Category: Education
Superintendents tell Florida lawmakers about school security issues
The Florida Senate Education Committee had last week three county school superintendents to discuss school security and suggest ways to make schools safer. Florida spends…
School District wants you to give your security ideas to principals
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has formed, as I reported earlier this week, a campus security task force. His office issued this press release on it. He…
Thomas says school marshals may be in the future for Escambia elementary schools
Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas told his school board at special workshop on Thursday that he has talked with local law enforcement about establishing…
Superintendent Thomas and School Board to discuss security today at 3 p.m.
At its workshop today, the Escambia County School Board and Superintendent Malcolm Thomas will discuss school security. Chairman Jeff Bergosh has placed on the agenda…
How safe are your kids at school? We don’t know
We asked the Escambia Public School District what schools have surveillance cameras and what schools have access control. We know that some do, but not…
Escambia County losing high school students from year-to-year
There is good and bad news in the Escambia County’s public school enrollment statistics. The district’s enrollment increased by 174 students over the 2011-12 Fall…
School Board approves funds for deputies in elementary schools. Sigh, Okaloosa not Escambia
While Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is forming a task force on school safety, Okaloosa County is moving rapidly ahead on putting deputies in its elementary schools….
Buzz: Scott wanted Board members who pledged no tuition increases
Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed last Thursday five members to the Board of Governors of the State University System. Our sources are telling us that…
AT&T gives $50K to UWF BEST Robotics Hub
Press Release: Continuing its dedication to the University of West Florida and BEST Robotics, AT&T presented a $50,000 contribution to support the Emerald Coast BEST…
Library Focus Groups
Escambia County press release: The West Florida Public Library System is looking for individuals interested in participating in focus groups to help shape the future…
Teacher quits, refuses to create generation of test takers (video)
Fifteen-year veteran elementary teacher says “I quit”. Parents need to know what is being done to their children – and it’s not the teacher’s fault!…
AP Exam Reports: Escambia lags behind State, not much improvement since 2009
The Florida Dept. of Education has posted the AP exam statistics for the 2011-12 school year on its website. Statewide 29.6 percent of the 10-12th…
Only 42 percent of Escambia County high school graduates plan to attend a college. State average is two-thirds
Every time a new statistic comes out on education I find myself looking harder at what is happening in the Escambia County public school district….
High School grades are in. Escambia maintains. State touts successes elsewhere
All the high schools in the Escambia Public School District maintained their school grades for the 2011-12 school year, except for Northview that dropped from…
Simplest response to Sandy Hook: More School Resource Officers
Rather than arming every school teacher, the simplest response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary is for Escambia and Santa Rosa school districts to…
Lewis Bear, Jr. named chairman of UWF Board of Trustees
Today, the University of West Florida Board of Trustees voted to name Trustee Lewis Bear, Jr. Chairman of the Board and Trustee Mort O’Sullivan vice…
Seminole County tackles homelessness
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Seminole County commissioners today are expected to award nearly $1.5 million to the Harvest Time International charity in Sanford to…
How do our high school graduation rates rank with similar size Florida schools. Not well
By far, West Florida High has the best graduation rate of four-year high school students in Escambia County, but how do the other county high…
Overall Escambia County graduation rate ranked 60 out of 67 counties
These high school graduation rates for four-year students is done using the methodology developed by the U.S. Dept. of Education to develop a graduation rate…
BTW: Florida has one of the worse high school graduation rates in the country
The U.S. Department of Education released data last week listing state four-year high school graduation rates in 2010-11—the first year for which all states used…
