[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6571918,"mediaKeyId","3085838-7f1325d6467b8e462da375b8eb8f00af","parentId",3085838,"title","Hernando County School Board gives superintendent positive review, directs negotiation of multiyear contract","audioSeconds",1532,"startMs",1196030,"endMs",2728770,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085838-7f1325d6467b8e462da375b8eb8f00af&start=1196&end=2728","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085838-7f1325d6467b8e462da375b8eb8f00af/thumbnail_1196030.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6571918/Hernando/School-Districts/Florida/Hernando-County-School-Board-gives-superintendent-positive-review-directs-negotiation-of-multiyear-contract","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6571918-4dcead953c41da614cc80cc55bc703d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112553&Signature=BG1Y9BV17GzDY6LWvHGBHHWN4mzgi8nsP-Cbs4NfKjq3z-GPR4Y6bB5K3QXeOBmWnJ-fWkq38PyhMAMdJklq6c~eruMpGV9sDvExPxOZXQJcIxjq6~sst1SHJOTNFle0KalGbV5GDx0yIUfWWmpHJ14y8eMsy9HQVnsvA7Q22xOI3ePcBGTxFFR5LPhHGxCFbaMFuEJiIzSStbSJWUzWm5RnFdIraurwLXVBXq-6GPPPYWzhbneeconLEEZH2bLiKKA2qRiCYef1~RdlqhmLEzNVJv1xORwo7PJu1Solou8CX5USadKief4SDvdZ8O2PINIy-KTJUBXeACe3wN-3Pw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hernando School District","date","2025-04-22T13:06:00Z","article","The Hernando County School Board on April 22 completed a performance evaluation of Superintendent Ray Pender and reached consensus to instruct the board attorney to negotiate a multiyear contract and return a proposed agreement to the board for a vote on May 6.

Board members described Pender’s leadership as effective and cited improvements in communication, school visits, staff recognition and student safety measures. Several members commended initiatives the superintendent highlighted, including the district’s Associate Teacher (ATS) program, expanded guardian staffing at schools, and outreach to keep graduates and employees in Hernando County.

At the start of the discussion, Mr. Johnson said most evaluation categories were “outstanding” or “proficient” but noted a shortcoming in follow‑up: several items the board had asked to be returned to workshop did not come back in a timely way. Pender acknowledged the concern, said the sibling‑preference proposal would be brought back in the May workshop, and agreed to work on faster follow‑up reporting.

Board members asked for more detail in several areas. They asked the superintendent to provide a breakdown of administrators and positions to address concerns that the district might be “top heavy.” Pender agreed to return such a report to a future workshop. Members also sought confirmation about how instructional and non‑instructional funds are being allocated; Pender said the instructional‑materials dollars discussed earlier in the meeting are handled within the district’s FEFP general fund allocation and that the district continues to set aside funds for materials.

Several members recommended negotiating a multiyear contract rather than a one‑year extension. The board discussed typical contract lengths (two to three years was mentioned as common) and agreed that any contract should include language addressing a change at the state level, such as a move to an elected superintendent; Pender and board members said contract language would need to protect the district and the superintendent in the event state law changed. No formal vote was recorded at the workshop; board members indicated consensus for the board attorney, Missus Rodriguez, to begin negotiations with legal counsel and Pender’s representative and to return a proposed agreement for a May 6 vote.

Compensation and other terms were discussed in general terms. One board member said, “So I I approve the $10 raise,” but the workshop record does not show a formal motion or vote to set pay; the negotiation process will include compensation benchmarking and comparative district review, the board chair said.

Board members also raised substantive program and policy items during the evaluation discussion. Among those: the board asked for a report on sibling‑preference options for magnet/school‑choice allocation (Pender said he would bring it back in May); members discussed ESE staffing shortages and retention strategies (Pender described using veteran teachers to mentor new staff and allocating additional ESE teachers and paraprofessionals in the budget process but noted filling vacancies remains a challenge); and several members asked for a clearer follow‑up system — one member suggested the board receive a spreadsheet tracking outstanding requests and their status.

Other topics mentioned during the discussion included dress‑code expectations for staff and students (Pender said “professional and appropriate” dress is in current contract language and asked administrators to model and enforce standards), Space Florida partnership updates and an incubator appropriation the superintendent said would be reported in May, and a security technology article on a Terahertz screening product forwarded to district security staff for review.

Next steps: the board authorized, by consensus, the board attorney to negotiate a multiyear contract and return a proposed agreement for board consideration on May 6. Pender said he will work with staff to provide follow‑up reports requested by board members, including sibling‑preference options and a breakdown of administrative positions. No formal vote on a contract or a raise was taken at the workshop.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hernando School District - School Board Workshop on 2025-04-22 2:00 PM - Apr 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Board members gave Superintendent Ray Pender favorable overall ratings at an April 22 workshop, raised follow‑up concerns (sibling preference, administrator staffing, ESE vacancies), and agreed by consensus to have the board attorney negotiate a multi‑year contract to return to the board for a May 6 vote.","taxTitle","Hernando, School Districts, Florida","taxId",13114,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6571923,"Hernando County schools plan May adoption of new English language arts textbooks",1178,57990,1236420,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085838-7f1325d6467b8e462da375b8eb8f00af&start=57&end=1236","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085838-7f1325d6467b8e462da375b8eb8f00af/thumbnail_57990.jpg","/articles/6571923/Hernando/School-Districts/Florida/Hernando-County-schools-plan-May-adoption-of-new-English-language-arts-textbooks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6571923-8dff0baf1b5b40ad68c7e461bf6542f9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112553&Signature=ZlavDq8jSWe3V9tHnUchKEoinO7CkDLVYReJycSWC9PDgE7sU3LKTeBNt~HxTHXLmBGYNs~~r98JHtkGry0j3GpUECTwlEAFt2GrkRa3ZLlMNgHkPhgnUCHPt5R4mGcoLuAhKSx6LZhWivyO~xb6BP7PVFEUusFqAJ6GNUixz8h942l4ycFdekY3SoQbsDSF5wRzTD0BMPYClI3IIG~fi~QKWjXt9s4Gcu1Ajb1thAUjzmT6sSApsZAjqVo8MQC9UtGX8x2g00ttCD69HzFLUgG37LTmQmo72LCd3GItXSwpT9bSc8MI2S9ZlT4~1uWq1CQ17U-30121MufT~ffCuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tiffany Howard, a member of the district curriculum team, told the Hernando County School Board at a workshop April 22 that the district plans to adopt new English language arts (ELA) instructional materials in May and purchase them for use over the next five years, pending board approval and the state’s release of the short bid list.

Howard said a recent change to Florida’s statute governing instructional materials — tied to the state’s work on “science of reading” policy — moved ELA up one year in the state adoption cycle, creating the current schedule for an immediate adoption. She told board members the district began committee work in October 2024 and followed state guidance about approved publishers and the adoption timeline.

The curriculum team split elementary committees into two grade bands (K–2 and 3–5) to prioritize foundational literacy. Both elementary committees recommended Benchmark Advance; Howard reported teacher vote results of 73 percent (K–2) and 92 percent (3–5) in favor of Benchmark Advance. For middle school, committees and teacher voting favored McGraw Hill StudySync (about 86 percent); for high school, teachers chose Savvas My Perspectives (about 90 percent).

Howard said publishers not on the state-approved list or those that offered only digital products were removed from consideration. She told the board that the teacher committees narrowed multiple presentations to two finalists in each grade band and that the finalists were sent to teachers for the final selection. Materials were posted for public review in March on the district’s Let’s Talk page; Howard reported the district had received no public comments on the finalists to date.

Howard outlined estimated per‑student costs and teacher kit ratios presented to the board. She said the K–2 base package is $215 per student. She described middle- and high‑school per‑student prices as lower (reported in the presentation as approximately $172.50 per middle‑school student and about $161.50 per high‑school student) and summarized teacher‑kit ratios the district was quoted: roughly one teacher kit per 18 students in early elementary bands (shifting to 1 per 22 at a different price threshold), one kit per 50 students at middle school, and one kit per 75 students at high school. Howard noted teacher kits for elementary were quoted in the presentation at roughly $3,000 per teacher; she said these were base-package figures and did not include optional add‑ons.

Board members asked several operational questions. Mr. Johnson asked whether McGraw Hill materials complied with the Florida Department of Education’s approved list and whether language describing “diverse cultural backgrounds and gender identities” in some publisher materials presented legal risk; Howard replied the district only considered publishers on the state‑approved list and that any materials brought forward had already been approved by the state. Board members questioned how inclusion (ESE) teachers would access materials; Howard said ESE teachers would have digital access and that she would check how many additional print teacher manuals might be purchased for ESE staff.

Members also asked about teacher training and timing. Howard said teachers would have digital access over the summer and that publishers had agreed to provide webinars and recorded tutorials; in‑person training would be scheduled for district in‑service (preservice) time and a follow‑up session in October. She said the district was exploring the feasibility of optional summer or late‑school‑year sessions but that publisher commitments and contract approval timing would affect when print materials could arrive.

Howard presented ordering timing: subject to board approval and the state bid release, the district planned to place orders in late May so materials would be available for the start of the next school year. No formal adoption vote took place at the April 22 workshop.

Board members also raised budget questions. A board member noted the draft budget included about $4.5 million for instructional materials; Howard said she would check historical spending and explained that instructional‑materials funding runs through the district’s FEFP general fund allocations. She said the district retains funds set aside in prior years for instructional‑materials purchases but that timing and total FEFP changes could affect implementation decisions.

Next steps: Howard said she would provide additional details to the board before the May meeting, including answers on ESE print materials and training scheduling. The board will consider a formal adoption and contract authorization at its May meeting; ordering would begin after board approval and the state bid list was released.","District curriculum staff outlined a state-driven accelerated adoption cycle for ELA materials and recommended Benchmark Advance (elementary), McGraw Hill StudySync (middle) and Savvas My Perspectives (high school); board workshop discussion set formal approval and ordering for May pending state bid release.","actionData","errors"]

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Hernando County School Board gives superintendent positive review, directs negotiation of multiyear contract

Hernando County schools plan May adoption of new English language arts textbooks