Pasco School Principal Challenges Superintendent: FL Primary

PASCO COUNTY, FL — David LaRoche, 55, will attempt to unseat incumbent Kurt S. Browning for Pasco County Schools superintendent on the Republican ballot during the Aug. 18 primary. The winner will face nonpartisan candidate Cynthia Thompson in the general election.

Superintendent Kurt Browning did not respond to Patch's questionnaire.

Here are LaRoche's responses to Patch's questions.

Background

Ph.D. from the University of South Florida conferred in 2007. Education with a concentration in curriculum and instruction.

Thirty years as a teacher and administrator in Pasco county schools. Since 2007, I have been the principal of Hudson High School. I was demoted on June 16 because I have entered the race to become superintendent against incumbent Kurt Browning. I am currently on personal leave without pay. I have also been teaching as an adjunct professor at St. Leo University for the past 10 years in the Educational Leadership graduate-level program.

I am an educator not a politician. I have no previous experience running for public office. This past Friday Aug. 7, my legal advisor Luke Lirot, filed a federal complaint against Mr. Kurt Browning for his vindictive actions against me.

I have lived in west Pasco county since 1978. I am still a very proud member of the Hudson community where I live with my wife Bridget who is also a 20-year school employee. We are both graduates of Hudson High School. We have one son who has graduated from Hudson High School and this past summer graduated with a sports business degree from St. Leo University.

Priorities

My priorities are clear: Let teachers teach and let students learn. Creating a district where ALL students have access to a 21st-century educational experience.

I am running because this has been a miserable eight years for educators in Pasco county. Decisions across the board are politically motivated. As an educator I just can't leave without trying to make a change.

I want the employees of Pasco schools to know that my goals are to create a district that ensures that all students have the best educational experience leading to 21st-century opportunities for their future. I believe this can be achieved by creating a culture where all those in my charge understand that they have a “voice” and that it is my job as superintendent to take care of them.

To make this happen, in my first 100 days as superintendent, I will visit every school in the district. I believe in making myself available to all those that work in Pasco and sending the message that I want all to have a voice, that I am transparent and communicative.

Currently, district office staff are not in schools and subsequently out of touch with the needs of our schools. Many that have been hired to make school-based decisions have never spent any time in schools in any capacity. This poor planning and lack of focus on the right priorities over the past eight years has dropped our student performance from 34th to 41st in the state of Florida.

I will change this trend as part of my district transformation plan. In his time as superintendent, Mr. Browning has focused his cuts and reorganization on our schools by either cutting positions or closing schools because he didn’t know how to invest in our communities.

My entire platform is focused on bringing meaningful support structures, interventions and innovations to our classrooms to maximize student experience. I will engage and invest in our communities because I understand how to be equitable with district resources. This will improve the overall faculty and staff morale in the district and, in turn, improve the performance of our students.

As I have stated before, salaries are abysmal and discipline in our classrooms is alarming enough that families are choosing charter schools over our public schools more and more each year. I believe that an educator that has dedicated his life to education in Pasco is the best choice for our schools.