The Escambia County School Board and the families attending Warrington Middle School wait to see what Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz and the State Board of Education decide about the school. Escambia County School Board member Kevin Adams expects punitive measures to be recommended.
Why this matters: WMS has been the lowest-performing middle school in the state for years. The school board was told to work out an agreement with Charter Schools USA to take over the school, but the board and the charter operator can’t agree on whether the school should be required to hold 200 spots in the three middle school grades for children living in the attendance zone
On Friday, the school board approved a plan to transfer WMS students to Bailey and Workman middle schools if an agreement cannot be reached with Charter USA. Read more.
“I think the whole issue with this has become something else besides what’s in the best interest of the students,” said Adams on WCOA. “If it was done correctly, you would have a charter operator come in, take over Warrington Middle School – sixth, seventh, eighth, and they would try to do what we couldn’t do to turn around those students. That’s not what’s happening in this deal. They’re proposing a K through 12, basically a choice magnet – where they can choose the students.”
The State Board meeting regarding Warrington Middle School will 9 a.m. CST, notice and agenda here. The meeting will be televised on the Florida Channel.
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