After several years of serious consideration, John Legg, a former state senator and longtime educator who co-founded one of the first charter schools in the Tampa Bay area, has decided to run for superintendent of the Pasco County School District.

“I believe the skillsets I bring are what Pasco County needs right now,” said Legg, 47, who in 2000 co-founded Dayspring Academy and since then has expanded it to five campuses.

Legg, who lives in Port Richey and earned a doctorate three years ago in program development with an emphasis in sustainable educational innovation, believes a changing society needs new educational models.

“What I see happening as a result of the pandemic is that the old model of education simply is no longer working, and new models of education are being deployed,” he said. “We’ve had success at Dayspring, and we’ve had setbacks, as any (school) that has been open 23 years will. But I think the big arc is the arc of success, as we have provided flexibility and innovation to adapt to a changing culture and changing demands of a workforce, and a changing population.”

A former legislative aide, Legg, a Republican, first was elected to public office as a member of the state House of Representatives in 2004 and served eight years. Unable to seek re-election due to term limits, he ran successfully for the state Senate in 2012.

Redistricting in 2015 placed him in the same district as Wilton Simpson, then Senate president-designate for 2018-20. Legg decided not to run, and focused instead on expanding Dayspring and raising, with his wife Suzanne, the couple’s five children. He also began serving on the board of Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog.

Through the years, his name has come up whenever the district school superintendent position is on the ballot. He’s been asked whether he will run “probably several times a week” for the past few years.

“I’ve never directly said ‘no.’” Legg said. “Usually, it was ‘not yet.’ Now, it’s an emphatic ‘yes.’”

He filed the paperwork earlier today, one day after Superintendent Kurt Browning, also a Republican, announced he would not seek re-election in 2024 as head of Florida’s 10^th largest school district. Browning, who spent 26 years as Pasco supervisor of elections and served as Florida secretary of state under two governors, became superintendent for the largest county in the United States with an elected superintendent in 2012.

Under Browning’s leadership, the district, which serves just over 77,000 students at more than 100 schools, expanded school choice by adding a new technical high school and the district’s first magnet schools. He also added accelerated learning programs, which earned him recognition from the College Board and Cambridge International.

Legg, who at times has criticized the Browning administration for what he sees as a failure to improve performance in lower-income areas of the county, praised the district’s expansion of choice, but called that expansion a beginning, pledging to do more if he is elected, especially in the pockets of poverty on the county’s western coast and eastern border.

He sees academics as the county’s biggest challenge and noted that schools that earned C and D grades from the state 20 years ago are receiving the same grades now, while schools in areas where more affluent families live continue to get A and B grades.

“We have to empower parents with parental choice in order to move that needle in low-income areas,” Legg said. “Pasco County has started moving more in that direction, and that needs to be accelerated. Parents need to look at what is the best fit for their students, still with accountability, still with standards.”

Legg describes his campaign in way similar to how jewelers talk about diamonds, but instead of the four C’s of cut, color, clarity and carat weight, Legg outlines the six C’s of customization, content, creativity, collaboration, community, and character.

Of those, he sees customization as the center stone.

“That doesn’t mean we’re McDonald’s and we’re going to serve burgers and serve them with mayonnaise or ketchup and pickles,” he said. “It means we’ve got to allow people to go to Chick-fil-A. If Chick-fil-A meets their needs, we’ve got to find a way to make sure the need is being met.”

That measure of choice will look different to different people, Legg maintains.

“There still needs to be accountability; there still needs to be outcome measures. But we’ve got to look at what partners we can work with to move the needle. It can be charter schools; it can be private schools; it can be public schools.”

Legg said that if elected, he will make sure all schools offer content-rich curriculum and that principals have the flexibility to be creative in meeting their community’s needs. Additionally, he will work to ensure that schools provide a sense of community to staff, students, and teachers.

An advocate of educators, Legg believes that Pasco teachers, who earn less than their colleagues in nearby counties, should be paid more. He is “100 percent” behind an August referendum to raise property taxes by a maximum of 1 mil — about $300 for a $325,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption — to improve pay for teachers, bus drivers and other staff, excluding administrators.

Legg noted that Pasco, a bedroom community for those who commute to Tampa and St. Petersburg for their jobs, is experiencing massive growth and will need solid leadership to navigate it. U.S. Census figures show that Pasco’s population, estimated at 464,697 in 2010, grew to 561,891 in 2020.

The county administrator compared the growth to the equivalent of “a good-sized city.”  The county property appraiser recently announced that Pasco issued 6,420 single-family home permits in 2021 and is still averaging 500 a month this year. Meanwhile, a recent study shows that Pasco’s school enrollment grew by 6% since the start of the pandemic.

Legg and Browning made headlines recently when the Pasco County School Board approved a plan to accommodate growth that involved a partnership with Dayspring to help educate students in the Angeline development, a 6,200-acre site that is expected to house 30,000 new residents.

The area includes a 775-acre parcel that will be home to a Moffitt Cancer Center research and corporate innovation district. Dayspring would build a K-5 school in the development with assistance that could include impact fees that the district collects from developers to accommodate growth, district capital funds, or bonding.

Legg will start his campaign with slightly more than $140,000 left over from his successful state Senate District 17 campaign in 2012. If elected, he and his wife plan to gradually turn over leadership of Dayspring to others who have been groomed for that responsibility to avoid possible conflicts of interest.

After years of mulling the possibilities, Legg is convinced now is the time for him to step forward.

“I think there is a sense of urgency right now, and I want to go out there and express that sense of urgency,” he said. “We’re never going back to normal. We’ve never going back to pre-COVID. We’ve got to define what is the new normal.”

The Pasco County superintendent hopeful believes that defining the “new normal” – and spearheading and receiving approval for bold new agendas – has a better chance of success with an elected superintendent at the helm as opposed to one who serves at the pleasure of a school board.

“I would come with a mandate from the voters,” Legg said.

On this episode, Tuthill speaks with JoAnne Glenn, one of the nation’s top online learning leaders. In addition to being Pasco’s 2020 Principal of the Year, Glenn earned one of three Digital Principal of the Year awards from the National Association of Secondary School Principals. She is one of the founders of Pasco eSchool, which offers full- and part-time K-12 digital instruction. Over the past 12 years, the school’s mastery-based model has become a model for digital learning.

 Tuthill and Glenn discuss Pasco eSchool’s advantage during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the platform will allow for flexibility of blended learning when school resumes in a few weeks. They also discuss issues of inequity and the “digital divide,” noting there are areas of Pasco County still lacking access to high speed internet.

 "When families are looking outside the school district for their core instruction, it does not mean we don't have things they may like, we just have to figure out ways to make that available."

 EPISODE DETAILS:

What the Pasco County School District is likely to look like in five years

Lessons learned in the spring and Pasco’s reopening models

Pasco’s “franchise” relationship with Florida Virtual School – using its content and platform with district teachers

How Pasco can unbundle its services and offer flexibility to families within the district and beyond

 LINKS MENTIONED:

Pasco eSchool leader named top national 'digital principal'

Pasco eSchool leader named county Principal of the Year

 

This fall, after wowing millions of TV viewers, falling just short of the final round on NBC's The Voice and gaining national exposure that she hopes will launch a lifelong music career, Shalyah Fearing tried something new. She started learning in a traditional classroom at a local public high school.

Now 16 and a junior, she takes three classes at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, Fla. while managing the rest of her course load online.

Her family has experienced just about every flavor of school choice — public, private, virtual, home education. So it was fitting that they lent their voices to one of the first events of National School Choice Week, which runs Sunday through Jan. 28, and includes more than 20,000 events across the country.

The events steer clear of politics and encompass multiple educational options.

Among others, Saturday's celebration in Shady Hills featured local Catholic schools, the Pasco County school district's career academies and the statewide virtual school that allowed Shalyah to take classes while she chased her musical dreams in California.

For most of Shalyah's life, she and her six school-age brothers and sisters were homeschooled. As her mother puts it, they enrolled at Fearing Academy.

When she traveled to Los Angeles to compete on reality television, she took classes through Florida Virtual School. She tackled assignments as her schedule allowed, and kept up with teachers and classmates online and by phone.

"All I had to do was carry my laptop everywhere I went," she said. "My teachers were always available." (more…)

Charter schools. Orange County approves three charter schools, but rejects two. Orlando Sentinel. Charter school group Academica is rebuffed in an effort to open a school in Colorado. Aurora Sentinel. A Palm Beach virtual charter school leader is accused of steering money to his own company. Palm Beach Post. Indian River school board members reject charter applications. Indian River Press Journal. Students at a Brevard charter grow their own lunches. Florida Today.

Special needs. New resources for special needs children are on both legislative leaders' agendas. News Service of Florida. Sunshine State News. redefinED.

Budgets. Pasco sales tax revenue climbs. Gradebook.

Testing. Opt-out organizers see an opportunity in recent testing controversies. Gradebook.

Acceptance. A "gender-neutral" student is sent home for wearing a dress to school, sparking a movement against bullying and intolerance. Tallahassee Democrat.

Common Core. Hernando parents demand changes to the district's new curriculum. Tampa Bay Times.

(more…)

Tax credit scholarships. The Florida teachers union may have cost Democrat Charlie Crist the governor's race by filing suit against the tax credit scholarship program and alienating black voters, writes Lloyd Brown at Sunshine State News. (The school choice program is administered by nonprofits such as Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.)

Magnet schools. Pasco begins taking applications Dec. 1 for its first magnet school. Gradebook.

Charter schools. Nearly 50 have shut down in South Florida in the past five years. NBC 6.

Testing. State Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, files a bill to limit to 10 the number of days districts can set aside for standardized testing. Orlando Sentinel.

Teacher conduct. A former high school band director in Osceola is arrested for reportedly having sexual relationships with two students. Orlando Sentinel.

Campus crime. A second Sarasota County student is arrested for operating a prostitution ring involving students. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Students with disabilities. River Ridge High in Pasco offers a club that fosters friendships between students with disabilities and students without disabilities. Tampa Bay Times.

Science. Middle school students in Miami-Dade show off science and innovation skills by designing new shoes. Miami Herald.

Middle schools. Duval looks for ways to boost the performance of its middle school students, among the most struggling in the state. Florida Times Union.

Charter schools. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel investigates charter school operator Mavericks in Education.

Tax credit scholarships. In a Fox News guest column, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio says school choice programs increase options for disadvantaged children.

Career education. More students are being told they have options aside from a traditional four-year college. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Project-based learning. A Florida Times-Union exploration of recent curricular changes focuses on a Jacksonville private school.

Digital learning. Students who do not have home Internet access must rely on public libraries. Miami Herald.

Testing. The Polk County school board is poised to take up anti-testing resolutions approved by its counterparts elsewhere. Lakeland Ledger. The Florida Department of Education is preparing to take legal action over required testing for English language learners. Gradebook. An outgoing administrator criticizes the state's testing system. Gradebook. Tampa Tribune. Lake County schools plan to scale back some local assessments. Orlando Sentinel.

(more…)

Tax credit scholarships. Charlie Crist, a staunch supporter of tax credit scholarships in the past, won't denounce the lawsuit filed by the FSBA and FEA to end the program. Miami Herald. The head of the Florida Association of School Administrators explains his support for the suit. Crestview News Bulletin (Hat tip: Gradebook).

School choice. A 'bumper crop of litigation' threatens school choice in Florida. Watchdog.org.

Charter schools. The West Palm Beach mayor and Palm Beach County superintendent will meet to discuss a proposed city-run charter school. Palm Beach Post.

Magnet schools. The Pasco County School District will open its first in 2015, in part to ease overcrowding concerns at other schools. Gradebook.

Virtual school. Florida Virtual School snags an area superintendent from the Orange County School District to be its COO. SchoolZone.

Single-gender classrooms. Ones in the Broward County School District are among those targeted in an ACLU complaint. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Parents. Dads march in Daytona to show support for their children's education. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Testing. The Palm Beach County School Board opts not to opt out. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Support grows for an Alachua County kindergarten teacher who refuses to administer a standardized test used for diagnostic purposes. Gainesville Sun.

School boards. A new report looks at how much board members are paid, county by county. Gradebook. (more…)

School choice. Florida's major school choice legislation officially lands on the governor's desk. Tampa Bay Times. Sentinel School Zone.

Digital learning. Pasco Schools plan to expand a competency-based blended learning program after seeing promising results. Tampa Tribune.

Turnarounds. Struggling schools subject to state intervention see mixed results in their first year of turnaround efforts. Tampa Bay Times.

Testing. End-of-course results are expected later this morning. School Zone. Schools prepare for life after the FCAT in math and English. Tampa Tribune.  Marion County has a six-part plan to raise scores. Ocala Star-Banner.

Special needs. District officials complain about inadequate funding for students with disabilities. Palm Beach Post. The parents of a special needs student who was slapped by his bus driver speak out. Pensacola News-Journal.

Teacher quality. Duval schools struggle to keep some of their most highly rated teachers. Florida Times-Union.

(more…)

Charter schools. The City of North Miami faces another setback in its bid to open a charter school. Miami Herald. A charter school funding study is disputed. StateImpact.

Pre-K. Pasco schools consider expanding their early learning offerings. Tampa Bay Times.

Tax credit scholarships. Orlando Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell cribs a zombie metaphor to rail against the program.

Testing. Education Commissioner Pam Stewart , PolitiFact and a Palm Beach Post column smack down a lawmaker's recent statement about the state's new standardized tests promoting homosexuality.

Merit pay. The Alachua County school board grapples with ways to implement a new pay system in the coming school year. Gainesville Sun.

Facilities. Hernando County officials pitch a one-cent sales tax that would help pay for school construction. Tampa Bay Times. Students at one Hernando elementary school will get to stay in their buildings as the school gets renovated, the Times reports.

Superintendents. A contract extension for Lee's superintendent is pushed back amid talk of a pay hike. Fort Myers News-Press. The St. Lucie superintendent apologizes to parents for other employees' misconduct. St. Lucie News Tribune.

Politics. An outspoken Orange County School Board member announces plans to run for a State Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Andy Gardiner.  Sentinel School Zone.

Discipline. Pinellas plans changes to its code of conduct. Tampa Tribune.

Summer school. Pasco schools may expand their summer school programs. Tampa Bay Times.

Tax credit scholarships. The House passes legislation expanding access to the program to students with higher incomes. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. It's among  a host of issues lawmakers expect to tackle after a week-long holiday break. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Daytona Beach News-Journal scrutinizes the program in an article that states, incorrectly, that a failed 2012 state constitutional amendment would have "cleared the way" for private school vouchers. A second article also deals with religious schools. The program is administered by Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog.

Testing. Parents complain that FCAT conflicts with Passover. Tampa Bay Times. Students prepare to tackle the test one last time in English and math. StateImpact. Lakeland Ledger. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Tampa Tribune. Palm Beach Post. The stakes are high at an F-rated Miami-Dade middle school. Miami Herald. Collier schools are in a race against time to create new end of course exams. Naples Daily News. Lawmakers should get an earful from constituents on testing, including for students on tax-credit scholarships, Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell writes.

Virtual schools. A new blended learning model debuts in West Boynton Beach. Sun-Sentinel.

Magnet schools. A Montessori magnet in Fort Lauderdale marks a milestone. Sun-Sentinel. What was once a last-chance home for struggling students is now a career-education magnet program. Gainesville Sun.

Textbooks. A bill aimed at paring back the state's role in adopting instructional materials survives a narrow vote in the Senate. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Gainesville Sun. Gradebook. Scripps/Tribune.

Student Privacy. A bill banning the collection of biometric data and other sensitive information is headed to Gov. Rick Scott. Scripps/Tribune. Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press.

(more…)