Century Refuses To Sign Required Public School Document

May 5, 2009

The Town of Century is refusing to sign a Public School Facilities Element document that is required by law that was presented to them by the Escambia County Commission.

ccarver.jpgThe Public School Facilities Element is a joint agreement required between the Escambia County School District, the Escambia County Commission, the City of Pensacola and the Town of Century. In essence, the document spells out how public schools will be planned in the county and its two municipalities.

“In this agreement it says that they have to get with us, and they haven’t done that,” Councilman Henry Hawkins said Monday night.

The agreement does state in part that the governmental entities “will meet on an as needed basis but not less than annually in joint workshop sessions”.

brooks.jpg“There’s never been any meeting,” Council President Ann Brooks said. “There should have been a meeting before April 1 and there wasn’t…the document required a meeting with them, and it never happened.”

“My recommendation is that you sign it,” Mayor Freddie McCall told the council. McCall said he tried to tell the county that Century would opt-out of the agreement because the town’s only school, Carver/Century K-8, is closing. “But they said we could not since the school was still open.”

Hawkins said that he had a problem with other portions of the agreement, specifically a section that says an appointed committee will evaluate the location of schools prior to closure.

“I will have to call them (the county) in the morning and tell them you refused to sign it and go from there,” McCall said.

If the Town of Century had signed the agreement, a provision would have allowed them to opt-out with a 30 day notice. Otherwise, the agreement is in force for 10 years.

Pictured: Century Town Council President Ann Brooks reviews the interlocal agreement at Monday night’s town council meeting. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

7 Responses to “Century Refuses To Sign Required Public School Document”

  1. Concerned parent on May 5th, 2009 12:40 pm

    Sharon,
    Have you tried to talk to Malcolm? He’s a really nice guy and he tries to keep an open mind. Call and ask for an appointment.

  2. BOCC Employee on May 5th, 2009 12:05 pm

    Jack Moran — No, sir. It is you that is mistaken. The committe of the whole does not have a thing to do with Pensacola or Century. It is the commission meeting in committe form. There are joint city-county meetings, but those are not COW meetings.

  3. Jay on May 5th, 2009 11:44 am

    I’d like to see the actual “law” that requires this “committee of the whole” along with the supposed document that the town council of Century is refusing to sign. By the way, if the BOCC is doing this, why do we have a school board?

  4. Jack Moran on May 5th, 2009 8:59 am

    BOCC employee,
    I believe you are the one who has it wrong, from all of the Committee of the Whole meetings I have attended.

  5. sharon scott on May 5th, 2009 8:09 am

    I, for one m sick of the whole schol district, especially the new school superintendent. I have a problem with people looking down at th floor and everywhere else but the people he is supposing to present. I

  6. BOCC Employee on May 5th, 2009 7:53 am

    Jack Moran — that’s not what the Committe of the Whole is. The COW is a county group. It is not a meeting with the city of pcola. It is the county commission meeting as a committee. City of Pcola does not attend. Get it right!

  7. Jack Moran on May 5th, 2009 7:48 am

    To my knowledge, Century has never attended, or been invited to attend any meeting of THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE; a joint meeting of Pensacola City Council, the County Commission, and supposedly – Century. It ys at these meetings where policies and practices affecting the WHOLE county are discussed and voted on. Century Council should go to discuss agreements like this, and others – like a Rural transit System (that we were promised too).