Escambia County School District

Last updated
Escambia County School District
Escambia County School District, Pensacola.jpg
Location
Pensacola
United States
District information
Type Public
Motto"Making a positive Difference"
GradesK-12
SuperintendentVacant
Schools51
Budget$617,784,087.64
Students and staff
Students40,496 [1]
Teachers5372
Other information
Schedule
  • Elementary 7AM-2PM CST
  • Middle 9:20AM-4:15PM
  • High School 8AM-3PM
Website www.escambia.k12.fl.us

The Escambia County School District (ECSD) is the organization responsible for the administration of public schools in all of Escambia County, Florida, in the United States. [2] The district currently administers 35 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and seven high schools, as well as a number of specialized centers.

Contents

The district is administered by an appointed superintendent and a five-member school board. The superintendent of schools is Timothy Smith, who replaced Malcolm Thomas. Thomas served an initial four-year term that began November 18, 2008, and was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. The Escambia County electors voted in November 2018, to switch from an elected superintendent to an appointed superintendent. Prior to 2020, the superintendent was elected in presidential election years. The deputy superintendent of schools is Shenna Payne, a former principal of West Florida High School.

Book banning

On May 17, 2023, two Escambia County parents and the freedom of speech group PEN America cited Island Trees School District v. Pico in a lawsuit against the Escambia County School District for allegedly banning books from public school libraries. [3] [4] As the complaint noted, the logic used to ban books by the school district would justify banning "books about Christianity, the country’s founders, or war heroes." Banned books included a book by renowned children's author Eric Carle, pro-civil-rights books by Toni Morrison, and the anti-Taliban novel The Kite Runner.

Governance

The members of the school board are: [5]

Members are elected in their respective districts for a four-year term. Representatives from districts 1, 2, and 3 are elected in non-presidential election years. Representatives for districts 4 and 5 are elected in presidential election years. Although elected by districts, each member is charged by statute with representing the entire school district.

Because the school board elections are non-partisan, these races are frequently decided in the primary election. If a candidate gets a majority of the vote in the primary, he or she wins, and the race is not on the general election ballot in November. If no candidate has a majority of the vote, the top two are in a run-off on the November ballot.

The school board appointed Tim Smith as superintendent. Smith was sworn in on November 17, 2020, replacing Malcolm Thomas, whose term ended.

Prior to 2018 voters directly elected the superintendent; voters chose to make the superintendent chosen by the school board that year. In 2023 the school board rejected a proposal to make the superintendent an elected position again. [6]

Schools

Adult Centers

High schools

Middle schools

Closed

  • Woodham Middle School, formerly Woodham High School, was converted to a middle school following the 2006–07 school year. Closed the summer after the 2017-18 school year and began renovations to be converted into the new West Florida High School of Advanced Technology campus.
  • Wedgewood Middle School
  • Brentwood Middle School
  • Brownsville Middle School
2007 Changes

Effective for the 2007–08 school year, Wedgewood Middle School and Brentwood Middle School students were transferred to Woodham High School, now Woodham Middle School. Brownsville Middle School students were transferred to Warrington Middle School, Brown Barge Middle School students were transferred into the Brentwood Middle School building, and Brownsville, Brentwood, and Wedgewood schools were closed.

2018 Changes

Effective for the 2018-19 school year, Woodham Middle School students were transferred to Ferry Pass Middle School, Workman Middle School, Warrington Middle School, and Beulah Middle School. This was in preparation for Woodham's former campus to be refitted into a new campus for West Florida High School of Advanced Technology.

Elementary schools

Pensacola Beach Elementary School was previously controlled by the district before becoming a charter school PensacolaBeachES.jpg
Pensacola Beach Elementary School was previously controlled by the district before becoming a charter school

Pensacola Beach Elementary School, which became a charter school in 2001, is a part of the ECSD. [8]

Alternative Schools

Failing schools

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) determines which schools in the state of Florida should be considered "Failing." The Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) began phasing out the FCAT in the 2010–11 academic year in response to the inauguration of the Common Core State Standards Initiative under the administration of US President Barack Obama in 2010.

FCAT and FSA scores are calculated per subject on a 0 to 100 scale, and ratings in the 0 to 20 or 20 to 40 range are rated "F" or "D" respectively, indicating severe performance shortcomings and contributing to a 2 and 3-year process respectively of "restarting" the school. [10]

In the 2017–18 school year, Escambia County placed as 52nd of 64 counties in the state by FSA performance, [11] with eleven of thirty-five elementary schools receiving a D rating and three of ten middle schools receiving a D rating. No high school performed at a rating of D or below, though Escambia High School and Ferry Pass Middle School both recorded an "I," or Incomplete rating for the 2017-18 school year. [12]

Elementary SchoolGrades2017-18 School Year Rating
Brentwood Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
C.A. Weis Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Ensley Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Global Learning AcademyPreK-5D
Longleaf Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Navy Point Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Oakcrest Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Reinhardt Holm Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Sherwood Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Warrington Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
West Pensacola Elementary SchoolPreK-5D
Middle SchoolGrades2017-18 School Year Rating
Bellview Middle School6-8D
Warrington Middle School6-8D
Woodham Middle School6-8D
Ferry Pass Middle School6-8I
High SchoolGrades2017-18 School Year Rating
Escambia High School9-12I

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escambia County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Escambia County is the westernmost and oldest county in the U.S. state of Florida. It is in the state's northwestern corner. At the 2020 census, the population was 321,905. Its county seat and largest city is Pensacola. Escambia County is included within the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county population has continued to increase as the suburbs of Pensacola have developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle Grove, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Myrtle Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is considered to be a community within Pensacola. The population was 15,870 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida. Pensacola is the principal city of the Pensacola Metropolitan Area, which had an estimated 502,629 residents in 2019. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pace, Florida</span> Unincorporated Area in Florida, United States

Pace is an unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County, Florida. It is the second largest community in Santa Rosa County, and is a part of the Pensacola Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pace has experienced exponential growth, and has evolved from a small, rural community to a thriving bedroom community of Pensacola with growing residential and commercial options. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 24,684. From 2000 to 2010, the Pace CDP population growth percentage was 171.1%, and from 2010 to 2020, the population growth percentage was 22.8%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola Beach, Florida</span> Unincorporated Community in Florida, United States

Pensacola Beach is an unincorporated community located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is situated south of Pensacola in the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the community had a total population of 2,738. It has been described as "famous" for its ultra-white sand beaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola High School</span> American public high school

Pensacola High School is a secondary school located near downtown Pensacola, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodham High School</span>

Woodham High School was a secondary school located in Pensacola, Florida. The high school was closed after nearly 42 years of operation in May 2007. It is now known as Woodham Middle School. Woodham Middle School is now closed and West Florida High School of Advanced Technology and its faculty, staff, and students have transferred over from Longleaf Drive to the old school grounds of Woodham Middle School and is now located there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon County Schools</span> School district in Leon County, Florida

Leon County Schools (LCS) is a school district headquartered in the LCS Admin Complex in Tallahassee, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Breeze High School</span> Public school in Florida, United States

Gulf Breeze High School is a public secondary school located at 675 Gulf Breeze Parkway in Gulf Breeze, Florida. It is one of eleven high schools of the Santa Rosa County School District and the only high school in the city of Gulf Breeze.

Brevard Public Schools is a school district serving Brevard County, Florida, and based in Viera, Florida.

Edgewood Independent School District is a public school district based in San Antonio, in Bexar County, Texas (USA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan statistical area in Florida, United States

The Pensacola metropolitan area is the metropolitan area centered on Pensacola, Florida. It is also known as the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) used for statistical purposes by the United States Census Bureau and other agencies. The Pensacola Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area was first defined after the 1960 United States Census, with Pensacola as the principal city, and included Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Ferry Pass and Brent, which are unincorporated census-designated places in Escambia County, were added as principal cities after the 2000 Census. The population of the MSA in the 2020 census was 511,502.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School District of Palm Beach County</span> School district in Florida, US

The School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) is the tenth-largest public school district in the United States, and the fifth largest school district in Florida. The district encompasses all of Palm Beach County. For the beginning of the 2018–2019 academic year, enrollment totaled 192,533 students in Pre-K through 12th grades. The district operates a total of 180 schools: 109 elementary, 34 middle, 23 high, 14 alternative, adult and community, intermediate, and Exceptional Student Education (ESE). It has 27,168 employees and 45,000 volunteers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School District of Manatee County</span> School district in Florida, United States

The School District of Manatee County, in Manatee County, Florida, provides education to over 50,000 students. It employs over 7,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duval County Public Schools</span> Public school district in the United States

Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is the public school district that serves the families and children residing in the urban, suburban, and rural areas of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida. As of 2015, the district had an enrollment of over 129,000 students, making it the 21st largest school district in the United States, and the 6th largest school district in Florida. The district's 196 schools are traditional neighborhood and magnet schools, charter schools, and alternative schools, all of which serve students of various needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Johns County School District</span> School district in Florida, United States

St. Johns County School District (SJCSD) is the public school district for St. Johns County, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin County School District</span> Public school system in Florida, United States

Martin County School District, also referred to officially as the School Board of Martin County, is a public school district that covers Martin County, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami-Dade County Public Schools</span> Public school system of Miami-Dade County, Florida, serving Miami

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is the public school district serving Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida, the largest in the Southeastern United States, and the third-largest in the United States with a student enrollment of 356,589 as of August 30, 2021.

Brownsville is an unincorporated community in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is located within the census-designated place of West Pensacola. It was enumerated as a Census-Designated Place in 1960, when the population recorded was 38,417. The ZIP code for Brownsville is 32505.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Salzman</span> American politician

Michelle Salzman is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives representing the state's 1st District, which includes the northern portion of Escambia County. She was elected to the seat in November 2020, after she defeated Democratic candidate Franscine Mathis in the general election. Prior to that she defeated incumbent Mike Hill in the Republican primary in August 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Student Enrollment".
  2. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Escambia County, FL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved 2022-08-01. - Text list
  3. ↑ "Pen American Center, Inc., et al. v. Escambia County School District and the Escambia County School Board" (PDF). Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ Picchi, Aimee (May 17, 2023). "Florida county school district sued by largest U.S. publisher over book ban". CBS News . Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Escambia County School Board". Escambia County School District. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Misencik, Brittany (2023-03-21). "Escambia County School Board votes against return to elected superintendent". Pensacola News Journal . Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  7. ↑ "Blue Angels Elementary School".
  8. ↑ Home. Pensacola Beach Elementary School. Retrieved on January 31, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Escambia Virtual Academy: Home Page". Archived from the original on 2011-08-15.
  10. ↑ "Florida Standards Assessments". Florida Department of Education. Florida Department of Education. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Florida School Accountability Reports". Florida Department of Education. Florida Department of Education. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "Data for Florida Schools". Pensacola News Journal. USA Today. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.