Emotions Run High As School Board Discusses School Closure In Century
March 6, 2009
Emotions ran high Thursday night in Century as the Escambia County School Board met with Carver/Century supporters. One school supporter was even led away by a deputy when he refused to stop speaking in support of the school.
Over 100 people attended the school board forum held in the Carver/Century cafeteria to discuss the school’s closure with the board.
For a complete photo gallery from the meeting, click here.
“We are fighting for our town; we need this school to survive. We could save ourselves if we had the time,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said, asking the board to keep Carver/Century K-8 School open for at least three years. The board is scheduled to vote on closing the school March 17, sending the current students to Bratt Elementary and Ernest Ward Middle School.
“What’s the next thing we will hear? You will spend millions building a new school over there,” McCall (pictured left) said. “You used your pencil to zone them out of this school; you can use your pencil to zone them back into this town. Think about the kids when y’all make your vote.”
The Black And The White
Racial differences between schools and differences between communities was a major issued raised by many Carver/Century supporters.
“We are not culturally represented,” Jessie McCants said of the current Northview High School, a school that includes students from Century and all of north Escambia County. “When we built Northview, we lost 50 percent of our children.”
“We are you sending us to a rat trap at Ernest Ward?” was the question presented by Annie Savage of Century. She said the aging Ernest Ward has a problem with snakes in the locker room. “I’ve seen the signs at Northview. “Nig**rs go home. We don’t need you here.”
She called the school closure discrimination, vowing that “we will do something about it”.
“It’s time we invest in the children,” Betty Johnson (pictured left) said, adding that the school board has historically closed more black schools. “You’ve got enough schools in Pensacola to close and never look back at Carver/Century. We are getting along here. We are standing together.”"It seems like Century is not part of Escambia County,” Mary Grice said. “We done gave. It’s time for us to take back something.”
“There are failing schools in Pensacola,” she told the school board. “I don’t see you getting on the news talking about them.”
Grandmother Elizabeth Lowery said she would not send her grandchildren to school out of Century. “My child can get reading, writing and arithmetic at home,” she said. “How are they going to interact over there?”
Another grandmother of a Carver/Century student, Sharon Scott said the school closure was going to be a a terrible mistake for her everyone, including her grandchild.
“If y’all move her way out to Bratt,” Scott said of her grandchild,” I don’t know what will become of her. “We can’t do this Bratt thing…this Walnut Hill thing.”
The Facts And Figures
The meeting began with Superintendent Malcolm Thomas (pictured left) presenting his facts and figures as to why he recommended the closure of Carver/Century. You can read his information here in pdf format.
The superintendent’s numbers show that the school needs 300 students to be viable. As of Thursday, there were 209 in grades K-8. The numbers also show the school is losing a million dollars per year.
“Every dollar I save, saves someone’s job,” Thomas said, adding that there are some Pensacola schools that will likely close this year as well.
“I don’t think it is fair that my child’s education should be a business decision,” Heather Findley, parent of a Carver/Century kindergarten student, said. “I feel the level of education is best here.”
“Did it take y’all seven, eight, nine years to realize that something was wrong?” asked Kim Peebles, referring to a graph presented by the superintendent showing that Carver/Century had lost money for several years.
Carver/Century employee Lillian Robertson (pictured left), accompanied to the podium by sixth grade student Olivia Richmond, said that the district had set the school up for failure.”When Byrneville opened, we had white flight,” she said. “You close Carver/Century and you are going to have white flight in another direction.”
“Some us feel like you have set us up for failure, Robertson said, adding that technology and tech support had been taken away from the school.
“I am one of the tech support,” she said, “and I can’t run a computer worth diddly-squat.”
Time’s Up
Century businessman Jack Moran told the board that he is a retired fraud examiner, and he also called himself a “forensic financial analyst”.
“The numbers here don’t add up,” Moran said of the superintendent’s financial information on Carver/Century. “This is bull, absolute bull.”
When a timer indicated that Moran’s two minutes to speak were up, he said “have the sheriff’s office remove me. I will stop when I am finished.”
Deputy James Moretz, one of two sheriff’s deputies at Thursday night’s meeting, quietly escorted Moran from the microphone (pictured above).
Other Thoughts
“All I know is memories here,” Leonard White said. “I am back here in Century because this is where my heart is.”
“When our kids needed help, they sent a resource officer instead of help,” said Cynthia Scott. “When you take the brain out of the community, the community dies.”
Other school supporters spoke of their memories at the school, and some questioned what would happen to the vacated school. Others questioned why middle school students would be sent from Carver/Century Middle built in 2003 to Ernest Ward where some buildings were built as early as 1945.
“The children are the most important,” Century Councilman Gary Riley said. “We need a school.”
Emotional Exit
Elizabeth Lowery, the grandmother that said her grandchildren could learn at home, did not leave quietly. She interrupted board members as they tried to tell their side of the story.
“Why did they come all the way out here if they already had their minds made up?” she yelled from the back of the cafeteria, waving her arms about (pictured left). “They’ve just made everyone frustrated.”
Many of the 20 speakers were interrupted during their comments. The crowd applauded, yelled and chanted words of encouragement for those that spoke in favor of keeping the school open. But as board members spoke about closing the school, they booed and yelled unfavorable remarks.
School Board Reaction
“My job is to make decisions, and a lot of them are not popular,” board member Jeff Bergosh (pictured left) said. “If there is a way to save the school, I will look you in the eye and I’ll do it.”
Bergosh denied allegations that the closure is racially motivated.
“I have never discriminated against anyone in my life,” he said. “These are tough decisions, and these are tough economic times.”
District 5 board member Bill Slayton said he is not in favor of closing Carver/Century.
“There is some consideration here. It is different,” he said, “because it is a community.”
“It is hard to accept that in a group this size, not one person wants to look at the fact that this could be a positive thing,” board member Gerald Boone said. “I want somebody in Century, Fla., to think this would turn out to be a positive thing.”
Linda Moultrie, the newest member of the Escambia County School Board, said that she attended a predominately black elementary school. Then, with integration, she was bused to an all-white middle school.
“Guess what? I made it,” Moultrie said. “Children adjust.”
“I don’t believe the school should be closed because it is the only school in the area, “she said.
“We are sending them to a good school,” board member Patty Hightower said. “I believe every child at this school can learn. They will learn wherever they are.”
For a complete photo gallery from the meeting, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
School Board Meeting Leaves Carver/Century Student In Tears
March 6, 2009
Keyvinana Johnson stood at the front of the school cafeteria crying when the Escambia County School Board’s public meeting in Century ended Thursday night.
The Carver/Century seventh grader was pretty sure that the meeting she had just heard was not good news for the school she loves.
“It’s the only place I know,” she said of her beloved Carver/Century K-8 School. “I don’t know what I will do when they close it.”
The school board is scheduled to make the final vote to close the school in just 12 days.
“I love this school. I love the teachers. They help and they understand; they give you more than one chance,” Keyvinana said as she sat down with NorthEscambia.com.
The Carver/Century Blackcats are her life. From track to cheerleading, she’s been involved at Carver/Century and that’s where she hopes to be next year.
But Keyvinana is realistic.
“I think they are going to close it,” she said.
If Carver/Century K-8 School closes, her mom Freedom Thomas says that she will not send Keyvinana to Ernest Ward Middle School.
Thomas works in Milton, and she said she plans to enroll Keyvinana and her siblings, grades six and two, into the Santa Rosa County school system if Carver/Century is closed.
“I work real hard with my children, and I want them to have a good education,” Thomas said. “They have learned more than you can imagine at Carver and have felt safer than you can imagine here.”
She expects that the situation at Ernest Ward would be different for her two middle school age children.
“I think my children would be subject to being rejects at Ernest Ward,” Thomas said. “I will not send my children to that school.”
“I want to stay here,” Keyvinana said. “I love it here.”
Pictured top: Freedom Thomas tried to comfort her daughter Keyvinana Johnson as she cries after a Thursday night school board meeting at Carver/Century K-8 School. Keyvinana was upset that her school will likely close. Pictured middle: Keyvinana wipes tears from her eyes. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Music Night To Feature Local Groups Tonight
March 6, 2009
The monthly music night at the Barrineau Park Community Center will be held tonight featuring local artists.
Tonight’s featured groups are are “Down Home” and “The Chestang Family Bluegrass Band.”
The singing starts at 7 p.m. and is free. Food and refreshments will also be available starting at 5 p.m.
This is a family friendly environment with no alcohol permitted on the property and no smoking allowing in or near the building
The Barrineau Park Community Center is located three miles west of Molino or Barrineau Park School Road.
Call 575-5575 for more information.
Pictured above: The Chestang Family Bluegrass Band will be one two featured groups tonight at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com.
Forestry Conducts Controlled Burns
March 6, 2009
Many days over the past week, smoke has been evident across North Escambia from many controlled burns that have been conducted around the area.
Those prescribed or controlled burns play a major role in maintaining the health of Florida’s forests and other natural areas, as well as protecting the safety of residents and visitors, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said.
In 2008, the Florida Cabinet designated the first week in March as “Prescribed Fire Awareness Week.”
“Prescribed Fire is a safe way to apply a natural process, ensure ecosystem health and reduce wildfire risk,” Bronson said. “Many of our plant and animal communities are dependent on a regular occurrence of fire for a healthy existence. Prescribed fire provides better forage for wildlife and livestock, returns nutrients to the soil, helps to control certain plant diseases, and reduces hazardous fuel buildups.”
According to state wildfire officials, Florida has been certifying prescribed burn managers since 1987, and every five years these individuals must have training and experience to remain certified. There are currently more than 1,500 certified prescribed burn managers in Florida helping to prescribe burn 2 million acres of land annually.
“Florida has one of the most extensive prescribed burning programs in the country and one of the best training programs for its certified prescribed burn managers,” Bronson said.
“Through our Division of Forestry, we promote the reduction of hazardous fuel buildups, especially in our wildland-urban interface areas,” Bronson said. “Prescribed burning helps provide protection to thousands of homeowners across Florida. A good example of this occurred in 2007 when the Bugaboo Fire north of Lake City was contained only after it went into an area that had been regularly prescribed burned.”
For more information about Florida’s Division of Forestry, including information about wildfires, visit the division’s web site at www.fl-dof.com.
Tonight’s NHS Quarterback Club Meeting Rescheduled
March 6, 2009
Tonight’s meeting of the Northview High School Quarterback Club has been rescheduled.
The meeting will now be held Monday, March 23 at 7 p.m.
This will be a regular monthly meeting discussing topics for the upcoming season.
Green Eggs And Ham…Bratt Celebrates Dr. Seuss Birthday
March 6, 2009
Students at Bratt Elementary School took part in the Read Across America and celebrated the 105th birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss this week.
In the first grade, students wore Cat In The Hat style hats. They also made edible hats, read stories and took part in other activities to celebrate the birthday of Theodore Geise, better known as Dr. Seuss.
On the morning announcements, first grade teacher Mrs. Trice, talked about Dr. Seuss and read passages from a variety of Dr. Seuss books. Librarian Mrs. Jeter introduced a biography about Dr. Seuss and a Cat In The Hat video that played over the school’s closed circuit television system.
Other classes wore Cat In The Hat paper hats and participated in a variety of activities to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday and promote reading.
For more photos from Mrs. Trice’s class, Mrs. Gilmore’s class and Mrs. Perritt’s class, click here.
Pictured above: Mrs. Trice’s first grade class at Bratt Elementary School celebrates Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com.
Cancer Stinks; City Hall Gets Skunked
March 6, 2009
Cancer stinks, and something stinky is going on around Century. And you could be next.
The Century Town Hall and its staff were “skunked” Thursday afternoon. On the Town Hall lawn, a sign proclaimed “You Have Been Skunked”.
It’s all for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. The Century Branch Library’s team will place the skunked sign and skunks at the location of your choice for $5.
Once you’ve been skunked, the sign stays until you donate $5 to relay for life. If you never want to be skunked again, that takes a $10 donation to Relay for Life.
To have someone skunked, call the library at at 256-6217.
Pictured above: The Century Town Hall was “skunked” Thursday afternoon as part of a Relay for Life fund raiser. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
ACLU Lawsuit, Judge’s Order Prompts Prayer Rally At High School
March 5, 2009
An ACLU lawsuit and a federal court judge’s order against any prayer or promotion of religion has prompted over a dozen Santa Rosa County churches to organize a prayer service at Jay High School.
“We are going to come as Christians, not any denomination, and offer prayer that our students will serve the Lord,” said Pastor Mitch Herring of Poplar Dell Baptist Church. His church is located in North Escambia, but he is taking part in the service because he lives in Jay.
“We want the children to know we are for them, even though they took Baccalaureate away from them,” the pastor said.
U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers issued an injunction banning prayer and religion in Santa Rosa County Schools following an ACLU lawsuit against Santa Rosa County. That injunction prevents the school district from promoting or sponsoring prayers during school-sponsored events, including graduation; planning or financing religious Baccalaureate services; holding school-sponsored events at religious venues when alternative locations are reasonably available; and prohibits school officials from promoting their personal religious beliefs in class or during school-sponsored events and activities.
That order has also prompted many Escambia County high schools, including Northview, to eliminate a school sponsored Baccalaureate this year.
Several Jay churches are currently working together with the Jay Royals senior class to organize a Baccalaureate service.
At 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at least 14 churches will come together on the baseball field at Jay High School to pray for the students in the Jay area. Herring said the gathering will not be impacted by the judge’s order because the event is not school sponsored, and the churches are paying to rent the facility under district guidelines.
“We want to encourage these kids to stand in their faith,” the pastor said, “and let them know that they have people praying for them. We want the Lord to raise up leaders at our schools.”
Under the judge’s order, Herring said, teachers are not even allowed to pray for students if the student asks for prayer.
Want to go? The prayer service will be held at Jay High School, Saturday, March 14 at 4 p.m. It is open to the public, not just to people connected to Jay High School or Santa Rosa County.
Florida House Bill Would Make It Easier To Fight Alabama For Economic Development
March 5, 2009
A proposed bill in the Florida House would give Florida counties that border Alabama and Georgia a little extra ammunition in their fight for economic development.
On Wednesday, Florida Rep. Dave Murzin announced proposed changes to the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) and the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF) included in a proposed economic development committee bill.
Essentially, the bill would allow counties like Escambia and Santa Rosa that border either Alabama or Georgia to be reclassified as rural to allow for more economic development funding.
“Border counties are currently at a competitive disadvantage when competing against another stat for economic development,” Murzin told NorthEscambia.com Tuesday afternoon. The bill would allow the rural designation to be applied based upon the average population per square mile, ignoring the fact that a county like Escambia is very urban in one part of the county.
“These changes will help Florida’s border counties be more competitive with neighboring states,” said Murzin. “Especially in Escambia County, where we are adjacent to Alabama on two sides, we have a real need to level the playing field and ensure our business community can compete strongly in a multistate region.”
The proposed REDI and RIF changes will expand the definition of rural in several sections of the Florida Statutes to include counties that exhibit rural characteristics but exceed population thresholds. With this change in the definition, some Northwest Florida counties will be able to access REDI resources and state infrastructure grants, if available, as well as technical assistance.
Murzin said the bill was reported favorably by the Economic Development Policy Committee Wednesday morning.
Century Mayor Freddie McCall told NorthEscambia.com recently that it is hard for Florida to complete on the economic development front against Alabama.
“We all know that Alabama is more free with money for industry than Florida,” McCall said recently. “Something has got to change if Florida is going to compete with Alabama.”
NorthEscambia.com ran an interview with Murzin Tuesday. Click here for that story.
Tonight In Century: School Board To Hold Public Meeting About School Closure
March 5, 2009
The Escambia County School Board plans to hold a meeting in Century tonight to discuss their redistricting plan that will close Carver/Century K-8 School.
The meeting will be held at 5:30 in the Carver/Century cafeteria. School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas plans to present data that he says supports closing the school, including the fact that it is losing about $1 million year as teachers struggle to improve student test scores.
On January 20, the board approved advertising the redistricting of Carver/Century students to Bratt Elementary and Ernest Ward Middle School. State law says they must advertise the plan for 28 days prior to official approving it. They plan to vote on the redistricting plan that would close Carver/Century at their March 17 board meeting.
At the January meeting, the vote was 3-2 to move forward with advertising the redistricting plan. Board members Bill Slayton, who represents District 5 where Carver/Century is located, and Linda Moultrie voted against the proposal. Jeff Bergosh, Gerald Boone and Patty Hightower voted for Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ plan.
Pictured above: Century resident Leola Robinson speaks to the Escambia School Board in support of keeping Carver/Century open on January 20 while Gerald Boone (left) and Malcolm Thomas (right) look on. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.