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Superintendent proposes enclosing 'pod' classrooms; estimates about $3,000 per room and 18–24 month rollout
Summary
Superintendent Legg told the Pasco County School Board he will begin a plan to enclose open ‘pod’ classrooms to reduce distractions and improve security, prioritizing Title I and opportunity schools with an estimated cost of about $3,000 per classroom and an 18–24 month implementation window.
Superintendent Legg told the Pasco County School Board that the district will begin work to enclose open “pod” classroom spaces in older schools to reduce distractions and improve security.
Legg said he has visited roughly a third of the district’s schools since taking office and frequently heard that pod-style classrooms — partial-wall, open environments common in older buildings — increase distractions and contribute to student disengagement. “We believe we can enclose these environments for approximately $3,000 per classroom,” Legg said, adding the district has room in its maintenance budget to begin targeted work now.
The superintendent asked maintenance, security and construction services to prepare implementation proposals and recommended prioritizing Title I and Opportunity schools. He described a collaborative approach with principals and teachers rather than a district-wide top-down mandate: principals are to notify assistant superintendents where they want enclosures; the district will develop a prioritized plan and start work where space and instructional continuity allow.
Legg said the district expects the full program to take about 18 to 24 months to complete and emphasized that not all pods will be enclosed because some learning activities benefit from open collaboration or because building architecture may preclude enclosure.
Legg credited the maintenance and construction teams — naming Mark Fox (director of maintenance), Mike Baumeister (director of security) and Mike Goede (director of construction services) — for producing lower-cost proposals and urged a phased rollout that begins immediately where feasible.
The board did not take a formal vote to appropriate additional funds at the meeting; Legg said work can begin within existing maintenance resources and that staff will return with an implementation plan and prioritization for board awareness. He described the effort as part of a broader strategy to improve academic outcomes by pairing curriculum review with physical learning-environment improvements.
Ending: Staff will return with a formal plan and timeline; the superintendent said initial work can begin where principals request enclosures and where maintenance resources are available.
