Category: Education
Student in Central Fla humiliated for missing FCAT
Mother was “flipping mad†when her son had a sign placed around his neck that read: “‘I decided to come to school today, but I…
Where has the growth been for elementary schools?
The enrollment of A.K. Suter Elementary School is the same that it was in October 2007 – 381 students (and remember the school picked up…
FCAT Gets Feisty
Tensions rose last night at the District School Advisory Council meeting. It’s no surprise that the topic was FCAT. While students and teachers struggle through…
Audits finds problems with School District and its handling of federal funds
Here is a story that the News Journal probably won’t print. The Federal Audit of the Escambia Public School District had major findings on how…
Keep Reading
The IN has already reported on ECARE’s tutoring program and its good results (ricksblog.biz/good-report-card-for-ecare). It’s encouraging to see how a weekly 45 minute tutoring session…
Buzz: Pastor May picks up packet to run for School Superintendent
Rev. Lutimothy May picked up this afternoon a packet from the Supervisor of Elections office to file for the Superintendent of Schools. May ran unsuccessfully…
School Board to hear about natural gas buses
Six months after Mayor Ashton Hayward asked School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas to consider natural gas fueled buses, Thomas is finally presented the idea to the…
Fine-tuning Suter numbers
A friend emailed me that, according to Ron Peacock – school district’s Director of Facilities Planning, the $21 million price tag for the new A.K….
Library Closing, Beginning New Chapter
The West Florida Public Library’s main branch, located at 200 W. Gregory St. downtown Pensacola, will close temporarily in connection with the ongoing construction of…
$21-million Suter project defies board policy and wasn’t planned
“Sal” wrote last Friday that the expansion of A.K. Suter Elementary has been in the works for years. He got me double-checking my research and…
Help teachers teach
DonorsChoose.org grew out of a Bronx high school where teachers experienced first-hand the scarcity of learning materials in our public schools. Charles Best, then a…
Oh, By the way
How many of you believe that it’s just a coincidence that two new schools that are being built are in the districts of school board…
Only 52 percent of students at Suter Elementary live in attendance zone
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and the Escambia County School Board want to replace A.K. Suter Elementary with a new $21-million facility–the most the district has ever…
Florida Voices column gets attention
FEATURED STORIES Parent trigger bill sparks fierce debate as vote nears By Leslie Postal Orlando Sentinel A proposal that could let parents decide the…
Lincoln Park has largest enrollment increase
Lincoln Park Elementary has been on Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ chopping block for nearly a year. The mistake he made this time was to tell parents,…
Parent Triggering bill could destroy public education
My latest column for Florida Voices is on the proposed “parent triggering” bill, the crowning blow to a decade-long effort to take “public†out of…
U.S. Dept. of Education finds huge racial disparities in public education
A report released today by the U.S. Department of Education has particular significance for Escambia County, in light of our cover story on such disparities…
Building a Better Future
UWF’s Building Construction program is dedicated to teaching students the latest technology, incorporating the highest standards in energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. Josh Newby with…
In 9 years, Escambia School District General Fund Reserves grew 377%
I reviewed the past 9 years to see how the Escambia County School District has grown General Fund Reserves under both Malcolm Thomas and his…
How did School District grow reserves by 177% in two years?
We know that local governments have struggled these past two years as property taxes have fallen and other revenues have declined. Salaries have been frozen,…
