Hillsborough County School District

For most students in the Tampa Bay region, school starts Aug. 12. On Wednesday, Hillsborough district officials unveiled new programs and priorities to help students succeed.

"Pathways to Hope" is helping Hillsborough students and their families reduce the risk of homelessness, which school officials say is a rising issue.

The Hillsborough County School District will gauge the community's reaction to its racial equity policy in the coming weeks after the state Department of Education said the district is out of compliance with the new "Stop WOKE" law.

The changes could "repurpose" 12 schools, meaning students would need to shift to other facilities.

Senior Chancellor Jacob Oliva said Hillsborough County is planning a full review of all policies and procedures to ensure compliance.

Hillsborough School District leaders are preparing to welcome students back this fall with the school year starting in just a week.

The Hillsborough County School District was the only one in the Tampa Bay region to have more schools improve their grades since 2019 than decline.

In 2019, there were 28 Hillsborough schools with D or F grades. Now, that number is down to five.

The agreement would provide one-time salary increases for all Hillsborough County public school instructional personnel. It still needs to be ratified by the union and approved by the school board.

Hillsborough and Sarasota are among three school districts that avoided being punished by recently changing their mask policies.

Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran says the districts are noncompliant with a state health department rule triggered by a governor's ban on local mandates, which a judge has ruled is unconstitutional.

The mask requirement risks provoking the wrath of the governor and education commissioner.