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“B” Grade Might Not Save Carver/Century; Paul Still To Recommend Closure
July 15, 2008
Improving from an “F” school to a “B” school is not likely to save Carver/Century K-8 School.
Escambia School Superintendent Jim Paul is still expected to recommend the closure of the school for the 2009-2010 school year, but that recommendation is now expected to come at the school board’s August 19 meeting rather than today’s meeting.
“His tentative plan is to bring the recommendation to the August 19 board meeting,” Associate Superintendent Ronnie Arnold told NorthEscambia.com.
“He was very happy for the Carver/Century community for the ‘B’ the school received,” Arnold said of Carver/Century’s school grade announced this week by the Florida Department of Education. “The grade itself does not have a bearing on any potential closure recommendation.”
Arnold pointed out that Paul recommended the closure of Pensacola Beach Elementary School in 2001 despite of the school’s grade. In the 1999-2000 school year, Pensacola Beach Elementary was ranked as an “A” school with 100 percent of students scoring at grade level or above on both the reading and math FCAT. In Pensacola Beach Elementary’s last year, 2000-2001, the school had slipped from an “A” to a “B” rating.
“He recommended the closure of Pensacola Beach Elementary in 2001 for many of the same reasons he would recommend the closure of Carver,” Arnold said of Paul’s recommendation. “Simply stated, the cost-per-student to operate schools of such small population.”
Numbers NorthEscambia.com obtained in May from the Escambia County School District indicate that of the 314 elementary age children in the Carver/Century attendance zone, only 126 actually attended the school. Almost 40 percent of them, 121 in all, attended Byrneville Elementary School, a public charter school.
Another 48 attended Bratt Elementary School, and 11 attended Molino Park. There were three at Jim Allen Elementary School, three at Ensley Elementary School, one at N.B. Cook Elementary and one at Warrington Elementary School.
On the middle school side of Carver/Century, about 56 percent of the students that live in the Carver/Century district attended the school last year. The school district reports that of the 159 middle school students in the zone, 89 did attend Carver/Century. Another 68 went to Ernest Ward Middle School and two attended Ransom Middle School.
These numbers do not account for students that may live in theCarver/Century school zone that were home schooled, attended a private or church school, may have attended school across the state line in Alabama, or that may have attended school in Santa Rosa County.
Comments
3 Responses to ““B” Grade Might Not Save Carver/Century; Paul Still To Recommend Closure”
I really don’t understand what the issue is with our school board. Just a few years ago (ahem… Jeb Bush) we had plenty of money and now we are cut to the bone?!? Where is all of the lottery money, land tax money, etc? I really think things should be seriously investigated, since our schools are being sucked dry while the “higher ups” are still riding state cars and eating out on our kids dime. I haven’t heard Mr. Paul say anything about the fact that field trip money has been taken away, that teacher are given a pathetic amount of money to run a class of 16 or more on, that teachers are expected to buy ALL supplies (paper, printer ink, crafts, kleenex, soap, etc.) out of their own pockets (aside from the very meager amount mentioned and the great parents that donate), that extra curriculum classes are being shortened or stopped due to lack of funding and teachers. I really think the schools themselves have been cut enough…. maybe Jim Paul and the entire board needs to start driving their own cars, with their own gas, pay for their own license plates, eat on their own dime, and stop expected our children to suffer while the live on as normal!! I would love for Jim Paul to sit in a classroom or 20 or more kids all day every day, never go on a field trip, or do a craft project, or have P.E., Art, Music, no paper, no games or interactive learning tools and see how much he learns and how quickly he gets bored. Leave our schools and our kids alone. They are top rated in this area and should be getting rewarded no cut off at the knees!!!!!
move jim paul. leave our school alone. the school makes the community . I know , this has been said before. Meny of sucessful adults came from Century High School. Nothing can be proven this can not happen again. Leave us something.
I think the students would have a much better education being consolidated with another school. They would be given more opportunities and experiences needed, when learning.