Escambia County School District, Florida

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Escambia County School District is a school district in Florida. The school system has a total attendance of 39,329 students project for the 2009-2010 school year. The Florida Department of Education provides a list of past, current, and future school enrollment totals for each district.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Florida school district websites

[edit] The good

  • Comprehensive budget, audit, and tax information is provided. [1]
  • School board members are listed with contact information. Meeting schedule, minutes, and agendas posted.[2]
  • Administrative officials are listed with contact information. [3]
  • Public record requests guidelines are posted. [4]
  • Student progression plan is posted.[5]
  • Testing information [6] and accountability reports [7] are available.
  • Hiring guidelines dealing with background checks are posted. [8]
  • Union contracts are posted. [9]
Working for accountable government now


[edit] The bad

  • Contact information for public records not provided.
  • No information on vendor contracts.


[edit] School Board

The school board controls school property, establishes, organizes, and operates the schools of the district, including: establishing schools, adopting enrollment plans, providing for school elimination and consolidation, cooperating with school boards of adjoining districts in maintaining schools, maintaining the school year schedule and other more specific duties as outlined in the Florida statute. [10]

It operates, controls and supervises the district's public schools as well as determines the rate of school district taxes, with the option of two or more school districts operating and financing educational programs together.

A Chair and a Vice-Chair are elected annually by the School Board. The Chair presides at all School Board meetings and performs such other duties as prescribed by law or by action of the School Board. The Superintendent of Schools is the Secretary and Executive Officer of the School Board.[11] Currently, Mr. Malcom Thomas is serving as the superintendent.[12]

The following are the members of the Escanabia County School Board

School board member District Term expires
Jeff Bergosh District 1 2010
Gerald Boone District 2 2010
Linda Moultrie District 3 2010
Patty Hightower District 4 2012
Bill Slayton District 5 2012

[edit] Teacher contracts

Initial annual teachers' contracts include a 97-day probationary period. After acquiring the Continuing Contract, teachers can be dismissed but the charges against him or her must be based on immorality, misconduct in office, incompetency, gross insubordination, willful neglect of duty, or drunkenness.[13]

Because of $14 million in expected decreases in state funding, Superintendent Thomas announced a hiring freeze in January 2009 in which vacant teaching positions would be filled only with substitutes.[14]

In response to the state's budget cuts in education, Superintendent Thomas also said he was considering trimming about 9% of district positions if the legislature continued to cut educational funding. The district’s contracts with the teacher’s union will almost guarantee jobs for certified tenured teachers that are teaching in their field. Non-tenured teachers, therefore, are most vulnerable to layoffs.[15]

[edit] School budget

In 2008-2009, the school district spent $335,681,056.[16] Of this total budget 31 percent is dedicated to teacher salaries.[17]

The 2009 budget is expected to see a $14 million cut in state funds to the district. [18]

[edit] Mill revenue

The millage rate in 2008-2009 was 7.720.[19]

[edit] Academic performance

Between 2008 and 2009, George S. Hallmark Elementary and Navy Point Elementary both rose their grades from F's to A's. However, Carver-Century K-8 school dropped from a score of B to an F. [20]

Schools must achieve 525 points with the state to achieve “A” status. In 2008, Bratt Elementary’s score was 637,which is close to an A+ on the school grade scale. No other school in the county broke the 600 mark.[21]

Also in 2008, Escambia County was one of just 9 of 67 total school districts in the state that were eligible to provide merit bonuses to teachers out of state funds. These merit bonuses are linked to professional accomplishments and performance of students, particularly on how the teacher's students perform on the FCAT. The district paid out $2,094,929 in bonuses to the teachers and 36 school district employees. However, about 500 teachers who were initially eligible for the bonus opted out of the program.[22]

After more capable students had fled to charter Byrneville Elementary School when it opened in 2002, Carver/Century had been consistently performing worse. According to Assistant Superintendent Paul Fetsko, Carver/Century has more supplies, technology, and resources per student that any other school in the county.[23] Candidate at the time for the position of superintendent, Malcom Thomas pointed to the lack of students (about 30 students in grades 6 through 8) as the reason for Carter/Century's failure. [24] Florida Department of Education awarded the school “B” status in 2008, that grade would have actually been a “D” if it were not for an obscure rule that allows the district average to be used at a school where less than 30 students are tested.[25] Superintendent Malcolm Thomas called for the closure due to declining enrollment and to save funds; the district has been loosing up to $1 million a year to keep the school open. The board’s actual vote was to redistrict the students from Carver/Century to attend Bratt Elementary and Ernest Ward Middle School.[26]

[edit] 2007-2009

Below is a chart of the school's grade based on the student's performance of the statewide test called the FCAT.[27] To see results, click "show".

[edit] Unions

Escambia Education Association/Union of Escambia Education Staff Professionals is the teacher's union for this school district.[28]

40 Escambia County teachers participated in a protest in which they displayed 2.6 million pennies, symbolic of the number of children in Florida.[29]

[edit] Lobbying

Main article: Florida taxpayer-funded lobbying

The school district pays membership dues to the Florida School Boards Association, a taxpayer-funded lobbying association.[30]

[edit] School choice

Currently, charter schools are funded through the Florida Education Finance Program and in the same manner as public schools. The purpose of Escambia County magnet schools, charter schools, and choice programs is to prepare students for a diverse society and offer unique education opportunities.[31]

Over the course of 5 years, Escambia Charter School made $200,000 by paying students only $10 an hour for mowing grass during about 32 hours out of the school week. Enrollment at Escambia has dropped a quarter, to about 100 students, since the scandal. Only 3% of students could read at grade level in 2006, and less than a quarter could do math proficiently. The school received nearly $1 million in tax money for that year.[32]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Finance
  2. ↑ School Board
  3. ↑ Contacts
  4. ↑ Public Records Process
  5. ↑ Student Progression Plan
  6. ↑ Evaluation
  7. ↑ Accountability Reports
  8. ↑ Hiring Guidelines
  9. ↑ Union Contract
  10. ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
  11. ↑ Rules and Procedures, Membership of the School Board
  12. ↑ Superintendent and School Board
  13. ↑ Rules and Procedures, Contracts and Conditions
  14. ↑ Budget Cutbacks: Hiring Freeze In Escambia Schools, January 14, 2009
  15. ↑ Educators Protest Cuts, Deliver Pennies, March 19, 2009
  16. ↑ District Summary Budget Fiscal Year 2008-2009
  17. ↑ Escambia County on National Relocation
  18. ↑ Budget Cutbacks: Hiring Freeze In Escambia Schools, January 14, 2009
  19. ↑ District Summary Budget Fiscal Year 2008-2009
  20. ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
  21. ↑ Bratt Elementary Ranked As The Number One School In Escambia County, July 9,2008
  22. ↑ Many Teachers Receiving $2042 Bonus, September 8, 2008
  23. ↑ Exclusive: Jim Paul And Top Staff Meet With Carver/Century Supporters, May 30, 2008
  24. ↑ Superintendent Hopeful Thomas Speaks Out On Carver, Ernest Ward, August 8, 2008
  25. ↑ Carver/Century’s ‘B’ Grade Really A ‘D’ Without The Benefit Of State Rule January 12, 2009
  26. ↑ Escambia School Board Moves Forward On Closing Carver/Century K-8 School January 21, 2009
  27. ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
  28. ↑ Teachers' Union
  29. ↑ Educators Protest Cuts, Deliver Pennies, March 19, 2009
  30. ↑ Florida School Boards Association members list
  31. ↑ School Choice of Escambia County
  32. ↑ Cashing in on Kids, March 27, 2007


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