Pasco seeks $25 million for career-connected health pathways after $500,000 planning grant and AdventHealth partnership
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Summary
District leaders and AdventHealth outlined a planning-year effort funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies ($500,000) and augmented by AdventHealth ($240,000) to design career-connected learning in health fields, aiming to secure a $25 million implementation grant over five years and create direct pathways to local employment.
Pasco County School Board members heard a presentation on a career-connected learning initiative led by district staff, Bloomberg Philanthropies and AdventHealth that aims to build health-care career pathways beginning in high school and to win a five-year grant estimated at $25 million.
Superintendent Dr. Legg opened the segment and framed the work as forward-looking: "This career connected learning is the future." Rob Aages, the district's planning lead, described a four-phase planning timeline that began with a December 2024 outreach and led to a $500,000 Bloomberg planning grant. Misty Palmer, talent manager for AdventHealth, described AdventHealth's $240,000 contribution to the planning year and the hospital system's operational commitment to hiring and work-based learning.
Why it matters: presenters said the model creates skill and credential pathways that can lead to hireable roles before high school graduation or to structured postsecondary programs. The plan focuses on health-care occupations with many entry points at the associate level and includes co-designed curriculum and hospital-based work-based learning so students may become "candidates of choice" for local employers.
Funding and partner commitments - Planning-year funding: Bloomberg Philanthropies $500,000; AdventHealth planning support $240,000. - Five-year goal: roughly $25,000,000 to implement multiple career pathways across the district. - AdventHealth commitments described in the presentation: 1,300 current Allied Health positions available at AdventHealth (presentation figure) and a projected regional hiring need of about 30,000 people by 2030 in the hospital system's footprint.
Program design highlights - The planning phase will design multiple pathways (presenters referenced national peers that typically design 4'5 distinct career paths) with a mix of pre-professional credentials in high school and articulation to AdventHealth University or other postsecondary credentials. - Presenters described short on-the-job training programs (examples cited in the hospital system: sterile processing certifications that can be completed in roughly 8'18 weeks, surg tech on-the-job routes with pay increases) and discussed embedded work-based learning beginning in ninth grade. - AdventHealth noted models that include clinical scholars and paid on-the-job training; AdventHealth said it will hire program graduates and provide tuition support and articulation through AdventHealth University.
Board questions and next steps Board members asked about the design, instructor availability and transferability of curriculum; presenters said AdventHealth employees, AdventHealth University clinical scholars and district staff will work together to teach and supervise students in clinical learning. The district plans to promote early wins during the planning year and return to the board with proposed programs of study and metrics for success.
What was not decided No formal board action or funding award was recorded in the transcript excerpt. Presenters said the district will continue planning and return for updates; the five-year $25 million implementation grant had not yet been awarded.