Plans to convert schools in two eastern Pasco County communities into kindergarten through eighth grade campuses are now official.
The school board on Tuesday unanimously approved merging Pasco Elementary and Pasco Middle in Dade City, beginning in the fall. It also authorized adding middle school grades to Lacoochee Elementary, starting with sixth grade in August 2027.
“I truly believe in the K-8 model,” board member Megan Harding said in support. “It’s good for the community, especially academically.”
The district has increasingly turned to the model as a way to improve student outcomes and also to use space more efficiently. Harding pointed to benefits like the elimination of the angst that goes with the transition from fifth to sixth grade, so that students can have a better-aligned teaching approach and more stable relationships with teachers.
“It’s an academic investment,” she said.
Members of the Lacoochee staff and community came to the meeting wearing the school’s black and green to show their backing of the plan.
They recalled that the board turned down a proposal to shutter their school just over seven years ago, when its enrollment was shrinking and student performance was lagging. The K-8 plan represents a the school’s complete reversal of fortune.
“This is going to be much better in the future,” said board vice chairperson Al Hernandez, who represents the region. “The kids are going to win and the community is going to win.”
Now the school just has to make the initiative succeed, said longtime volunteer Wilson Blount. “No doubt it’s going to work.”
The Pasco Elementary/Middle merger will take place more quickly. With the approval in hand, the administration will begin the plan to create an attendance zone for the K-8 campus. The expectation is that the boundaries will mimic those of the current elementary and middle schools, serving the same students.
Children from Lacoochee who are zoned to Pasco Middle will continue to be assigned there with transportation available, with the option of remaining at Lacoochee as it adds the new grade levels.
Board chairperson Colleen Beaudoin said it was an easy decision to OK the changes.
“I have not heard any concerns,” Beaudoin said. “The only thing I have heard have been positive comments.”
Jeffrey S. Solochek is a reporter covering education as a member of the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.
