TAMPA, Fla. — After pleas from local school districts, the University of South Florida has announced it will keep its College of Education and continue offering undergraduate degrees for teachers.

Local school superintendents, including Addison Davis of Hillsborough County, Kurt Browning of Pasco County, Michael Grego of Pinellas County, Jacqueline Byrd of Polk County, Brennan Asplen of Sarasota Country and Cynthia Saunders of Manatee County, held a series of meetings with USF administrators.

They said they were surprised by the university's announcement in October that it planned to eliminate the College of Education because of budget cuts.

The superintendents said that would impact negatively impact their hiring abilities.

USF said after those meetings, it has decided to retain the College of Education.

The university said it will continue to offer its most high-demand undergraduate programs in education. A search is also being conducted for a permanent Dean of the College of Education.

USF said it plans to strengthen the college's focus on educational research and innovative teaching strategies.

The new proposal will be presented to the USF Board of Trustees at its workshop on Friday, January 8.