New Pasco schools leader seeks buy-in ahead of big changes
John Legg knew just what he had to do on his first day leading the Pasco County school district.
It had nothing to do with paperwork or policy. Never mind that he had only two weeks since his election to prepare for overseeing the county’s largest employer and its $2.1 billion budget, and to this point he hadn’t worked a day in his life for the system.
“The most important thing is the kids,” said Legg, with a hair net on his head and an apron covering his suit as he handed fruit cups to second graders in the Connerton Elementary School cafeteria. “I wanted to spend my first day with students.”
Connerton was his third stop of that Nov. 19 morning, after greeting families in the Fox Hollow Elementary car loop and riding the bus to Hudson Primary with children from the low-income neighborhood where he grew up.
“Sometimes we can lose track of the mission,” Legg told the school board later that evening, after he took the oath of office to become Pasco’s first new superintendent in 12 years. “I got to look in the eyes of hundreds of kids and see how much they depend on us every day and not just for their academic needs. It’s an awesome opportunity to be part of this team.”
Legg came to the district having run a charter school and served on the board overseeing state education vouchers — both of which he has resigned — as well as having spent more than a decade in the Florida Legislature promoting changes to public education law that haven’t always been popular. He knew he couldn’t just walk into the the superintendent’s third-floor office in Land O’Lakes and make immediate shifts toward his goals of “safer, smarter, stronger schools.”
“I have to earn trust and earn respect,” he said in an interview. “I can’t demand it.”
That’s why he has put more time into listening to others rather than issuing edicts. In addition to visiting schools at least one day each week, he has taken training sessions with the Florida Association of District School Superintendents and attended functions with key community organizations — not to mention convening a panel of area leaders he’s asked for feedback on district priorities and plans.
“You can’t have strong communities if you don’t have people sitting around the table talking together,” Legg told the panel during its first meeting at the Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center in Trinity.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, society seemed to back away from collaboration. Anger filled the void, he said, arguing the time has come to reclaim the ground so people can talk amicably about issues regardless of whether they agree.
“This isn’t about my agenda,” he said. “This is about your agenda.”
That’s not to say that Legg doesn’t have priorities for advancing the district. During the two-hour panel discussion, he had staff members highlight concerns over Pasco’s rapidly growing population, noting that public school enrollment is not rising as fast as families are moving to the county.
He said he expected the district to take a close look at both growth and choice, with particular attention to providing more options for new students who don’t pick district schools. He mentioned the idea of “fractional education programs,” in which families can pick and choose among district, virtual, homeschool and other lessons to create their academic days.
“The era of new education enrollment is upon us,” Legg said, noting the Legislature’s continuing expansion of school choices for families. “We’ve got to figure out what to do.”
The group also talked at length about improving school security and clamping down on threats against campuses.
The approach impressed panel members, who welcomed the chance to discuss subjects they see as critical to Pasco’s future success.
“You can’t get rid of silos unless you address them,” said Bill Cronin, head of the county economic development council, who took particular note that the session focused on policy rather than funding. “That’s extremely refreshing. It’s how you move the needle.”
Maria Reza of Bay Care Health System said she was pleased with the variety of stakeholders invited, and the plan to further expand the voices.
“I think that’s what is needed,” Reza said.
St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson, who’s mentoring Legg, said the key to Legg’s first year likely will hinge on such community outreach.
“When you have growth like you have in Pasco, you have to continue to work on the relationships and building trust,” Forson said. “Just spending time with people will be important to him.”
Early on, Legg has offered few policy recommendations for board consideration, while making only a handful of personnel moves. He named his deputy and removed the person who led the district’s curriculum and instruction division for nearly a decade.
The latter move came about primarily because Legg expects to bring “significant restructure” to the teaching and learning side of the district. He said he wanted staff to feel comfortable discussing the district’s past and future without worrying about how the educator who led the effort might feel.
He pointed to 13 schools that he viewed as underperforming, and said they need to get moving in the right direction as soon as practical. And Legg, who unlike his predecessor Kurt Browning has a background in education, intends to get more deeply involved in the discussions.
Legg also has started to lean on former Pinellas County Superintendent Mike Grego for insights, including reviews of potential proposals. Legg said he would seek buy-in and constructive criticism from a variety of viewpoints. as he pursues “incremental but rapid change.”
Moving too fast could engender pushback. Some in the county haven’t hesitated to criticize him for the quick hire of a legislative aide at a salary above what a beginning teacher makes, for instance, and because he isn’t sufficiently enmeshed in the district culture.
Already, Legg said, the days seem too short to deal with the full plate he faces.
No early riser, he’s been getting to the office by 6 a.m. to get a head start before the day’s events take hold. There’s always some unscheduled problem or issue that comes up, including an emergency helicopter landing on one campus and a lost bull wandering on another.
“There’s just not enough time in the day,” he said.
Still, he expects to remain on course with the time he has, acknowledging that his effort is a marathon, not a sprint.
Adelle Ahearn, cafeteria manager at Connerton, said she was glad to see Legg lay the groundwork by getting into the trenches from Day 1.
“It gives them a better understanding of how they can solve challenges or build on things that work,” Ahearn said, after scolding Legg for putting juice boxes in the wrong spot on the food line.
Principal Kelly Edwards said such visits by any superintendent make a difference.
“It shows he really cares about what we think and how we feel,” she said. “That goes a long way.”
Jeffrey S. Solochek is an education reporter covering K-12 education policy and schools. Reach him at jsolochek@tampabay.com.
New Pasco schools leader seeks buy-in ahead of big changes