Pasco County Schools, Pasco County and the Wheelock Communities, the private developers of Starkey Ranch, a community off State Road 54 in Trinity.

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

The school is expected to have about 1,000 elementary school students and 600 middle school students. The 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, the third part of the partnership involves Pasco County, and involves the construction of what’s been dubbed TLC, which stands for theater, library and cultural center.

The TLC will accommodate public library patrons and students. It also will have a 250-seat theater and three makerspaces.

The Pasco County School Board approved the school’s official name during its Oct. 6 meeting. The board prefers to name schools after the general location, features of the area or historical information about the area.

Published October 14, 2020

New schools coming to Pasco County

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A groundbreaking was held Sept. 9 to begin work on a new career and technical school off Curley Road, in East Pasco County, across from a sizable development called Epperson.

Then, at the Sept. 15 Pasco County School Board meeting, a contract was approved for preconstruction work on a new 6-12 School in the emerging Angeline community in Land O’ Lakes.

Dignitaries gather to fling shovels of dirt during the ceremonial groundbreaking for Kirkland Academy of Innovation, which is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Meanwhile, work continues on the construction of the new Starkey Ranch K-8 in the Starkey Ranch development, a growing Pasco County community.

During the groundbreaking ceremony and at the board meeting, Pasco School Board members and school district officials expressed enthusiasm about expanding educational opportunities for district students.

The 184,000-square-foot Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, being built at 9100 Curley Road, is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year.

The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.

School board member Allen Altman is delighted with the new school, as he has been pushing for years to expand educational opportunities in East Pasco.

“That just warms my heart,” Altman said, at the board’s Sept. 15 meeting.

“I can’t tell you how many years that I’ve tried for that. The Recession kind of put us behind,” he said, then it was one thing after another.

The new facility, he said, is “just a tremendous thing for the entire county, but especially that community.”

After pushing for years to expand opportunities for East Pasco students, school board member Allen Altman is delighted about the construction of Kirkland Academy of Innovation, a new high school being built off Curley Road.

In a video of the groundbreaking, posted on Twitter, Altman put it like this: “Things came together, I believe, in almost divine intervention, with the right property, at the right time, with the right people in place to make this a success.”

In the same video, Superintendent Kurt Browning said “you know, technical education is so important. We’re excited for what it means for our students and our community.”

Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd, who also made an appearance in the video, said: “The school will sit right here, on top of this big hill, overlooking the ponds below and the oak trees. And then, behind us, on the back side of the property will have a K-8 STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Academy, at some point, opening probably in ’24. This school will open in ’22.

“We’re literally going to put a technical school right in the middle of what will be a future suburbia for Pasco County,” Gadd said.

While the district proceeds on construction of Kirkland Academy of Innovation, it also is embarking on another project for a school known on as School LLL, which is planned for Central Pasco County.

At its Sept. 15 meeting, the board approved a $235,000 contract with Ajax Building Company for pre-construction work relating to a new 6-12 school planned for the Angeline community of Land O’Lakes.

The school will be designed for 1,694 student stations, which at 90% capacity translates to about 1,530 students.

The school will be designed on an 18-acre site within Angeline.

Construction is scheduled to begin in September 2021, with substantial completion expected in July 2023.

Meanwhile, the district has begun the boundary process for the new Starkey Ranch K-8.

A parent-night workshop is planned for Oct. 6  from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Odessa Elementary School, 12810 Interlaken Road in New Port Richey. New boundaries must be drawn to assign students to the school.

A public hearing for the boundaries proposal is planned for Nov. 17 at 6 p.m., with final school board action on Dec. 1.

Published September 23, 2020

Pasco County School Board approves $1.5 billion budget

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The Pasco County School Board has adopted a budget of more than $1.5 billion for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

That’s an increase of more than $122 million over last year’s budget, Superintendent Kurt Browning said, during the board’s Sept. 15 meeting.

Browning outlined some key points about the budget.

It includes:

  • $704.3 million in the general operating budget
  • $401.4 million in the capital budget

The total tax millage is 5.922 mills, a decrease of .179 mills. Under the proposed rate, a homeowner of a $175,000 house, after the deduction of the $25,000 homestead, would pay $26.85 less per year than last year.

The general operating budget increased from $666.6 million to $704.3 million. The district received additional funds totaling $24.1 million in state funding.

Out of the $24.1 million:

  • $10.1 million is set aside for School Choice, that is charter schools and scholarships
  • $4.9 million for retirement increases
  • $1.3 million for insurance increases
  • $3.4 million for 68.91 personnel allocations for schools and 5.17 personnel allocations for the district
  • $1.2 million for the continuation of costs related to Project Rise, general paper and dual enrollment
  • $500,000 for property insurance, utilities and school resource officer contract increases

The operating budget includes costs for allocations and operating costs for Cypress Creek Middle School and the midyear opening of Starkey Ranch K-8.

The budget also includes $4.7 million to implement the teacher salary increase allocation. The district will use that allocation, along with funds from fiscal year 2019-2020, of $7.3 million for the Best and Brightest program, to increase the minimum base salary for full-time classroom teachers to approximately $45,000 per year.

The budget also includes raises of approximately 1.5% for all remaining staff.

The proposed capital budget of $401.4 million includes:

  • Construction of Starkey Ranch K-8 and Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation
  • Major renovations to Northwest Elementary and James M. Marlowe Elementary
  • Construction of a new bus loop at San Antonio Elementary School
  • Cafeteria renovations, replacement of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and infrastructure upgrades at various schools
  • Lease-purchase computers and school buses
  • Completion of the remodeling of Zephyrhills High School

The budget does not reflect the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security, CARES funds, totaling more than $14.4 million, which is being used to pay for expenses related to COVID-19.

There was no public comment or board discussion about the budget, which was approved unanimously by the board.

Published September 23, 2020

School projects address district needs

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A global pandemic has cast uncertainty regarding what will happen in the coming school year, but the work goes on to build, expand and renovate schools in the Pasco County school district.

Rapid growth in recent years has caused school crowding. And, anticipated residential construction has created a need for schools in previously undeveloped areas.

Cypress Creek Middle School in Wesley Chapel will have its inaugural first day of school when the 2020-2021 school year begins. (B.C. Manion)

Across the district, enrollment is expected to increase by slightly more than 1,900 students for this coming school year, and that includes charter schools, according to Chris Williams, director of planning for the school district.

It remains unclear if that projection will come to fruition, in light of impacts from COVID-19 on residential construction.

The district’s enrollment will grow — but, it’s not clear how much, Williams said during a school board workshop on the district’s capital improvement plan.

Numerous projects are planned in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area, according to Williams’ presentation.

The planning director also provided an overview of schools expected to face another crowded year in 2020-2021.

Construction is underway at the Starkey Ranch K-8 School, near the intersection of Long Spur and Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa. The project, which includes private and public partners, will feature a school, a library and a cultural center, next to a district park. The public will be able to take advantage of the library, cultural center and park. (B.C. Manion)

Williams said he expects Odessa Elementary to be “just slammed full,” for the upcoming school year. “I don’t know (if) we could put any more students there,” he said.

“Fortunately, the relief for Odessa Elementary is the Starkey K-8, which will open, of course, next year. So, Odessa, we’re just working with them to get them through this coming year.

“Oakstead Elementary continues to be a little bit over capacity.

“I don’t know how much opening Starkey K-8, as mostly a magnet, will impact Oakstead (Elementary), but certainly it could have some impact on Oakstead Elementary, as well.

“Connerton (Elementary) continues to be over capacity,” he said.

But, he said, Connerton is experiencing “slow growth,” so the district will monitor the situation.

Wesley Chapel Elementary is expected to be slightly over capacity, but two new charter schools opening this year in Wesley Chapel — Pinecrest and Innovation Preparatory (inPrep) — are expected to have an impact, Williams said.

An additional classroom wing has been added to Bexley Elementary in Land O’ Lakes, to increase its capacity to meet growing enrollment needs. (File)

At the middle school level, the construction of Starkey Ranch K-8 will provide relief to River Ridge and Seven Springs middle schools, and also will likely have some impact on Rushe Middle School, too, Williams said.

A magnet 6-12 school will be opening in 2023, in the upcoming Angeline development in Land O’ Lakes, Williams said. He expects that to have an impact on Pine View and Rushe middle schools, and perhaps on River Ridge Middle, too.

“By then, Ridge Road will be complete,” the planning expert said, creating access to the new 6-12 school from all of those areas.

“Finally, after many years, we finally provide some relief to John Long Middle, with the opening of Cypress Creek Middle,” Williams added.

“Weightman Middle certainly is in a growth area,” he said, but charter schools in the area are expected to have an impact.

Williams added: “Also, we are planning in 2024 to open a magnet school, K-8, over in Wesley Chapel that also will provide relief to some of those schools.”

Sunlake High School in Land O’ Lakes also has a new classroom wing this year, to accommodate enrollment growth. (File)

At the high school level, Williams said additional capacity was added to Land O’ Lakes High School during its renovation. A new classroom wing added to Sunlake High School will be ready for occupancy this year.

A new wing added to Bexley Elementary also is ready for the 2020-2021 school year.

The future 6-12 school in Angeline also will increase enrollment capacity in the Land O’ Lakes area, Williams said.

The opening of Cypress Creek Middle School this fall, will have a ripple effect on enrollments.

First, it allows Cypress Creek High School to house additional students in grades nine through 12, while Cypress Creek Middle School serves students in grades six through eight.

The additional capacity at the high school allows the school district to relieve crowding at Wiregrass Ranch High. The new middle school allows the district to relieve crowding at John Long Middle.

Wiregrass Ranch won’t feel the full impact for a couple years, Williams said, because the district grandfathered this year’s juniors and seniors at Wiregrass Ranch.

Construction continues on a remodeling project at Zephyrhills High School. (B.C. Manion)

And, of course, the planning director said, the Wiregrass area is still experiencing growth.

He also noted that Pasco High is over capacity. The area, however, isn’t experiencing much growth.

The district is evaluating projects that could add capacity at Pasco High in the future, he said.

Zephyrhills High’s capacity is being increased through a project now in progress at the school, he added.

When The Innovation Academy at Kirkland Ranch opens, expected in 2023, it likely will have a significant impact on enrollments in schools on the district’s east side, he said.

Besides work that has been wrapped up recently, is underway, or on the drawing board — the district also has been securing sites for future schools.

Previously, the district has found itself in the position of being unable to find affordable land for schools, Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd told school board members.

It has resolved that issue, he said.

“As a district, we are in tremendous shape when it comes to land to build schools,” Gadd said.

Published August 05, 2020

Pasco Schools passes preliminary budget

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The Pasco County School Board has given first-round approval to a total school district budget approaching $1.5 billion.

Superintendent Kurt Browning detailed some of the budget’s highlights, during the board’s first public hearing on the budget, held on July 28.

The board approved the tentative tax rate and budget, following a public hearing. There was no public comment. The final public hearing on the budget is set for Sept. 15 at 6 p.m., in the board room at the school district’s headquarters, 7227 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

Browning covered some of the budget’s high points.

The proposed total tax millage for 2020-2021 fiscal year is 5.922 mills, which is a decrease of 0.179 mills, Browning said. A mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of assessed taxable value.

“Under the proposed rate, a homeowner of a $175,000 home, after the deduction of the $25,000 homestead exemption, would pay $26.85 less per year than last year,” Browning said.

Olga Swinson, the district’s chief finance officer, explained the reduction.

Each year, the state sets a required local effort amount that local districts are mandated to levy, she said. This year, it was 3.664 mills. Last year, it was 3.853 mills.

“Had we been able to keep the same millage that we did last year, we would generate about an additional $6.3 million, in fiscal year 2020-2021,” she said, but that is not an option.

The district’s proposed budget, a 7.3% increase over last year’s budget, includes a general operating budget of $699 million and a proposed capital budget of $415 million.

“The district received additional funds totaling $24.1 million in state funding to accommodate a predicted growth of 1,933 students,” Browning said.

He detailed how the $24.1 million will be spent:

  • $10.1 million is set aside for School Choice, including charter schools and scholarships
  • $4.9 million will go for retirement increases
  • $2.1 million will go for insurance increases
  • $3.3 million will be used for 68.91 staffing allocations for schools and 5.7 staffing allocations for the district
  • $1.2 million will go for specific academic program initiatives, including programs aimed at supporting educational equity
  • $500,000 will go for property insurance, utilities and School Resource Officer contract increases

The district’s proposed operating budget includes allocations and operating costs for the opening of Cypress Creek Middle School, and mid-year expenses for the Starkey Ranch K-8 school.

The district’s budget also allocates funds to raise the minimum teacher salary to about $45,000, in accordance with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ requirement to improve teacher pay.

It is not clear yet what kind of raises will be provided for other district employees.

“Salary increases for additional instructional personnel and other staff will be provided as funding permits,” Browning said.

“The proposed capital budget is $415 million, an increase of $73.5 million over last year, Browning said.

Big-ticket items in that budget include the construction of Starkey Ranch K-8 and the construction of the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation.

Other projects included in the capital budget include a new bus loop at San Antonio Elementary School, renovation and remodeling at Zephyrhills High School, cafeteria renovations, replacement of HVAC systems, infrastructure upgrades at various schools and lease/purchase of computers and school buses.

Published August 05, 2020