Pasco County high schools will continue to have valedictorians and salutatorians, for now.

Superintendent Kurt Browning on Tuesday killed his controversial proposal to eliminate the graduation honors, beginning with the Class of 2018. He made the move after consulting with board members, select high school principals and key district advisers as late as Tuesday morning. (See the revised 2014-15 student progression plan here.) Browning had been wavering since the board's July 1 first public hearing.

"He decided that for now he is going to leave it as is, and we are going to put together a high-level committee to look at valedictorians and salutatorians," district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said.

Here's Browning's official statement:

On Tuesday, July 1, 2014, the District School Board of Pasco County held its first public hearing on revisions to the Student Progression Plan (SPP). One member of the public spoke during the public hearing. The gentleman read a letter from his daughter stating her opposition to the part of the proposed SPP removing the valedictorian and salutatorian designations for high school graduates.

Following the meeting, a television interview program mischaracterized the reasons for the recommendation, generating approximately 30 emails, most opposed to it. I spoke to folks who offered their opinion to me at meetings and out in the community, and I sought out the opinions of current and former educators. Finally, I met with a group of thoughtful, experienced, trusted staff and we had a detailed discussion about the valedictorian and salutatorian designation, as well as other issues related to GPAs.

After much reflection and discussion, I have made the decision to preserve the valedictorian and salutatorian titles while we look at the underlying issues with our grading and grade weighting processes. The SPP the School Board will consider atnext Tuesday's final public hearing will not include the original recommendation to remove the val/sal titles.

I want Pasco principals, school leaders, and teachers to know that I still think changing how we honor our best and brightest is the right thing to do. I believe there is a better way to recognize the highest achievers, encourage more students to strive for excellence, and eliminate the practice of recognizing only two students per school each year.

Let me be very clear, though; I in no way advocate "giving a trophy to every student!

We will revisit this matter for the 2015-2016 school year, after we have had the opportunity to put together a panel of academic experts who will examine our current practices and make recommendations for improvements. We will look at laws, how counselors verify student credits, State Board Rules, and how we designate which courses receive extra weight.

Meanwhile, Pasco principals have the flexibility within their schools to determine how valedictorians and salutatorians will be recognized and who will speak at graduation. I also encourage all of our high schools to use the cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude honors provided for in the SPP to recognize outstanding students at graduation.

Read the full story here.