Government getting it right in Hillsborough, Pasco and Tallahassee | Editorial

Hillsborough school scores. The first step in solving a problem is acknowledging one exists. To that end, Hillsborough Schools Superintendent Van Ayres showed candor and leadership in responding to Hillsborough’s disappointing school grades from the state this week. The report, released Monday, made it clear that many of the district’s 200,000 students cannot demonstrate passing levels of proficiency in English and math, as the Tampa Bay Times’ Marlene Sokol reported. Hillsborough wasn’t alone; the state changed its standards and testing, meaning no school in the state got credit for year-over-year gains. Still, the snapshot was bleak. Hillsborough’s elementary schools went from having six D schools in 2022 to 23 in 2023, and from one F school to four. While the new measures provide a baseline going forward, Ayres was right not to downplay the results. “I own it,” he said. “My goal is to not have any D’s or F’s. That’s one metric that you can hold me accountable to.” This problem is especially pressing given the indication that many of Hillsborough’s youngest students are not prepared going forward in their academic years. The district needs to continue exploring how to consolidate schools and resources, and channel those assets in the most effective way. But Ayres is taking on the challenge instead of making excuses, and that should inspire public confidence and support.

Partnering in Pasco. You hear it all the time: Not my job. But local leaders in New Port Richey and Pasco County made a common-sense decision to partner on the remake of a troubled community near Leisure Lane. Officials have worked for years on ways to address dilapidated homes and trailers and chronic flooding in the area, as well as crime and homelessness that have spread into the surrounding community. But the stickler is that the community is an enclave — completely surrounded by the city but not in the city, as the Times’ Barbara Behrendt explained recently. But this month, the two local governments reached an agreement to partner moving forward, in what both sides hope will become a catalyst for development in the area now known as Town and Country Villas. New Port Richey will annex the parcel, and the county will pay to bring public water and sewer utilities to the site. The city would provide other needed infrastructure, including updated roads and street lighting. Neither side benefited from leaving this community in limbo, and these improvements will make the area safer, more attractive and better managed by local government. Both sides have also pledged not to allow this community to deteriorate again. This was smart economics and the way governments should cooperate for the broad benefit of taxpayers.

Recess in session. Florida senators made the right move this week by removing a proposed change to school recess from a broader education reform bill. The measure would have ended the requirement that school districts offer at least 20 consecutive minutes of recess per day for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. But state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, withdrew the proposal Tuesday from his 52-page bill (SB 7004) after pushback from parents who had fought to get the unstructured play period into law six years ago. Aside from responding quickly to Floridians’ concerns, Simon effectively scored a tactical win by removing a sticking point that could have proved a distraction. The Senate legislation is a mouthful enough, a wide-ranging package that would ease state regulations on the districts, end some testing requirements and give local school boards more authority over pre-K programs and instructional materials, among other things. This legislation has many moving parts, and a debate over recess could have become a poison pill that sunk a serious discussion about worthwhile reforms.

Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.