PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Hudson Elementary School will be closing its doors at the end of the school year, despite opposition from parents.
- Hudson Elementary to close at the end of school year
- Pasco School Board voted unanimously to close school
- Project RISE aims to increase equity, opportunity in schools
Last year, Kathy Brinkman, a grandmother at the school, started a petition to keep Hudson Elementary open. The petition garnered more than 600 signatures.
"I keep hearing, 'Oh, they want to bring in the Cambridge program.' Well, they can bring the Cambridge program in here. There's a lot of things they could do, and they just want to close it," Brinkman said. "What I ask them to do is look at the big picture and think about as a result of shutting the school down, what are we going to offer you then."
On Tuesday, the Pasco County School Board unanimously voted to shut down the campus as part of "Project RISE" — Relevant, Inspiring, Supportive Experiences. The project aims to better deliver resources to students. Project RISE would also introduce new curriculum.
According to Pasco County Schools Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd, students from Hudson will be rezoned to either Northwest Elementary or Gulf Highlands Elementary.
Gadd said Hudson's population is currently in the 90 percent capacity range, and the other schools are around 60 percent.
"If you were running five private schools and they were all running at 60 percent capacity, you couldn't make payroll, but because we're government, we can carry those schools. The problem you have is that you're spreading your resources too thin," he explained.
During Tuesday's meeting, the school board also passed a pay increase for 5,000 teachers — 3.25 percent and continued health benefits.