In August 2015 as the new school year was about to begin and the election was a year away, School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas announced his “bold initiative:” Vision 2020.
He said he would change how learning was done in the classroom by aligning teaching and testing while simultaneously reducing district-standardized tests. He would give every student a Chromebook, reinvent the classroom and provide more hands-on learning experiences.
Thomas promised to transform the school media centers “from places where books and materials are checked out into beehives of active learning activities and innovation.†He would create flexible class schedules that allow students to work alone or with a group for student-centered analysis in both the classrooms and media (innovation) centers.
Dance, music, visual and performance art would be integrated into the core academic subjects. And he would leverage technology and digital resources to enhance learning outcomes.
We are nearing the mid-point of Thomas’ “bold initiative.” School grades have headed in the wrong direction. The school year before the superintendent announced his five-year plan that would catapult him into a third term, the district had 12 A schools and only 7 D or F schools.
The 2017-18 school year ended with only 8 A schools and 14 D schools.
| # Schools | ||
| 2015 | 2018 | |
| A | 12 | 8 |
| B | 9 | 7 |
| C | 18 | 18 |
| D | 5 | 14 |
| F | 2 | 0 |
In July, the Escambia County School Board approved hiring the Rensselaerville Institute, which is headquartered in Delmar, NY, to operate Warrington Middle School for three years at cost of $ $1.474 million. The company will also help principals and faculty at the district’s nine low-performing elementary schools: Global Learning Academy, Warrington, Ensley, Navy Point, Holm, Montclair, Sherwood, Brentwood and West Pensacola. That contract is $350,000.
A professional, appointed superintendent would be considerably cheaper.