The State Board of Education approved a contract with MGT, a Tampa-based national education consulting firm, to turn around Pasco County’s Gulf Middle School.
The board in February approved the district’s proposal to work with an external operator after earning a D grade four years in a row. Per state statutes, a school district must submit a turnaround plan if they receive D grades two years in a row. If a school does not improve after that, they must submit an alternate improvement plan.
If Gulf improves to a C grade or higher when school grades for the 2025-26 year are released this summer, the district will not be required to work with the contractor.
But Pasco Superintendent John Legg told board members based on preliminary data, he believes the New Port Richey school is on track to supersede a C grade, and possibly even reach an A. Still, he said, it’s important for the school to have a plan in place and the contract has a provision for working with the school if they meet a C or above.
Legg said the district started working with MGT last year, because students couldn’t wait.
“We want to make sure that this contract is in place because four years is way too long,” he said. “This community is in desperate need.”
The district also started a $70 million expansion of the campus.
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