Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Performance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent reports bus-driver hiring gains, improved high-school progress and Head Start updates
Summary
Superintendent Legg reported a rise in bus-driver recruitment (14 in October to 26 in December), ongoing efforts to fill ~45 vacancies, improvements in high-school FAST and NWEA measures, and Head Start enrollment and assessment plans.
Superintendent Legg told the board the district requested and received an extension to respond to Schools of Hope letters, moving the reply deadline to March 1 to allow time for district planning and to await Department of Education input.
Legg reported progress on staffing: a bus-driver recruitment effort saw 14 new sign-ups in October and 26 in December, which staff said will help reduce the roughly 45 vacancies the district has been managing. Legg noted many recruits still must complete training and certification before entering service but praised the incentive program as beginning to yield results.
Hetzler Nettles, speaking on high school progress monitoring (PM2), said preliminary FAST ELA results show Pasco ninth graders at about 53% proficiency (state 49%) and tenth graders at about 51% (state 48). She said district NWEA and algebra curriculum reviews show areas of pedagogical opportunity and described upcoming professional development for algebra teachers on Jan. 6 to support improved instruction.
Early childhood program staff reviewed Head Start and Early Head Start data: in October the programs served 604 Head Start and 131 Early Head Start families; 97 children were identified as homeless or in foster care; waitlist and income‑eligibility numbers were reviewed. Staff said a district internal audit and community assessments are planned to support continuous improvement.
Board members asked for continued reporting on recruitment outcomes, program enrollment, and planned Schools of Hope responses. No immediate board action was taken on the staffing or assessment updates.
