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Pasco staff outline PASCO Pathways outreach, pilot increases and school-choice timeline
Summary
District staff presented PASCO Pathways marketing and outreach plans for school choice, including a five-school neighborhood pilot and a candidacy pilot at Marlow Elementary that yielded a near 10% enrollment increase; staff reviewed expo attendance and outlined school-choice application windows and supports.
District staff presented an update on PASCO Pathways, the district's marketing and support plan for school choice and program recruitment. The presenter said the program aligns with the district's Strategic Goals 6 and 7 to expand choice opportunities and accelerate college- and career-ready options and described new collaboration between communications and planning teams.
Staff said they used stay-rate and capacity data to identify five neighborhood elementary schools for a marketing pilot — Connorton Elementary, Cody River, Lake Myrtle, Seven Springs and West Zephyr Hills — with the aim of increasing the percentage of zoned families who remain at their neighborhood school. The presenter said Tier 1 magnet programs will continue to receive priority marketing support, and communications produced videos and brochures to help schools tell their stories.
The presenter described candidacy expansion piloted at Marlow Elementary, where families who were accepted through the school-choice lottery were invited to a parent'and-student commitment event and an interview component designed to ensure understanding and buy-in. "We did see an increase in Marlo's enrollment, a little bit less than 10% after implementing that this summer," the presenter reported.
Staff shared Expo participation and survey data: on the east side the district ran 68 sessions with 684 attendees, 29 schools and eight departments represented; the west side hosted 57 sessions with 408 registered attendees and 28 schools. Survey respondents most often learned about expos through direct communication from their school (56%), followed by the district website and social media. Staff said 96% of families who responded rated the Expo as good or exceptional and that families most frequently attend when children transition into kindergarten, grade 6 or grade 9.
The presenter also outlined the school-choice schedule and supports: the first school-choice window is Jan. 7 through Jan. 20; the district will post reminder announcements March 2; families have until March 11 to accept offers. Staff emphasized that applications are treated equally no matter when they are submitted during the window and described how-to videos, FAQs and additional communications the district will use during the window.
Board members asked how the district reaches families who are not in its system; the presenter said communications directly email the Early Learning Coalition for distribution to VPK centers and said staff are open to further outreach through libraries and community partners. The presenter concluded by thanking collaborating departments and transitioning to the Attend & Achieve presentation.
