Pasco board workshop outlines new communications protocols, weekly updates and appointment of communications officer on agenda

Superintendent and senior staff at a Pasco County School Board workshop proposed formal communication protocols for board members, a weekly district update, clarified when staff should copy assistant superintendents on constituent messages, and placed the appointment of a chief communication and community engagement officer on the board agenda.

Superintendent (name not specified) opened the discussion by urging patience on turnaround plans and saying the communication discussion should not be rushed. Deputy superintendent and other staff said they would use Florida School Boards Association guidance and board policy 1122 as the starting point and that they propose expanding the set of staff who may be included on board‑directed communications to assistant superintendents and directors, provided board members copy the appropriate assistant superintendent so the district can coordinate responses.

Why it matters: board members told staff they want timely, distilled information without creating an excessive reporting burden on staff. The district proposed a weekly summary that would group key items (media mentions, serious incidents, KPIs such as teacher vacancies and transportation staffing) and create channels where board members can check facts (for example, a single report page for circulating media items).

Key proposals and clarifications

- Chain of contact: staff recommended that board members route substantive constituent or technical questions to the appropriate assistant superintendent and copy superintendent staff so responses are coordinated. Staff emphasized that assistant superintendents are the preferred conduit for technical or operational queries.

- Media and emergency notifications: the district said it will notify the board in advance of anticipated media coverage tied to planned events (for example, the Cox Elementary workshop coverage) and will continue immediate notifications for controlled‑campus incidents and serious arrests that may attract media attention. Bus accidents and other incidents will be triaged for board notification; staff proposed an end‑of‑day expectation for less serious incidents so board members are not blindsided by social‑media posts.

- Board communications officer and weekly update: the agenda included the recommended appointment of Dr. Zetschey (spelled in materials as Zetsche/Zetschey in places) as chief communication and community engagement officer; staff proposed a weekly digest of district activity and a media/press‑release distribution list for board members.

- Field trips and safety: staff said the district will stop routinely publishing exact dates and times of off‑campus field trips in widely distributed materials, while continuing to provide the board with purpose, funding source and destination — a change staff framed as a safety improvement.

Board member feedback: board members urged clarity on what KPIs will be included in any regular report (teacher vacancies, bus‑driver counts and class size were mentioned), asked that “Let’s Talk” submissions and board‑agenda‑related inputs be handled clearly (so members receive them in time to review), and requested a published organizational chart showing which assistant superintendent covers which portfolios. Several members said they want to be notified in advance if staff plan to pull an item from a consent agenda so they are not surprised at the meeting.

Next steps: staff said they will circulate a draft structure chart and prototype weekly digest within days and will continue the conversation about which KPIs and committee‑related materials the board prefers. The appointment of the communications officer remains an agenda item for formal action at the next board meeting; no formal board vote on the appointment was recorded in the workshop segment.