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Yahoo
09-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pasco school district pulls plug on dedicated early learning center
The Pasco County school district's first dedicated early learning center will shut its doors after just two years of operation. Mittye P. Locke Early Learning Academy opened in 2023 in New Port Richey with anticipation high that families would flock there for prekindergarten and other programs. The district spent $2 million converting the former elementary school into a 10-classroom center aimed at providing services that were in short supply in the west Pasco community. Things did not turn out as hoped, though. Enrollment in the Voluntary Prekindergarten, Head Start and special education early learning classes started at 106 children, below expectations, shrinking to 82 this year. Only three families have applied to place their 4-year-olds in the site's Voluntary Prekindergarten program for the fall, superintendent John Legg said. The school's programs are losing about $1.5 million annually, he added. 'The model is well intended,' Legg said. 'But parents want programs at the school sites with their other children.' To that end, the district is preparing to place prekindergarten programs at some of the westside elementary schools that have available space. Among the area campuses with capacity are Deer Park, Cotee River, Sunray, Marlowe and Seven Springs elementary. Teams of teachers and administrators are reviewing the schools to determine where adding prekindergarten makes most sense, taking into account criteria such as demand and kindergarten readiness data, deputy superintendent Betsy Kuhn said. The district also plans to relocate its Head Start classes from Locke to a new Metropolitan Ministries center in Holiday. The program has had a waiting list of children, and the district did not receive a federal grant that it sought to expand the program. District teachers will continue to lead Head Start classrooms. To replace the early learning programs, the district will move its alternative Achieve Academy, currently housed at Richey Elementary, over to the Locke campus. It additionally will develop for Locke a transition program for over-age fourth and fifth graders who have had behavior problems at their home schools. That move will allow Richey, which has been among the district's lowest scoring schools on state testing, to have space for additional services in support of its improvement efforts. Because the changes are programmatic, the school board will not vote on them. On Tuesday, it will hold a workshop on the plan, and also decide whether to rename the early learning site as Mittye P. Locke Achievement Academy, reflecting its new mission. School board chairperson Cynthia Armstrong had predicted that the district would have little trouble filling the early learning center. She said she was disappointed the numbers didn't materialize, but acknowledged that families like to keep their young children together for a variety of reasons, including ease of transporting them. 'If something is not working, even if it's something we thought would work, it might be time to try something different,' Armstrong said. The dearth of other early learning services remains in parts of west Pasco, she said, and the district needs to reach more children to help them prepare before kindergarten. 'We want our kids to have early literacy exposure,' said board member Megan Harding. 'We'll still be seeing our kids.' Principal Jomary Schulz, who helped open the early learning center, took to Facebook to say what an honor it was to lead the school. 'This has been super sad for all of us at my school, but all of my staff are guaranteed positions for next year and I too will be placed somewhere,' she wrote. 'Relationships have been built and we will stay strong through this transition!'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pasco schools revise homework grading policy for Fall 2025
The Brief Beginning in the fall of 2025, Pasco County teachers will have the option to grade homework. This reverses a policy established in 2022 stating that homework should not be graded. Superintendent John Legg agreed to wait until the fall to implement the new policy to avoid disrupting the current school year. LAND O' LAKES, Fla. - Pasco County Schools Superintendent John Legg outlined the district's updated approach to homework grading, which will take effect in the fall of 2025. The new policy reverses the district's previous stance, established in 2022, that homework should not be graded. Instead, educators will now have the option to grade homework at their discretion. PREVIOUS: Pasco County may soon grade homework again, superintendent says Dig deeper The shift follows recommendations made by a committee of teachers formed to evaluate and propose updates to the district's homework practices. After researching and deliberating on the issue, the group presented a set of guidelines, including the option for teachers to assign grades for homework. The group emphasized the need for a thoughtful implementation process, recommending that the policy be rolled out at the beginning of the next school year to avoid disruption in the current semester. At Tuesday's Pasco County School Board meeting, Legg agreed with their recommendation to implement the new policy in the fall rather than rushing it into the final weeks of the current school year. "Many of our teachers, they will start, if they haven't already started on next year's syllabi, working on adjustments so they can incorporate this into their grading system," Legg told board members. "They can incorporate it into their assignments. They can start making those plans." READ: Senators OK repealing later school start times The changes also require adjustments to the district's student conduct policies, particularly regarding overdue work. As a result, school leaders will spend the summer reviewing and updating those guidelines to ensure a smooth transition. While the new policy allows teachers to grade homework if they choose, it will be optional. The goal is to give educators more flexibility in how they assess student progress while maintaining a focus on fairness and effective learning. What's next The revised homework grading policy will be officially implemented in the fall, with ongoing discussions and preparations to ensure its successful integration into the district's academic practices. The next school board meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. in the boardroom in Building 3 at 7205 Land O' Lakes Blvd. The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Matthew McClellan. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How important is homework? This Florida school district says it matters.
The big story: Just how important is homework? One Florida school district has renewed the debate with a move to reverse its past practice of not grading assignments sent home to practice classroom lessons. Pasco County superintendent John Legg said the lack of consequences for failing to get the work done has contributed to declining proficiency in the state's key academic standards. He announced plans to again allow teachers to hold students more accountable for their homework, adding he believes in the importance of sending home materials to reinforce what's been taught in school. School board members applauded his plan to have revised homework rules by the start of the fourth quarter. The response online was more mixed. Some argued it won't work, with others wondering when teachers will have time to grade more assignments. Several people said the materials are important, but the 'second shift' of school for homework is not. On the other hand, some contended that ungraded homework is worthless. Read more here. Artificial intelligence: The rise of AI has prompted concerns over how schools can use it as a resource without falling victim to abuses of the model. A state-funded pilot program at two Tampa Bay area charter schools is seeking solutions. Book challenges: The St. Johns County school board placed restrictions on student access to six library books, declining to remove the novels completely, WJAX reports. Campus leadership: The new principal of Pasco County's River Ridge High graduated from the school 25 years ago. Cellphones: Sarasota County students won't face stricter cellphone limitations in school after parents objected to proposed changes to the district's rules, WUSF reports. College experience: Several incoming University of Florida students are crying foul over the school's change to its Innovation Academy program, which would now have them begin in spring 2026 rather than fall 2025, the Gainesville Sun reports. Food insecurity: Bethune-Cookman University has added a food pantry on campus for needy students, WMFE reports. High school sports: A state House subcommittee advanced legislation that would allow more private school students to play sports on public school teams, WCTV reports. Immigration enforcement: Martin and St. Lucie county schools have seen their attendance rates drop amid family fears of immigration actions, WPTV reports. • Lee County schools received guidance on how to respond to ICE requests for access to students or information, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. Public comment: The Alachua County school board no longer will accept public input via phone call at its meetings, saying the pandemic remnant cost too much while being underused, the Independent Florida Alligator reports. School zones: Plans to install speed detection devices outside 16 schools in Cape Coral have not come to fruition, frustrating residents, WINK reports. • Mount Dora officials agreed to install speed zone cameras outside three schools in the city, WESH reports. • Manatee County will restrict the hours it enforces school zone speeds after complaints from drivers who received tickets for incidents outside the school day, the Herald-Tribune reports. Student data: The St. Johns County school district informed families that it was hit with a nationwide hack of student personal information, WTLV reports. • Absenteeism and homelessness are at an all-time high for Leon County schools, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Teacher pay, benefits: Escambia County teachers and the school district reached a tentative contract agreement that would include raises between $800 and $3,000, WKRG reports. • Retired Martin County teachers are urging the school district not to end promised insurance supplements they receive, TC Palm reports. University leadership: About 200 students, alumni and area residents protested the appointments of new conservative members to the University of West Florida board of trustees, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. • Florida Atlantic University is poised to pick its next president on Monday, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Don't miss a story. Here's a link to yesterday's roundup. Before you go ... Did you know Florida has caves? Check out this video of cool Florida spots to visit.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pasco County may soon grade homework again, superintendent says
The Brief Pasco County Schools' new superintendent wants to bring back homework grading. In 2022, the district eliminated homework grading, saying it was "practice" and a tool for teachers to identify areas of improvement. The proposal would align with most other districts, including Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. LAND O' LAKES, Fla. - Nearly three years after Pasco County schools eliminated homework grading, the new superintendent is proposing a return to the old policy, which would allow homework to count toward a student's final grade. Pasco Schools Superintendent Dr. John Legg is advocating for a shift in the district's approach, explaining in a video sent to parents that "homework fosters time management and accountability... higher education and careers." STUDY:Teens spend 90 minutes on phones during school day, raising concerns The backstory This policy change is in response to a decision made in 2022 by the previous school board, which stated that homework would not be graded, and it was simply "practice" and a tool for teachers to identify areas needing improvement. What He's Saying Now, Superintendent Legg is taking a different stance. "I want to be very clear that we're not saying teachers must give homework. We're not saying teachers even should give homework," said Legg. "What we're saying is that if teachers want to give homework, and they want to weight it and have a grading system by which they want to get meaningful feedback from students, we want to empower teachers to run their classrooms and give them those tools that they need to get that assessment back to them." Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The other side Many parents are supportive of this shift. Sanya Garrison, a local parent, shared back in 2022 that while her daughter struggles with testing, homework has been an essential part of her academic success. "If you don't have a homework grade to incentivize your student to do the homework at home, it's hard," Garrison said. "What I hear from the community at large is that they want meaningful work. They don't want pointless [busy work]... but they are fully supportive of meaningful work that translates to academic gains," said Legg. Pasco County's proposal would align it with most other districts, including Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, which have consistently included homework as part of grading. The Source The information in this story came from a school board meeting as well as an interview with the news Pasco Schools superintendent. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pasco schools plan return to graded homework
Hey, kids. Do your homework. That's the message the Pasco County school district delivered Tuesday, along with a plan to prod students into action. Superintendent John Legg announced his intention to reverse the district's 2022 rules that homework assigned to practice what's learned in class could not be used toward student grades. 'I want our teachers to have the ability to feel they can assign homework and have grades attached to it in a meaningful way,' said Legg, who informed faculty and staff of his intention in a memo and YouTube video after revealing it to the school board. That includes facing consequences for work submitted late. The district in 2017 detached behavior from academics in grading. Officials at the time said whether a student turned in an assignment on time had little to do with whether they understood the material. But the result has been less-than-stellar performance that has the district's new leader pressing for change. The district's discussion has as a backdrop a decades-long, back-and-forth national debate about the value of homework. The arguments have ranged from noting the evils of homework impinging upon family time to the importance of targeted, planned homework in reinforcing children's classroom learning. Legg said he takes a more old-fashioned approach to the topic. 'I live in a world where there are real deadlines,' Legg said. 'We've got to teach our children that things are hard and sometimes you have to put great effort into it.' Legg mentioned recent scores on state progress monitoring assessments and on the Nation's Report Card for math and reading as rationale for his position. Earlier this year, he raised concerns about preliminary results of the state's second round of progress monitoring, which showed that Pasco children scoring at lower levels than at the same time a year ago and also below the state average. Florida's performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, meanwhile, included some of the lowest proficiency rates statewide in two decades in math and reading. 'Our math scores are not where they could be, or even should be,' Legg said. 'I call it a problem of practice. ... Our current procedures don't allow us to have meaningful practice.' Legg called for a thorough review of the district's math curriculum, with an eye toward replacing it with one that is better aligned to state standards. School board members were unanimous in their support for the pending changes. 'If something is not giving you the results you need or expect, it's time to look for other alternatives,' chairperson Cynthia Armstrong said. Board members Colleen Beaudoin and Megan Harding said they have heard from teachers over the years complaining about the existing homework procedures, which did not require a board vote. An overriding concern was that students knew they faced no consequences for doing the work, so many didn't do it. That made it difficult for teachers to ensure their students were reviewing and understanding the material as it built throughout the year, Beaudoin said. The changes Legg is proposing would give educators the autonomy to do what they deem appropriate to prepare their students, she said. 'We are trying to create students who are college-, career- and life-ready,' Harding said, noting that missed deadlines carry consequences after high school. 'It's important that we establish those procedures.' Legg has pulled together committees to pore through the math curriculum and revamp the homework rules. The goal is to have new guidelines in place for the fourth quarter. While they are not yet written, Legg anticipated certain features he equated with best practices. They include not giving homework as punishment or to teach new material, and relying on the assignments to reinforce existing lessons and provide feedback on where students are doing well or needing help. The move is not to suggest that more homework is necessary or required, he stressed. But everyone needs to understand the important role it plays in improving student learning. 'I believe in homework. I believe in deadlines,' Legg said. 'And I believe our kids are capable.'
