School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas finally had to admit that he didn’t know how to deal with the challenges of his most troubled schools. The Escambia County School Board this month approved hiring the Rensselaerville Institute, which is headquartered in Delmar, NY, to operate Warrington Middle School and help principals and faculty turnaround nine elementary schools:Global Learning Academy, Warrington, Ensley, Navy Point, Holm, Montclair, Sherwood, Brentwood and West Pensacola.
The three-year contract for Warrington Middle totals $1.474 million – WMS Contract. The company will be paid $350,000 to help low-performing nine elementary schools – Other Schools.
Rensselaerville Institute is the second company the district has hired to turnaround Warrington Middle. In 2014, the school board hired the Jacksonville-based consulting firm Turnaround Solutions Inc. for $375,000 to make academic gains at the middle school. The school’s grade remained a ‘D.’