The Laker-East Pasco-August 10, 2016

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Browning: Schools must improve By B.C. Manion

bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

When the state released its school grades last month, the news wasn’t good for numerous Pasco County schools, or for the district itself. “The Friday that grades were released, it was not a good day for me. Nor the district,” Superintendent Kurt Browning said at a school board workshop on the issue on Aug. 2. The state’s report showed a number of Pasco schools slipping a grade, and the district, itself, slipping from a B to a C. On one hand, Browning said, school grades don’t paint a complete picture of a school. “There’s a lot more that goes into a

school than just a single school grade,” he said. On the other hand, he noted: “People judge the quality of a school based on the school grade, and I get that.” Kurt Browning There were changes in the way the grades were calculated this year, Browning said. But he added:“You had 66 other districts that were operating under the same rules.” The district is assessing where it is and why it saw changes, particularly in the increase of C and D schools, Browning said. “We are really trying to assess why we

are where we are,” Browning said. “We were at 34 (34th in the state) when I took office. We went to 33. Now, we’re at 39,” he said. “Anyway you cut it, slice it or dice it, we’re 39th – and that is not something that appeals to me at all. “I do think there are things that we can do, that will move the needle,” Browning said. But he noted, there are no easy fixes. “I learned a long time ago that the art of educating kids is not like building a widget. You don’t start out with a table full of parts, and at the end of the assembly line they all look the same and function the same,” he said. At the same time, “we have got to think See BROWNING, page 11A

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Students stream out of the portable classrooms at Wiregrass Ranch High School during a class change last school year. The school will again have a 10-period day, to relieve crowding on campus by staggering the time that students arrive and leave the campus.

Pasco prepping to ring in a new school year By B.C. Manion

bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

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Teachers headed back to Pasco County Schools this week to prepare for the first day of school on Aug. 15. Opening day is a big deal on every campus every year, but it will be especially meaningful at Wiregrass Elementary School, at 29732 Wiregrass School Road in Wesley Chapel because that school is having its “first” first day. The mood across campus during a teacher move-in day last week offered a glimpse into the significance. People were focused on getting things ready — but there was an obvious excitement, too. Like many schools,Wiregrass been counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until school starts. This label is above the ticking clock on

its website: “Countdown until Wiregrass Elementary changes the world forever.” The opening of Wiregrass Elementary, of course, caused a shifting of school boundaries. That means some Wesley Chapel children will be experiencing their first day of school this year at at Denham Oaks Elementary, at 1422 Oak Grove Blvd., in Lutz. The 2016-2017 school year also marks the beginning of a new S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Magnet program at Centennial Middle School at 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City. The school will be using the Learning Active Technology Infused Classroom model, said Principal Rick Saylor. That instructional approach centers around rigor, student engagement and student responsibility.

Centennial Middle also has been equipped with new technology, offering new opportunities for students. For instance, it now has flight simulators that it will be using in its technology education class. And now, because it’s a magnet school, it will be drawing students from outside its traditional boundaries, as well. Pasco Elementary School, at 37350 Florida Ave., in Dade City, will be adding 50 minutes of daily instructional time for students in grades four and five, to comply with a state requirement. In a July 18 letter posted in English and Spanish on the school’s website, Principal Nena Green tells parents:“We see this as a great opportunity for us to provide students with the additional support that they need to be successful.” As a result of the additional instructional time, the school day for Pasco Elementary students in grades four and five will be from 8:40 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., while student in prekindergarten through third grade will remain on the school’s 8:40 a.m. to 2:50 p.m., schedule. See SCHOOL, page 11A

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Van delivers services to veterans By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

The Pasco Mobile Vet Center rolled into the parking lot at the neighborhood shopping center in Zephyrhills, ready for a day of outreach to military veterans. By 10 a.m., five veterans had stopped by to check out the mobile van and learn about resources they could tap into as they transition to civilian life, seek help with employment or find a place to live. It was a typical day of outreach for Frank Jones and Julie Hayes. Jones is a mobile van driver and veterans’ outreach program specialist with the Pasco County Vet Center in New Port Richey. Hayes is a veterans’ representative with CareerSource Pasco Hernando. The van travels to various locations throughout the state. On average, it makes 10 to 12 stops a month. “The idea is to take services to veterans in rural areas who don’t have access to services,” Jones said. Services are offered to combat veterans and their families, but no veteran is turned away, Jones said. The mobile vet center also provides help for first responders who are combat veterans.

Services include screening for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), referrals for sexual trauma counseling, marital/family counseling, bereavement counseling, information and referrals to community resources, and referrals for benefits assistance. All information provided by veterans is confidential. Whether they are still on active duty or are in transition, Jones said,“They don’t have to worry about their commander finding out.” Often, there are no serious problems, Jones said. Sometimes, he noted,“They just want to talk about their issues.” Jones has an easy rapport with veterans. He has been there. He served as a U.S.Army medic in Cairo, and was diagnosed later with noncombat PTSD. In 1999, he was a homeless veteran, and had a drinking problem. Today, Jones is a 12-year recovering alcoholic who is married and buying his own home. “I kind of know where they are coming from,” he said. Hayes is based at the Dade City CareerSource site, and works with veterans in Pasco and Hernando counties.

KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTO

Julie Hayes, veterans’ representative with CareerSource Pasco Hernando, and Frank Jones, van driver and veterans’ outreach program specialist at the Pasco County Vet Center, brought services to veterans aboard the Pasco Mobile Vet Center.

“I help them get job-ready,” said the woman who served more than four years in the U.S. Navy in a noncombat role during the Gulf War. She assesses what veterans need to reenter the job market, helps with interviewing skills, job training and referrals to Pasco Hernando State College. “A lot of it is skills they are missing,” she said. “They do have a unique set of skills they bring to employers, but a lot of times employers don’t recognize that.They aren’t See VETERANS, page 11A


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