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Carver/Century Closure: School Board Members React
May 15, 2008
Escambia County School Board members were notified by email Wednesday that Superintendent Jim Paul would present a closure and consolidation plan for Carver/Century K-8 School on Thursday. That proposal is expected to recommend closing the school before the 2008-2009 school year begins in August.
District 3 School Board Member Claudia Brown-Curry said the email did not contain any specifics of Paul’s proposal; those details, she said, were to be presented to board members sometime Thursday morning prior to the 11:30 board workshop meeting.
“It’s really not fair for us to get that information in the morning when the meeting is at 11:30,” Brown-Curry said. “Why would they bring the proposal so fast? There has not even been a town hall meeting or anything. It’s awful; I’m so upset about it.”
Associate Superintendent Ronnie Arnold said that no vote would be taken Thursday; the earliest the proposal could be voted on would likely be at the board’s July meeting.
“Closing and consolidation is not always a good idea,” Brown-Curry told NorthEscambia.com in an exclusive interview. “It can be a detriment to the students and to the community. It’s more than just saving a few dollars.”
“Before I support a closure and consolidation, I want to know that we have done all else we can do,” she said.
“It doesn’t look good,” District 5 School Board Member Pete Gindl told NorthEscambia.com from his home Wednesday night. “We’ve got to make a decision on which way to save money without hurting the children.”
“It comes a time sometimes when you have to do what you have to do,” he continued, “like when we voted to close Woodham High School a few years ago. But I’m not saying anyone’s mind is already made up about Century. We just have to look at how we are going to save money to meet the state requirements.”
NorthEscambia.com was the first media to break the Carver/Century closure proposal story Wednesday afternoon, and we will have complete coverage today. Click any story title below to read more of today’s coverage:
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