The state board said Escambia has had “every opportunity” to get the school back on track over the past decade, and their time and leniency has expired. “It's our responsibility to our citizens and most importantly to our children, that we do this correctly, and we set this long-term agreement in place properly and responsibly, because that's what we are charged to do is to do the best we can,” Smith said.
And so this is new information that will be shared with the entire board this evening.”Įven with the “great relief” that the zoning issue is resolved, Smith said he cannot speak for school board members as to whether they will vote to approve the contract tonight. “That did not come to us until after our meeting was over on Friday morning. At that point, we had not been given any further information about the contract from Charter Schools USA, with the new verbiage and in terms of the attendance zone staying in effect with the 200 per grade level,” Fetsko said. “Our meeting Friday morning was to discuss where the negotiations were at that time. Zoning is key in charter negotiation: Escambia School District won't leave Warrington kids behind, even under state threats Since then, the Escambia School Board has received clarity that Charter Schools USA will be reserving secured spots at the charter for students living in the Warrington community, which was a major roadblock in getting the contract signed.Įscambia School Board Chairman Paul Fetsko added that he and Smith plan to present the new information to the rest of the Escambia School Board during tonight’s regular meeting, possibly bringing them one step closer on voting to approve the agreement. However, Charter Schools USA brought a counterproposal on May 5. Smith assured the state board that there was a sense urgency in reaching their May 1 deadline to get a contract approved by the board. The Escambia County School Board has struggled in the past few weeks to reach a contract with Charter Schools USA due to a recent set of non-negotiable terms the charter company set surrounding expenses, contract duration and student zoning. Do you understand the situation we have before us?” State Board Member Esther Byrd said. “I can’t tell whether you understand fully that you’re out of compliance with the law. If those funds were to be pulled, Superintendent Tim Smith said taxpayer funds would need to be used to make up for the cost.
CDT on Thursday or the state will withhold funds amounting to the annual salaries of the superintendent and board members. The district must meet compliance by 9:45 a.m. The Escambia County School Board has 48 hours to get a contract signed for Warrington Middle School or salaries are on the line, state officials warned during an Emergency State Board of Education teleconference Tuesday meeting.
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