On our ailing education system
Tags: Escambia County School Board / Escambia Superintendent of Schools
We all know it. Escambia County’s public education system is a joke. We’ve got some dedicated teachers, but they’re overworked, underpaid, and mismanaged. Now they’re being asked to teach more children with less prep time. As always, we will reap the consequences of the lousy decisions we make.
I understand the need to make cuts and hold down costs. Revenue to the State is down, and they’ve cut education funding. Our school district has to do more with less. That said, we’re making bad decisions. This is a result of some of the choices we made at the polls in November, including electing Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. We voted f0r a superintendent who embraces the Jim Paul vision of making cuts that impact the classroom rather than the administration. I hope folks aren’t surprised by what they get.
As much as I enjoy superintendent of schools elections, perhaps it’s time to shift to an appointed superintendent system, where the School Board can hire the best man or woman available on the free market. An appointed superintendent wouldn’t have to worry about reelection when he or she should be worrying about our school district. If he or she didn’t do a good job, we wouldn’t have to wait until the next election to show him or her the door. Most of all, an appointed superintendent system opens up the doors to a wider talent pool. Whereas candidates for the elected superintendent must meet residency requirements, an appointed superintendent could be drawn from anywhere, including other successful school districts.
Let’s think about it.
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Thanks so much for raising this issue! I’ve lived in several communities that have appointed superintendents & their school systems are far superior from that in Escambia County. You can draw talent from throughout the country & if the superintendent does something stupid as Paul did, they can be fired & you can move on — and not wait until the next election.
Perhaps we can improve Escambia County schools by charging an entry fee into the Garden Street office to bolster revenue. Entrants can squeal with delight and terror in mazes of smoke and mirrors, while stalking the corridors in a “How-to-become-an-employee” scavenger hunt, complete with red herrings and misinformation. Thye can also attend “How-to-pretend-to-juggle-too-much-information” seminars with a host of clowns. History buffs can glimpse into the past with the intra-departmental telephone game, during which participants see how convoluted messages can become when hustled between departments using archaic information processing techniques. Quiz games are fun, too, including “Guess what I’m having for lunch today” and the “What do you think my score was on the back nine” game. For a real scare, dare to peek into Escambia County student records to see how no county intiatives seem to help students from consistently underperforming.
The school board let the USO building they own deteriorate. After Ivan the blue tarp hung on until it was in shreds. They, like the city, own buildings but will not sink a dime in maintaining until the damage is so bad it must be repaired or torn down. See moldy fire stations for additional information or the ESP building molding since Ivan, with finally a plan by the city to lease it.
It appears the school board manages the schools like they do their real estate.
A real shame about the USO building at 25 South Spring. Really nice building that I hope can be salvaged.
I am astounded by inconsistency in your reasoning for an appointed Superintendent.