Carver/Century Won’t Close This Year; Paul To Recommend Closure For 2009-2010 School Year

June 17, 2008

NorthEscambia.com has learned that Paul will recommend the closure of the school at the June 26 special budget meeting of the school board.

Carver/Century K-8 School will not close for the next school year.

Superintendent Jim Paul did not recommend the closure of Century’s only school at Monday’s school board workshop, and it is not on the agenda for this afternoon’s school board meeting.

As NorthEscambia.com first reported early Monday afternoon, the school will remain open for the 2008-2009 school year. But Paul will recommend the closure of the school for the 2009-2010 school year in just a few days.

“It was not on the agenda, and it was not discussed,” Associate Superintendent for Public and Interagency Affairs Ronnie Arnold said of Monday night’s meeting.

“But he (Paul) is expected to bring a recommendation that the school be closed for the 2009-2010 school year at the board’s meeting in July,” Arnold told NorthEscambia.com Monday night after the board’s four and a half our workshop wrapped up.

Closing the school for this school year was not logistically feasible, Arnold said. “He (Paul) did not feel it could be closed in the right way in that time frame.”

Laura Nelson, a member of the town’s Blue Ribbon Committee to save the school, told NorthEscambia.com “I give the Lord the Praise!”

Nelson organized a community prayer service in early May to pray to keep the school open.

“We never felt like the school should close because it was not best for the children. I also would like to thank Mr. Jim Paul for taking time to hear from us and consider what we had to say,” she said.

To read Principal Jeff Garthwaite’s reaction, click here.

This afternoon’s meeting of the Escambia County School Baord will take place at 5:30 in Room 160 of the J.E. Hall Center at 30 East Texar Drive in Pensacola. Meetings are open to the public. At Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council, council member Sharon Scott and Mayor Freddie McCall still encouraged Century residents to attend today’s school board meeting to support the school.

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