Opinion: Voting For Half-Cent Sales Tax For Schools Is Critical
November 1, 2024
by Superintendent Keith Leonard, guest columnist
In 1997, the Escambia County School District implemented a visionary initiative—a half-cent sales tax aimed at revolutionizing the local education landscape. On November 5th, the half-cent sales tax will be on the ballot again. In 2014, 68% of the voters in Escambia County approved the renewal of this sales tax, and eight years prior, they passed it by more than 70%.
Over the years, this innovative funding source has become a cornerstone for the school district’s ambitious projects, providing crucial support for the construction of replacement schools such as AK Suter Elementary, Ernest Ward Middle, and Pleasant Grove Elementary, as well as new schools like Global Learning Academy, Kingsfield Elementary, and Beulah Middle.
These funds have also supported renovations and additions at existing facilities: West Florida High, OJ Semmes Elementary, Ferry Pass Middle, Pensacola High, and essential advancements in technology.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, the urgency to improve indoor air quality became one of the district’s top priorities, leading to extensive replacement of outdated HVAC systems, chillers, cooling towers, flooring, and windows. To maximize available federal funds, revenue from the half-cent sales tax was used for renovations alongside projects funded by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER).
Currently on the drawing board are plans for new elementary schools in Beulah and Cantonment.
Wholesale Change Thanks to the Half-Cent Sales Tax
The half-cent sales tax has revolutionized the local education landscape and continues to change the playing field. Generating annual revenue in the range of seven to eight million dollars, Escambia County Public Schools has been able to grow to meet community demands.
Originally, this revenue was restricted to classroom-related expenditures. However, the scope expanded to include improvements for entire schools, allowing for diverse projects such as the installation of tracks, gymnasiums, and covered play areas for elementary schools.
One of the strategic moves made by Escambia County Public Schools was to address facility disparities. This commitment led to the construction of covered play areas in every elementary school, a gymnasium in each middle school, and other district-wide improvements. This approach aimed to provide uniform, high-quality facilities across the district, enhancing the overall learning environment.
Good Stewards of Your Tax Dollars
Escambia County Public Schools has undertaken a strategic planning approach to ensure that every dollar from the half-cent sales tax is maximized for the benefit of students. This includes forward-thinking initiatives, such as budgeting for renovations and allocating funds for elementary, middle, and high school improvements, to keep the district at the forefront of educational infrastructure.
The Half-Cent Sales Tax Watchdog Committee works collaboratively with the district, adding a layer of fiduciary management by the community. This committee has provided oversight of these expenditures since the inception of the half-cent sales tax, making this initiative the only K-12 sales tax to employ such collaboration and oversight.
Our innovative use of the half-cent sales tax is transforming education in the region. From facility improvements to adapting to technological advancements and external challenges, the district is committed to providing an environment conducive to learning for every student.
We ask for your continued support and vote to renew the half-cent sales tax. The impact of this funding strategy will resonate in Escambia County for years to come, enhancing the education and lives of our students as future employees, co-workers, and neighbors.
Keith Leonard is superintendent of Escambia County Public Schools.
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle School (top), Kingsfield Elementary School (top inset) and Beulah Middle School (lower inset), all of which were constructed with half-cent sales tax funds. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Sneak Peek Photos: The Blue Angels, Thunderbirds Fly On Thursday
November 1, 2024
Naval Air Station Pensacola hosted the 2024 Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show Media Day on Thursday.
NAS and the flightline were closed to the public, but NorthEscambia.com was there to bring you a sneak peek at the show from both the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
For the photo gallery, click here.
Over the weekend, we’ll also bring you bring you our interview with Blue Angel #5 Griffin Stangel, the solo pilot in the show, and others.
- For air show information, click here.
- For base access and a show schedule, click here.
- For tips on taking the best photos, click here.
Pictured: The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds from the flightline Thursday at NAS Pensacola. NorthEscambia.com photos by Perry Doggrell, click to enlarge.
Mostly Sunny, High In The Low 80s For Friday
November 1, 2024
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Calm wind.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph after midnight.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 82. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.
Here’s The Air Show Schedule, Access Info, Prohibited Items List You Need To Know
November 1, 2024
Here’s the schedule and base access information you need to know for the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show for Friday and Saturday:
- All weapons (regardless of permit), including:
- Firearms
- Knives (including pocket knives and multi-tools)
- Replica or toy weapons
- Pepper spray
- Stun guns
- Walking sticks (except for handicap use)
- Outside food or drink
- Bikes, roller skates, roller blades, (kick and electric) scooters, and skateboards
- Pets (not including service animals)
- Drones
- Coolers
- Backpacks and large bags (only small purses, diaper bags, and small camera bags are permitted)
- Ice chests or coolers
- For air show information, click here.
- For tips on taking the best photos, click here.
- For a sneak peak from Thursday’s media day, click here.
Pictured: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly at Naval Air Station Pensacola Thursday. NorthEsambia.com photo by Perry Doggrell, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Gets Past Northview 6-0 In Season Ender
November 1, 2024
The Northview Chiefs came close to ending their season with a win, but they just could not find explosive plays and fell short to the Flomaton Hurricanes 6-0 Thursday night in Bratt.
The game remained scoreless until well into the fourth quarter, when NyZavion French scored on a 9-yard run for Flomaton with 5 minutes to go in the game. The extra point kick was short, giving the Hurricanes a 6-0 advantage.
Northview was able to drive to about the 30-yard line, but momentum was cut short with Dane King was sacked. Then Flomaton had to just run out the clock, but Canes fumbled it away with just 42.7 seconds to go in the game. Northview’s Jackson Helton recovered, giving the Chiefs less than a minute to for a tie and a possible win with a touchdown and a good kick.
On the final play, a pass from Northview’s Dane King to Same Reid was incomplete at time expired.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“I’m so proud of our kids. I thought we had a chance in there and fought hard, gave it all our effort,” Northview head coach Wes Summerford said. “We needed that big play, and I don’t think that big play ever happened. But we played an outstanding game. That’s one of the best games that I’ve seen in a couple of months, and so I’m proud of our kids for that.”
Despite the win, Flomaton head coach Doug Vickery said he felt like Canes fell short in their performance.
“That’s probably the worst game we’ve played all year,” Vickery said, crediting Northview for a good battle. “I told them before the game, you just don’t ever know. It’s like Alabama-Auburn; it’s such a rivalry game you just never know.
“You can’t talk enough about how great these kids are,” Summerford said about the Chiefs. “We all know it is a disappointing season, but the way they responded in the end is exactly what I came to Northview for and what I expect out of Northview.”
“We had a big talk t today about adversity and things like that and battling that, and how that is going to happen in life,” Summerford said. “That’s football. That’s lessons that nobody can teach that football teaches you. I’m so proud of our kids.”
The Flomaton Hurricanes finished their season at 6-4.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Northview Chiefs ended 2024 at 2-8 as they have opted out of an experimental “B” playoff bracket for the bottom 16 FHSAA Rural Division teams that could have seen Northview traveling 800 miles to nearly Key West to take on Marathon High School. The FHSAA experiment is something Summerford said the program just can’t financially afford.
“I want our sports here to be successful; I just don’t think that is a good thing for us, but it may be a good thing for other teams,” he said, noting that several Northview football players also play basketball for the Chiefs in a season that begins soon.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Golfers Ben Robinson And Baylor Touchstone Qualify For Regionals
November 1, 2024
Two Tate High School boys golfers are advancing to regional play next week.
Ben Robinson and Baylor Touchstone, both sophomores, qualified to compete in the 2024 Boys Golf 3A Regional in Port Orange, Florida, on Monday.
From 3A District 1, the Pace and Chiles teams advanced to state.
In girls 3A District 1, Niceville and Pace are headed to state.
Pictured top: Tate golfers Baylor Touchstone (left) and Ben Robinson are headed to regionals on Monday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Angels Homecoming Show: Here Are Tips On How To Take The Best Photos
November 1, 2024
It’s time for the 2024 Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show featured our hometown U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
Today, we are sharing expert tips for how to capture those perfect photos. Perry Doggrell has been shooting the Blue Angels for decades, and for the past 13 years, he’s shot great Blue Angels photos you’ve seen on NorthEscambia.com. And you’ll see his photos again this weekend.
Here are his best tips for getting the best photos, including how to take the best photos with just your phone:
I started taking aviation photos when my mom took me to my first Blue Angels Airshow when I was in elementary school. The Blue Angels were flying A-4’s back then, and she let me use her Kodak Instamatic camera. Needless to say, the photos were less than stellar, and the planes looked like little dots, but I was hooked on trying to take airshow photos from that moment on. I gradually bought better and better cameras and lenses; and went from film, to digital, to mirrorless.
I’m currently using a Nikon Z8 with a Nikkor 180-600mm lens, and a Nikon Z7ii with a Tamron 100-400 lens as a backup and for wider shots. Today’s cameras are more like computers and really take some of the guesswork out of photography. Plus, since there’s no film to worry about, you can take as many photos as you want, and the law of averages says some are bound to turn out good!
So what are some suggestions for taking photos of the Blue Angels? Most importantly, you need to use a high shutter speed. I normally photograph jets with a shutter speed of at least 1/1250th of a second, and sometimes go as high as 1/2000th of a second. Because you are moving and the jet is moving, you need to use a high shutter speed to freeze the action and not blur the photo. You can make adjustments if your photos are slightly under or over-exposed, but you can’t salvage a blurry, shaky photo.
Also be aware that as the day gets later (typically when the Blue Angels fly their show), the position of the sun can really cause light problems. Try to pay attention to which positions the jets seem to be “lit up”, and which positions they are more in the shadows because the sun is more behind them. And even if you get some darker photos because of the light, you can often edit them to make the subject lighter. There is lots of good editing software out there, and even today’s modern cell phones have powerful editing tools.
One word of caution: if you’ve just purchased a new camera and are not familiar with it, try to practice at home and figure out some basic settings. If you don’t have time, I’d recommend setting it in sports mode and leave it alone. I’ve run into many people with brand new cameras who have tried to change so many settings that they end up not being able to take any photos. I might have done that myself once or twice LOL.
If you don’t have a huge lens to shoot with, don’t worry about it. Concentrate on getting the diamond and delta formations along with different formation maneuvers. You can get beautiful wide photos with the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds, the crowd, and even some of your friends all in the photo. Everyone loves a photo of themselves with the Blue Angels in the background!
And if you don’t have a camera at all, you’re still in luck. Today’s cell phones are great at taking wide photos and especially videos. Make some short videos as the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds goe by, or try to catch the “sneak pass” which usually generates some really good vapor. In today’s social media world, videos and reels are much more popular than still photos anyway. So who knows – your iPhone video could go viral!
Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the show! We are lucky to live at the home of the Blue Angels, so there’s always another opportunity to take more Blue Angels photos at a practice or a beach buzz or at the Homecoming Show in November.
- For air show information, click here.
- For base access and a show schedule, click here.
- For a sneak peak from Thursday’s media day, click here.
Perry Doggrell photographs the local Blue Angels air shows for NorthEscambia.com. He is a retired air traffic controller and still works in the aviation industry. He is a volunteer photographer at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Perry focuses on outdoors, wildlife, and aviation; he also does classic car photos. Look for his photos the next several days here on NorthEscambia.com. Find him on Instagram @jays.and.jets or on Facebook at Jays and Jets Photography.
Photos by Perry Doggrell for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two People Injured In Cantonment Crash
November 1, 2024
Two people were injured in a two-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Cantonment.
An adult a male was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital as a “trauma alert”. An adult female reportedly went to the hospital by private vehicle.
The crash happened about 3 p.m. On Highway 95A near Highway 29, in front of Porky’s Pizza.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Here Is This Week’s High School Football Schedule
November 1, 2024
Here is Friday night’s high school football schedule from the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Flomaton 6, Northview 0 [Thursday-Story, photos...]
- Escambia at Tate
- Jay at J.U. Blacksher (Uriah)
- Gulf Breeze at Pensacola
- West Florida at Pine Forest
- Pace at Milton, 7:30 p.m.
- Central at Wewahitchka
- Pensacola Catholic at St. John Paul II
- Niceville at Navarre, 7:30 p.m.
- Bye: Washington
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 6, Northview 0 [Thursday-Story, photos...]
- W.S. Neal at T.R. Miller
Pictured: The Flomaton Hurricanes defeated the Northview Chiefs 6-0 Thursday night. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow Is Friday, Saturday
November 1, 2024
The Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola 2024 Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow – featuring the U.S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron (NFDS) The Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Air Demonstration Squadron The Thunderbirds – is Friday and Saturday.
The homecoming air show has been a mainstay in the area, one of the largest annual events in Florida’s Panhandle, drawing more than 250,000 spectators over two days. The Blue Angels’ annual schedule culminates with the NAS Pensacola Homecoming Airshow, the last of the season for the squadron.
- For a sneak peak from Thursday’s media day, click here.
- For base access and a show schedule, click here.
- For tips on taking the best photos, click here.
Themed *Celebrating One Small Step*, the 2024 NAS Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow will celebrate the 55th anniversary of one of the most significant events in aviation history, the July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 mission’s lunar landing.
“We’re excited to welcome the Blue Angels home with what’s going to be one of the greatest airshows the base has held,” said NAS Pensacola Air Operations Officer and Airshow Director Lt. Cmdr. David Padgett. “The performers and static displays are top-notch, and we have several surprises in store centered around the 55th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic lunar landing. This will be a remarkable experience for the thousands of visitors to our great air station as we *Celebrate One Small Step*.”
In addition to the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, premiere aviation and aerobatic acts will be part of this year’s attractions.
The Apollo 11 mission, during which former Navy pilot Lt.j.g. Neil Armstrong became the first individual to set foot on Earth’s moon, became synonymous with Armstrong’s first words on the moon’s surface: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
In a tribute to those famous words, the NAS Pensacola 2024 Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow will be *Celebrating One Small Step*, a tribute to the intrepid spirit of the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces as well as NASA’s commitment to making air and space accessible to everyone, for the benefit of all.
Additionally, the NAS Pensacola logo was redesigned for the airshow, featuring J. Gosling – the installation mascot – breaching the atmosphere with stars and the moon visible in the background.
Numerous static displays are expected.
NAS Pensacola, referred to as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation,” is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center (NATTC), Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23, and serves as the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).
Pictured: The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly Thursday at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola. NorthEscambia.com photos by Perry Doggrell, click to enlarge.
