BOE Votes To Prevent Major Drops In School Grades
July 17, 2013
After a debate that raised questions about the validity of Florida’s school grades, a divided state Board of Education on Tuesday approved a plan that will shield schools from steep drops this year in their closely watched grades.
The board, in a 4-3 vote, approved a recommendation by Education Commissioner Tony Bennett that will prevent drops of more than one letter grade. As an example, a school that received a B grade last year could only drop to a C when new grades are released later this month.
Bennett made the recommendation after school superintendents said they were concerned that grades could plummet this year for many schools. Superintendents pointed, at least in part, to repeated changes in the state’s school-accountability system — 13 this year alone — which they say have made it harder to meet standards and have created uncertainty.
Bennett, speaking to reporters before the board meeting, said his recommendation was part of an effort to prepare for a transition to what are known as the “Common Core Standards,” a major undertaking that will fully take effect during the 2014-15 school year. He said the recommendation to prevent steep drops in letter grades was only temporary and did not reflect a lessening of standards.
“I will hold fast that this should not be permanent and cannot be part of the permanent accountability landscape,” Bennett said.
But board member Sally Bradshaw, one of the dissenters, said limiting the drops in grades will disguise what is happening in schools and compromises the “rigor of our system.”
“Why are we going to mislead parents and the public on how their schools are doing?” asked Bradshaw, who served as a chief of staff for former Gov. Jeb Bush.
Other board members, including Chairman Gary Chartrand, who voted for Bennett’s recommendation, questioned whether the grading system remains statistically valid. Bennett said the system has become overly “nuanced” because of changes in calculations through the years.
“I don’t know that it’s a real measurement any more, I’m sorry to say,” said board member Kathleen Shanahan, who also is a former Bush chief of staff.
The A-through-F grading system was a high-profile part of Bush’s efforts to remake the public-school system after he took office in 1999. While critics have often questioned whether the grades give an accurate picture of what happens within schools, the grades have become an annual ritual and are watched by everyone from parents to real-estate salespeople.
Bush remains highly influential in state education policy, and the executive director of an organization Bush leads, the Foundation for Florida’s Future, urged the Board of Education to vote against Bennett’s school-grades recommendation.
In a letter to the board Monday, foundation Executive Director Patricia Levesque wrote that reading and math scores this year on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test “basically were stagnant” compared to last year.
“And when scores are stagnant, students are not making gains, schools will not earn credit for gains and school grades will drop,” Levesque wrote. “When this occurs it is not the fault of the grading scale, it is a result of low performance, not an encouraging sign as we prepare for Common Core. We have to do much better.”
But House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, issued a statement after the meeting that described the board’s vote as a “welcomed move away from the education policy dictates of conservative ideologues.”
“I am pleased that four out of the seven state board members followed the advice of superintendents and public school experts who sought much-needed changes to Florida’s school grading formula,” Thurston said.
Bennett said he expects school grades to be issued by the end of July. Voting in favor of Bennett’s recommendation were Chartrand and board members Ada Armas, John Colon and Barbara Feingold. Joining Bradshaw and Shanahan in dissent was John Padget.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Photos: Train Derailment
July 17, 2013
A train derailed Tuesday afternoon near “L” Street in Pensacola. The wheels of one hopper-type car came off the tracks about 5:00 p.m., temporarily blocking the roadway. There were no injuries.
The incident was at least the second minor derailment in Escambia County in the past month. On June 19, there was a minor derailment at the Louis Street Crossing in Cantonment.
Photos by Regina Barry for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gaetz, Others Urge FWC To Back Deer Importation Ban
July 17, 2013
Senate President Don Gaetz and two other Panhandle lawmakers this week urged the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to approve a ban on importing deer from out of state, amid concerns about the spread of a disease that can be fatal to the animals.
Last month, Gaetz, his son, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Sen. Greg Evers asked the commission to wait for more evidence of the impact of Chronic Wasting Disease. The panel postponed a decision on a ban until its September meeting.
But now the lawmakers say the risk is too great.
“Please accept this letter as acknowledgement that the scientific case for closing the border is stronger than we had originally understood,” they wrote Monday to FWC Chairman Kenneth Wright. “We now believe that moving forward with (the ban) is the prudent course of action.”
Chronic Wasting Disease is similar to Mad Cow Disease and is fatal to deer. If a deer is found with the disease, the entire population — fee-ranging or farmed — must be eradicated to prevent it from spreading.
Marion Hammer of the National Rifle Association, which backs the ban, says the disease could wipe out all the state’s deer.
“Some folks say it’s manageable. It’s not manageable,” Hammer said. “Why should you wait to try to manage something when you can take action to prevent getting it in the first place?”
But opponents of the ban said the move is unnecessary.
“I think it’s a shame,” said Chris Winsey, president of the Southeast Trophy Deer Association. “We’re just being prejudiced toward the deer versus any other animal that’s being moved in our state.”
“They don’t have enough data to close the border,” said Mike Vizcaino, a deer farmer in the St. Augustine area. “If these guys were really afraid of CWD, they would be promoting a statewide testing requirement rather than closing the borders.”
Vizcaino said the ban had been pushed by importers who are stocking up on deer now “so they can set the prices” once the ban goes into effect. “This is all about money.”
Currently, to reduce chances of the disease entering Florida, the state bans deer from being imported from those states and Canadian provinces where infected deer have been found. The ban also prohibits deer killed in those areas from being brought into Florida unless they have first been deboned or treated and mounted by taxidermists outside the state.
The state also requires that imported deer come from herds that have been certified disease-free for five years. Opponents of the ban have recommended the state consider doubling that time frame.
At last month’s commission meeting, deer farmers and game ranchers said closing the border would increase the risk of the disease turning up in Florida. They predicted an increase in smuggling to keep up with the demand for deer available for hunting.
“I believe this decision is probably going to cripple the (deer) industry in Florida,” Winsey said. “It’s a shame how we continue to discriminate against people in agriculture.”
But Hammer said the disease is so deadly that if it spread to Florida, deer hunting would become too dangerous to continue.
“If we got Chronic Wasting Disease in the state of Florida, I’d never eat another piece of venison,” she said. “The risk is too great. So we need to take the steps that are best to prevent ever getting the disease to begin with.”
The disease is not known to affect people.
Backers of the ban include not only the NRA but the Florida Wildlife Federation, United Sportsmen of Florida, Florida Deer Association, Florida Zoo Association and the Humane Society.
Hammer wants the commission to schedule an emergency meeting to hasten the start of the ban, but FWC spokesman Tony Young said Tuesday that wasn’t necessary.
By The News Service of Florida
Jeanette Spooner Ray
July 17, 2013
Jeanette Spooner Ray, 82 of Atmore, passed away Saturday, July 06, 2013, in Pinehurst, NC. She was a homemaker, born in Dothan, AL on January 18, 1931, to the late Beechum and Tannie Paterson Spooner.
She is preceded in death by her brother, Jimmy Spooner; sisters, Lois Spooner, Mamie Synco and Pearl Adkinson.
Survivors include her husband, Edwin Wood Ray of Atmore; one son, Joe (Deborah) Ray of Montrose, AL; two daughters, Kathy (John) Hasty of Pinehurst, NC and Mary (David) Crane of Ft.Lauderdale; grandchildren, Brandi (Mark) Scwartz, Sherri (Jason) Ivey, Emily Ray, Ben Ray, and Allen Ray; great-grandchildren, Raygen Scwartz and LeighAnne Ivey.
Graveside services will be held Saturday, July 20, 2013, at 10 a.m. in Oak Hill Cemetery, with Bro. John Brannon officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Family will receive friends after the graveside service at the Ray’s residence on Fernway Drive.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Students Sit In At Scott’s Office Calling For Special Session
July 17, 2013
About 40 students sat in Tuesday at the Governor’s Office, waiting for Gov. Rick Scott to return from a trip to New York and take up their demand for a special legislative session addressing laws they say unfairly affect minority youth.
As of shortly before 5 p.m., they were leaving Scott’s waiting area and making plans to spend the night in the Capitol rotunda.
The students, part of a group called the Dream Defenders, said they’re responding to the “not guilty” verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman, who was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death last year of black teen Trayvon Martin in Seminole County.
They want Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense law changed. They asked for a meeting with Scott, and when told he was unavailable, vowed to wait for his return. They want Scott to call a special session to create a Trayvon Martin Civil Rights Acts and address “stand your ground vigilantism, racial profiling and a war on youth that paints us as criminals and funnels us out of schools and into jails.”
Scott’s office put out a statement suggesting the governor is unlikely to meet their demands.
“As the governor has said, as a father and a grandfather, his heart goes out to Trayvon Martin’s family and all those affected by his death,” said Communications Director Melissa Sellers in an email. “We are grateful that people across our great nation have the right to assemble and share their views. … Immediately following Trayvon Martin’s death, Gov. Scott called a bi-partisan special task force with 19 citizens to review Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. This task force listened to Floridians across the state and heard their viewpoints and expert opinions on this law. The task force recommended that the law should not be overturned, and Gov. Scott agrees.”
The governor’s task force did not include opponents of the controversial “stand your ground” law, although Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Ft. Lauderdale, had asked to be appointed. The panel recommended few changes, and the 2013 Legislature refused to hear any bills that would have changed “stand your ground.”
“Even the governor’s task force filed legislation that wasn’t heard,” Smith said. “There was a fear of even discussing it. But I think the more and more pressure that’s put on Florida to at least have the discussion, I think (it) will happen this year.”
The stand-your-ground law drew widespread publicity when Zimmerman was not arrested for 44 days after shooting the 17-year-old Martin. The law says people have a right to meet “force with force” if they reasonably believe such steps are necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.
While Zimmerman ultimately was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, a six-member jury Saturday found him not guilty.
The students sat in the governor’s waiting room from 11 a.m. until shortly before close of business. As Capitol police looked on, they sang and chanted and took turns describing their own encounters with racism.
“So you’re telling me — again — that people who look like me, we don’t matter,” said Shamile Louis, 21, a student at the University of Florida who came from Gainesville to participate. “Our bodies don’t matter. We can lie in the street and be dead and it’s cool. I had a friend killed about a month ago in Orlando. Still no arrest. Still no nothing. Another black man gone. Another young black boy without a father. And so that’s why I’m here today.”
Dorothy Inman-Johnson, a retired poverty-agency administrator and former mayor of Tallahassee, said she she’ll keep protesting until “stand your ground” is abolished.
“If ’stand your ground’ was doing what these legislators said it was supposed to do, the presumption of self-defense should have been Trayvon’s, not George Zimmerman’s,” she said.
There were about 100 protestors when they first marched to Scott’s office, but their numbers dwindled as the day wore on. They ate pizza and played cards while waiting. Some said they expect buses to add to their numbers on Wednesday, with groups coming from Miami, Boca Raton, Orlando and Alabama.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Century Approves $55 Million Bond Issue For UWF Expansion
July 16, 2013
The Town of Century voted Monday night to approve bond issue up to $55 million to fund expansions at the University of West Florida.
Acting as a second signature for the Capital Trust Agency, a bond conduit partnership between Century and Gulf Breeze, Century approved the up to $55 million bond issue with a Provident Resources Group, a Georgia non-profit. The project must now be presented to Gulf Breeze on July 31 with a projected closing date of August 1.
Provident Resources is still considering the proposal and has not signed a formal contract, said Matt Dannheisser, attorney for both Gulf Breeze and Century, but going ahead and obtaining Century’s approval for the project will speed the process along.
If Provident backs out of the project, Century’s early approval will basically be “no harm, no foul”, Dannheisser said. If all $55 million is issued, Century will receive a fee of $19,250.
The up to $55 million UWF project will include 356 student housing beds plus 54 beds dedicated to guest housing, a conference and academic center and parking amenities — although Provident is said to be considering dropping the conference center from the plan. The 18 acres at the east entrance of the campus on Davis Highway will also include space for retail development. The expansion has a target opening date of August 2014.
$40 Million A No-Go
A previous $40 million bond issue for the project essentially collapsed late last month to due to unfavorable changes in the bond market.
The $40 million was to come from the Capital Trust Agency, a bond conduit partnership between Century and Gulf Breeze, for a hotel, conference center, new student housing and more at the Davis Highway entrance to UWF. The college’s development arm, University of West Florida Business Enterprises, Inc., had previously entered into an affiliation agreement with Vieste, LLC, for the project.
Dannheisser said he learned that project financing was failing the day after Century gave its seal of approval in a special meeting.
“I was very disturbed to learn that because it made me appear disingenuous to you when I cam the day before and said otherwise,” he said.
The increased financed amount — from $40 to $55 million — is due to a different planned relationship between the developer and the university. He said that while the project bottom line may come in at $48 million, $55 million was requested. Vieste was to have contributed about $7 million to the project and shared in the profits for the next 50 years, while Provident will not. The bond issued for Provident will be tax-free.
Capital Trust Agency
Century entered into the Capital Trust Agency with Gulf Breeze in 1999 with Century essentially serving as the “second signature” for CTA. Century has received over $650,000 in fees since the inception of CTA. The approval of a $40 million bond issue for UWF would have earned Century about $14,000 in fees upon closing.
The CTA is structured in such a way to indemnify Century from any financial risk, whether it be from a company that defaults on repayment or any other legal liabilities, according to Dannheisser. The funds used for the bonds are from the CTA’s coffers, not from Century or Gulf Breeze.
Picture below: Century’s attorney, Matt Dannheisser, explains a $55 million bond issue to Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez and council member Gary Riley Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Man Arrested On Child Sex Charge After Applying For Job As A Deputy
July 16, 2013
A man that applied for a job as a Santa Rosa County deputy instead found himself behind bars in the Santa Rosa County Jail.
James Rudd Moore, 20, was charged with felony lewd and lascivious offense on a victim age 12-16.
According to Deputy Rich Aloy, spokesman for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, applicants are subject to a detailed background check, including use of a “Computer Voice Stress Analyzer”. During a background investigation, it was determined that Moore was having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a juvenile. During the course of the investigation, enough evidence was uncovered that a warrant was signed by a Santa Rosa County judge.
“We seek to only hire the best recruits available,” Aloy said. “On occasion, the process uncovers serious information.”
Moore was released from the Santa Rosa County Jail on a $30,000 bond.
Northview NJROTC Cadets Complete Basic Leadership Training
July 16, 2013
The Northview NJROTC cadets participated in Basic Leadership Training with 73 cadets from seven Escambia and Santa Rosa county high school NJROTC programs last week on board Naval Air Station Pensacola.
“Our cadets represented Northview High School and this community with the usually pride and winning spirit of the Chiefs,” said Chief Jeffrey Simpkins, NJROTC instructor. The cadets were assisted by Graduate Assistants (GA) that had previously completed the Basic Leadership Training.
Northview cadets received the following awards:
- Lakelynn Parker — 1st in personnel inspection and room inspection; Alpha platoon Motivation Award
- Moriah McGahan –3rd in the mile run; 4th in sit-ups
- Kyle Smith — Bravo platoon’s Distinguish Cadet award
- Douglas Dunkle — 5th place in academics
- Jason Perritt — 7th place in academics.
Pictured: Northview High School NJROTC cadets (front, L-R) Zacarra Davis (GA), Kuper Harkness, Ureil Codrington, Moriah McGahan, Lakelynn Parker Emily Walston, Jenyia Odom (GA), (back row) Lane Carnley (GA), Kyle Smith, Andrew Clemmons, Douglas Dunkle, Jason Perritt, Triston Reaves and, Mason Solchenberger. Not pictured:Victoria Wright (GA). Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Part 2: Inside Century Correctional Institution
July 16, 2013
Today, we continue our look inside the Century Correctional Institution with a look at how prisoners are educated and prepared for release. Our series will continue this week inside the medical unit, the chapel, the prison’s most secure housing unit and more.
Inside the prison, a big focus is put on what happens to an inmate once he’s back on the outside with the rest of society. One instructor, Jimmy Rawlinson, heads up Century Correctional’s education programs. (Pictured top are computer work stations in the education department. The inmate computers do not have internet access.)
Over 50 inmates have earned their GED’s this year, and 28 have earned a Florida Ready To Work certification. The Ready to Work program is reserved for inmates that are just a few months away from their release, preparing them to become productive members of society. A English as a Second Language class is also available. and the Mavis Beacon software program is used to teach inmates typing.
A garden has been established withing the perimeter of the prison. Not only does it provide food; it also provides discipline.
Inmates receive time in the garden as a disciplinary action. In the garden, they weed and water by hand.
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During our visit to the prison library, inmates worked quietly, shelving books.
Inside the Century CI Library is a room (pictured above) that offers a glimmer of hope to inmates looking to get out of prison. It’s a complete law library available to inmates wishing to file motions or formulate their appeal. Several inmates serve as trained law clerks, providing assistance to other inmates. Approved inmates can conduct law research on computers, but there is no internet access on the machines.
In the main library, there was bulletin board celebrating America’s 237th birthday. And a large red sign that seemed very ironic in a prison — “Sign Out Here”.
The remainder of library contains thousands of volumes like any ordinary library. Inmates can check out books and return them in a couple of weeks. But at the Century CI library, the books and magazines have been screened with no descriptive material about prison escapes or weapons, and no sexually suggestive images.
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Next to the CCI Library is the Residential Therapeutic Community. There are 14 employees that provide counseling and substance abuse programs to 160 inmates a day, based upon a community participation approach. The entire program takes just over a year to complete.
The program includes 10 classes geared toward re-entry into society after release, education and self-improvement. The participating inmates are segregated from the general population to avoid reinforcement of negative behaviors.
The Residential Therapeutic Community is all about positive re-enforcement. The building’s walls are lined with motivational signs and paintings, all created by the inmates. Several are pictured below.
Our series “Inside Century Correctional Institution” continues this week on NorthEscambia.com.
Committee Names Top 5 Administrator Candidates; Touart Makes The List
July 16, 2013
The Escambia County Administrator Search Committee has picked their top five candidates to present to the Escambia County Commission on Thursday. The list includes Interim Administrator George Touart.
The committee was created by the commission to review resumes and choose from qualified candidates. The list of over 40 was cut to 10, and now five.
During Monday’s meeting, the committee assigned numerical scores to each candidate; the higher the number, the better. The candidates were ranked as follows (click the candidate’s name for their full resume):
- 43 points — Lyndon Bonner – Ocala, FL. City manager Bunnell, FL; assistant county administrator, Sumter County; county administrator Okeechobee County; city manager North Miami Beach.
- 41 points — George Touart – Pensacola, FL. County administrator with Escambia County, FL; city councilman, Pascagoula, MS; co-owner of two businesses in MS.
- 36 points — David Fanslau – Rock Hill, NY. County manager Sullivan County; township administrator Winslow, NJ and Logan, NJ.
- 33 points — Ronald Rabun – Griffin, GA. County administrator Oconee County, SC; county manager Seminole County, FL; county administrator Manatee County, FL; city manager various cities in GA, FL and WA.
- 31 points — Kenneth Griffin – Tampa, FL. CEO water/sewer authority and assistant county administrator Hillsborough County; executive officer Pearl River Valley Water Supply District
However, the committee voted to send the list to the commission without numeral rankings or point scores attached.
During a Thursday morning Committee of the Whole meeting, the Escambia County Commission will receive and consider the list. The commission is not bound by the list.