Monday, April 15, 2013
The district faces $23 million in funding shortfalls for its 2013-2014 budget.
The Pasco County School Board will meet on Tuesday April 16 at 4 p.m. The meeting will be a workshop on the school districts budget. The school district has faced financial woes recently. Teachers have not received raises in years and the district placed a freeze on hiring. Projections call for an estimated $23 million funding shortfall for the 2013-14 school year. As a remedy Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning has proposed cutting positions like media specialists and reducing staff in adult education. The April 16 workshop will be held in the school district's television studio in Building 3 at the District Office Complex, 7227 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. in Land O’ Lakes.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
OK, you had a busy week. We understand. Let us show you what you missed on Land O' Lakes Patch!
Drug Street Names: What Parents Need to Know School Superintendent: District Needs 'Radical Changes' Parent Wants Board to Keep Falcone at Connerton Cena Brings WWE Title Home to Land O’ Lakes Man Exposes Himself to Minors at Wiregrass Stolen Pinwheels Replaced in Wesley Chapel Pasco Says ‘No’ to Feral Cats
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Newly installed superintendent Kurt Browning said the district is 34th out of 67 school districts — and that must improve.
Pasco County is currently ranked 34th out of 67 school districts — and new School Superintendent Kurt Browning said he is not content with being average. “You’re looking at the face of a very unhappy superintendent,” he said during a speech before the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce Wednesday. “I’ve never been happy with mediocre.” The only way to move the district forward, Browning said, is to make “radical changes.” Browning said his staff knows never to tell him that something is done a certain way in the district because that’s the way it’s always been. Since Browning’s swearing in in November, the district has reduced the number of assistant superintendents from four to two and has done away with the structure of segregating the …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Kurt Browning plans to address the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce April 10.
Land O’ Lakes business owners hoping to find out what’s happening in Pasco County schools will soon get their chance. Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning is the guest speaker during the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s April 10 general membership meeting. While the focus of Browning’s address hasn’t been released, the Pasco County School District is facing a $23 million shortfall as it prepares its 2013-14 budget. The district has worked through multi-million-dollar budget shortfalls for the past few years and has had to lay off employees in the past to close the gaps. Browning was elected to the superintendent’s post in 2012 following a victory over longtime superintendent Heather Fiorentino. The chamber’s April 10 meeting starts…
Friday, March 22, 2013
Pasco County public school children have March 25-April 1 off.
Land O' Lakes kids can put away the books and pull out the sunscreen. Spring break in Pasco County officially begins Monday, March 25. Kids don’t return to class until Tuesday, April 2, thanks to a teacher planning day set for April 1. The third quarter’s March 22 end means that teachers need a day to file final grades and catch up on paperwork. It also means that teachers do have to report to school on Monday, April 1 while their students get an extra day to play. Parents can expect to see those third quarter grades on April 8 when report cards go home, according to the school district’s calendar. Other important dates coming up that students and parents need to know about include: What are your spring break plans, Land O' Lakes? Share …
Plans to spike the positions from the Pasco County School District’s roster to save money are meeting resistance. What do you think about the move?
A cost-saving measure meant to help the Pasco County School District close a portion of an anticipated $23 million funding gap is meeting with resistance. Media specialists from around the county and their supporters don’t agree with a plan to eliminate that position in Pasco County schools. In fact, they came out in force to tell the Pasco County School Board just that during the March 19 meeting, according to The Tampa Tribune. School Superintendent Kurt Browning unveiled a plan to close an anticipated $23 million budget shortfall about two weeks ago. That plan calls for eliminating media specialist positions across the county. School media centers would be staffed instead with a single media technology assistant. The district has said …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The event also will feature jewelry, a bake sale, raffles and a lemonade stand.
Denham Oaks Elementary teacher Stacy Nussbaum needs a new kidney. Students, teachers, family and friends are doing everything they can to take the financial burden off the beloved third-grade teacher. And this weekend, Nussbaum's supporters are putting the fun in fundraiser in a big way. A "huge" yard sale, bake sale, art and jewelry fair and lemonade stand will take over the parking lot of Children's Nest Day School, 24170 State Rd 54 in Lutz, organizer Tiffany Hines said. There also will be raffles during the event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. Donations for the yard sale are still needed, Hines said. You can drop off donations anytime between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Children's Nest through Friday, she …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The school district is taking Presidents Day off.
Pasco students can soon shut off those alarms and put away the books for a long weekend. The Pasco County School District officially observes Presidents Day, Feb. 18. That means students in public schools get to enjoy a long weekend courtesy of America’s past leaders. Classes resume Feb. 19, but more days off are just around the corner. Spring break runs March 25-April 1 – right after the third quarter grading period ends. Presidents Day is observed annually on the third Monday of February. It was originally established in 1885 to celebrate George Washington’s birthday. Now it’s considered a day to honor all presidents, according to History.com. It’s a federal holiday, which means many government offices and schools are closed. For more …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Students throughout Land O' Lakes will get an update of how they’re doing in class.
Land O' Lakes parents looking for a gauge of how their child is performing in school will get the opportunity today, Feb. 13, when Pasco County Schools send home progress reports for the third quarter. The reports will go home in most students' backpacks, providing feedback on both academic performance and behavior in advance of final third quarter report cards. Those are set to go home April 8. The last day of the third quarter for grading purposes is March 22 – just before spring break. Other upcoming important dates, according to the district’s calendar, include: To find out more about the district’s calendar, check it out online.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Carter McDaris, 8, hopes the community will join him to help his 'amazing' teacher at Denham Oaks Elementary.
Cindy White
6:26 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2013
Maybe there are some "radical changes" needed. Maybe our students are " educationally lazy." Maybe our district rating is mostly due to demographics and socioeconomics. Maybe there is too much emphasis in standardized testing. But maybe just maybe Mr. Browning should actually visit some schools. Sit in a few classrooms. Sample the school cafeteria food. Have a few informal meetings with groups of… more ›