Entire Staff At Escambia Middle School Is Removed

April 30, 2009

One Escambia County middle school will have a totally new staff next school year after Superintendent Malcolm Thomas cleaned house Wednesday.

Thomas is replacing the entire staff at Warrington Middle School — the principal, assistant principal, counselors and teachers. The 75 employees are not necessarily out of a job. They may be shuffled to other schools, or they may reapply for their jobs at Warrington.

The move comes after the school failed once again to make adequate yearly progress and being taken over by the state. It’s a fate that Carver/Century K-8 School would have faced if the school’s FCAT scores had not been weighted due to a low student population to make a “B”. The Escambia School Board voted to close Carver/Century at the end of this school year.

Extra stimulus funds will go into Warrington to make it a pilot school, all in hopes of bringing the school’s grade up to a “C”.

If the school district had not reorganized the school, the state would have taken a similar action prior to next school year.

Comments

13 Responses to “Entire Staff At Escambia Middle School Is Removed”

  1. lady witness on May 3rd, 2009 4:22 am

    I agree with Yellar Hammer. I personally know and have witnessed some teachers who SHOULD NOT be teaching my dog how to sit much less any child. I have reported them and wish that there was not a code that allows them to teach just because they have been doing it for so long!

  2. JW on May 1st, 2009 11:29 pm

    So you’re telling me ALL of these teachers are at fault, and have to loose their jobs because the school is failing. A teacher can teach as much and as hard as they like….. however it is up to the students to be willing to learn.

  3. back to basics on May 1st, 2009 8:46 pm

    I know, just an old timer, but I can’t help but wonder if they were allowed to actually “teach” instead of spending most of the year teaching them how to pass the “FCAT….maybe the kids would learn more. Seems like passing the state test is more important than learning the actual lessons they need to be productive in whatever field or profession they choose to be interested in…preparing them for REAL life. Everyone is not College material. Everyone is not great at book learning, but there is something that each person can learn to do and do well and that’s what should be encouraged. Many go for the “BIG” money jobs, and learn to hate it because they have to give up sooo much in order to go where ever to get these jobs and there it costs sooo much to live that they lose in the process. Kids do not know what they really want to do for the rest of their lives, some adults still don’t, they just need to learn the basic skills and then those who choose to go on to further education, more power to them, Just remember, every job is important in the scheme of things…whether a janitor, a lunchroom person, a teacher, a principal or in the medical field, the one who cleans the rooms and makes the beds or cooks and serves the meals or the nurse or doctor…each has an important job to do…each job is important..without team work, it will not work… Sooo, teach our kids the basics and help them find their niche in life. And parents, if you bring them into the world, it’s your God given responcibility to teach them right from wrong, to teach them to respect those in authority, to help and encourage them to learn all they can, for the more they learn, the better their chances are to be able to enjoy those things which are important to them. As for the changes, sometimes change can be good..but as creatures of habits we tend to not like changes. Time will tell.

  4. Oh my on May 1st, 2009 5:49 pm

    Casual reader: Amen

  5. Casual Reader on May 1st, 2009 3:19 pm

    It is NOT WHO is teaching, NOT WHAT is being taught, or HOW it is being taught that differs from today from 10 – 20 years ago it is the STUDENT who is the determining and changing factor. Too often today the school is the beating block for unprepared students who come to school to eat, have fun, and little else. We are too much concerned with political correctness and PR. Teachers spend much of their energies today in challenging schools dealing with disruptions, not teaching. Good teachers are burnt out and leaving the profession sooner rather than later and too few talented young people are entering the profession. Good parents stay involved and slacker parents expect the system to do it all. This will not change but as the unprepared student is growing in numbers and greatly affecting the public school system. How society deals with this will determine the future of our public educational system.

  6. Patsy Green on May 1st, 2009 10:01 am

    Very rarely is a student’s FCAT score a reflection of the ability and effort of his/her teacher. My sons went to Carver Middle School. They made level 5 on the FCAT. The teachers were teaching, many students were not making the attempt.
    Northview High School has had three National Merit scholars. Two of them were Carver Middle School graduates. The other went to middle school at Escambia Academy.

  7. Oh my on May 1st, 2009 9:21 am

    Don’t blame the teachers with all of the problems, some of the parents should share the blame. They are too sorry to care and expect teachers to baby sit and raise their kids for them. I will admit that some teachers and the union are problems that need correcting but don’t blame all of them.

  8. Beegee on April 30th, 2009 9:51 pm

    Touche!!!!!!! I guess these new glasses I’ve had for a week still don’t help!!!! Hahahaha…..will you forgive me?

  9. Me on April 30th, 2009 5:01 pm

    BeeGee , Century/Carver is mentioned inthe third paragraph. Maybe you should proof read it one more time.

  10. Beegee on April 30th, 2009 4:27 pm

    To ?: Where does this article mention Carver/Century???? You seem to be the one who brought it up and not letting it go!!!!!!

  11. YELLAR HAMMER on April 30th, 2009 11:50 am

    If there is an issue about the staff and teaching personel then why send them to other schools, terminate them and keep some of the young teachers that you are letting go. This is what is wrong about the school system ( tenure and unions the down fall in the system).

  12. ? on April 30th, 2009 8:24 am

    How do you know that Carver/Century would have faced that situation. If more students would have attended, is it a fact that they would have scored a failing grade?
    I don’t think so!
    Do we have to keep bringing up this issue? It’s over, decisions have been made. Move on!!

  13. NF on April 30th, 2009 6:42 am

    I am sorry that this school got such a low grade once again, but FINALLY someone is doing something about the problem instead of just moving kids to another school.