That’s it. Summer break is a wrap.
Teachers headed back to their classrooms starting Aug. 3, with students returning in Hillsborough on Aug. 10, Pinellas on Aug. 11 and Pasco on Thursday, Aug. 13.
They return with high hopes for continued academic gains, after all three districts posted some of their best results on state tests in decades. At the same time, budgetary constraints have the potential to hinder the work, as districts confront shrinking revenue because of decreasing enrollment, while the price tag for items including health insurance and utilities goes up.
Many of the culture wars from past years have subsided. But political realities, from Pasco’s property tax referendum to Hillsborough’s pending vote on whether to have an elected superintendent, still loom over public education in Tampa Bay and across Florida.
The goal, Pinellas County Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said, is to not allow daily business operations to interfere with the priority of getting children ready for the world that awaits them.
“Whether you’ve got a child going into his last first day of his last year of schooling ... or whether it’s a kindergartener running for the first day, it’s the beginning of that journey,” Hillsborough County Superintendent Van Ayres said. “This is the first day. Everything starts over. This is a new year. It’s a fresh start.”
So what’s in store for 2026-27? Here are some of the highlights.
Getting to school
E-bikes and scooters have become an increasingly popular way for kids to get to school. They also pose dangers. School districts across Tampa Bay and the state have adopted rules for students to follow if they ride.
In Pasco County, for instance, students must get off their electric vehicles and walk them to storage areas. That’s the case in Pinellas, too, where students may not charge their lithium-ion batteries on campus. Hillsborough students are not permitted to charge their vehicles on campus either, and must walk or carry their e-vehicles while on school property, including parking lots and pathways.
Municipalities are ramping up their efforts to clamp down on drivers who speed where kids are walking and riding to and from campus.
The city of Tampa added cameras to 18 school zones for the new year to record violations and begin the process for sending out citations that come with a fine.
More children might be on those roads as districts have scaled back their bus routes and stops to save money. Pasco is the latest to do so, ending guaranteed bus rides to students in magnet schools to improve service on required neighborhood routes.
New classes coming
Once in classrooms, students might notice some curriculum changes.
Florida has added some requirements, including lessons on what state leaders call the atrocities of communism and, in elementary schools, more direct use of cursive handwriting.
Districts, meanwhile, have made some additions of their own.
Pinellas, for example, will offer dual enrollment in accounting technology and personal finance literacy, along with an art education degree program with St. Petersburg College.
And Pasco has expanded its civics curriculum, including a class that Superintendent John Legg will teach at River Ridge High School.
Hillsborough launched a magnet program for tourism and hospitality, housed at Jefferson High School.
Pulling back from tech
Part of the curriculum revision includes scaling back reliance on technology.
Classroom screen time has come under fire as growing numbers of educators find children lack fundamental skills that technology detracts from, such as listening, taking notes and organizing ideas. As a result, districts have begun setting limits on how computers are used in class.
Hillsborough County has decided to pull most technology out of its kindergarten through second grade classes, though it will continue to teach youngsters about its uses. Wireless devices are prohibited in middle and high schools during the school day unless directed by a teacher. The Pasco district set guidelines for all grade levels, offering recommendations for teachers to follow so they can appropriately supplement lessons with devices.
Districts are looking at artificial intelligence similarly. Even as they’re rolling out test runs of different programs, officials are drafting policies for acceptable use of such systems. The goal, as with screen time, is to ensure that hands-on teaching and learning aren’t sidelined by technology.
The State Board of Education has taken up the reins on this debate, too. It’s evaluating a proposed statewide rule that would require districts to adopt regulations that, among other things, give parents more direct control over if and when their children use AI.
Building on good grades
Academic success remains the top priority, with district leaders focused on building upon the positive results they saw when school grades came out over the summer. For the first time in the current system, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas each received district-wide “A” grades, with the latter two having no “D” or “F” schools.
In Pasco, Legg said, that means doubling down on improved instruction with added attention paid to the core curriculum.
Pinellas schools continue to pour resources into early literacy programs, in addition to boosting secondary math instruction, particularly algebra.
Wary of backsliding, each district also has committed to maintaining the added services it provided to the schools that had previously earned the lowest grades.
At the same time, districts are providing more activities and offerings, so children want to be there.
Hillsborough plans to make sure all children in elementary and middle schools get at least one field trip. Pinellas has added middle school sports and expanded e-sports options, while aiming to boost student participation in academic competitions.
“We will continue to focus on student experience,” Pinellas Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said, contending it’s critical to “get kids to dream more about their future.”
The specter of school closures
Encouraging students’ interest takes on heightened importance as districts face concerns about declining enrollment. Pinellas schools anticipate a 3,800-student decline this fall, with Pasco expecting a drop of about 2,000. Hillsborough Superintendent Van Ayres said the district projects a slight uptick and expressed cautious optimism over kindergarten enrollment being up, too.
More families are opting for voucher and charter school enrollment. But district officials say declining birth rates and fewer families with kids moving here also play a role.
School boards are refining budgets that reflect those lower numbers, which can translate into cuts in programs and services.
Officials continue to explore closing and consolidating schools, among other options.
Pinellas shuttered two schools — Cross Bayou Elementary and Disston Academy — while working to better use the capacity at other campuses. Oldsmar Elementary, for example, added sixth grade as part of a plan to convert it into a K-8 campus.
Pasco has merged schools to maximize its space. It has two new K-8 schools, Pasco in Dade City and Paul R. Smith in Holiday, as a result of the effort, with other moves under consideration.
What else is new?
Other things on tap include:
• An app for Pasco parents allows them to access more services, from signing permission forms to tracking grades. Pasco also has revised the platform that teachers use to get lessons, curriculum and other instructional ideas.
• Pinellas schools expanded their employee child care program and are adding certified nursing assistants to support school health clinics.
• Hillsborough students got a reprieve on dress code changes for the fall, as the school board backed off a proposal to require them to cover up leggings with oversized clothes. Board members said the debate will continue.
• All student athletes must get a heart health screening to participate in district sports. Districts also have begun charging students who receive state vouchers a fee to participate in public school athletics, after the Legislature authorized the move to cover the costs of things such as referees, transportation and uniforms.
• Hillsborough will begin full-day voluntary preschool to increase participation and improve kindergarten readiness.
• Hillsborough will eliminate 82 semester exams for middle and high schoolers. The district said it is getting rid of redundant tests to make more time for classroom instruction.
