In the fall of 2018 when voters approved a referendum empowering the school board to appoint the school superintendent, the district ranked 53 out of 67 counties and had some of the lowest-performing elementary and middle schools in the state.
Our newspaper had uncovered the Newpoint Academy racketeering scheme that eventually stretched to five other counties and became the largest charter school scandal in Florida history.
Many leaders believed the struggling public education system was holding Escambia County back, making it difficult to attract new industries and provide qualified workers for local businesses.
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, who was serving his third term, was balking on accepting a $3 million workforce development from Triumph Gulf Coast because he didn’t like the performance measurements. He eventually refused to sign the agreement.
After a year-long search, the school board hired Dr. Tim Smith from Orlando to be the first appointed superintendent, and he took over in November 2020 after Thomas finished his final term. Smith spent the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year working under a budget that Thomas developed and with his predecessor’s leadership team. And he had to deal with a pandemic.
Despite the challenges, the school district improved its ranking to 48 last year, Smith’s first full school year.
The district’s grade improved from a C in 2018 to a B and increased its number of B schools from eight to 14, while keeping the same number of A schools.
Don’t you love it when facts get in the way of a myth.