Education Commissioner Recommends Changes To School Grading System
July 15, 2013
Education Commissioner Tony Bennett will ask the State Board of Education next week to prevent schools from dropping by more than one letter grade on the state report card in an effort to counter what superintendents say could be an alarming drop in grades.
Bennett’s recommendations, to be taken up at a specially called meeting Tuesday, are seen as an effort to avoid another botched rollout of the school grades after last year’s release became a public-relations headache for the Department of Education.
Bennett’s predecessor, Gerard Robinson, resigned a short time later, though Robinson said he was leaving to spend more time with his family.
The limit on any drop in school grades was one of the key recommendations that local superintendents offered Bennett during discussions last week. It would continue a policy started last year during the grades controversy. The superintendents say that some of the data they’re getting back as they do the initial calculations for the report cards this year seem to be off — but they don’t know why.
Part of the problem, they say, is that the state has implemented 13 changes this year alone to the accountability system for schools — making it harder to meet the standards and harder to figure out what’s going wrong. Concerns about that complexity also hover over the state’s efforts to put in place the “Common Core State Standards,” which are based on national guidelines.
In a letter to state board members explaining his thinking, Bennett took pains to distance the school-grades proposal from any idea that it would water down the state’s accountability system.
“To be clear, my recommendations, outlined below, are made not to soften the blow of higher standards or to reduce the number of failing schools, but rather to advance the best policy for Florida’s students and position our state for a successful transition to full implementation of the CCSS (Common Core State Standards) in the 2014-2015 school year and beyond,” he wrote.
Bennett also recommended not including the scores of students at so-called “ESE centers,” which teach students with disabilities, in the grades of the schools they might otherwise attend. Currently, those students’ scores would count for the “home school” if the ESE center chooses to receive an alternative rating instead of a school grade.
But because grades are set to be released soon, Bennett said any changes to this year’s grades under that recommendation should be handled retroactively through an appeals process.
Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, said he saw the changes recommended by Bennett as a “good, reasonable response.” Montford, who also serves as the CEO of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, took part in last week’s discussions.
“Clearly, I think this is a fair approach to it,” Montford said.
Montford said he was encouraged that Bennett was keeping the common core system in mind as he considered the changes.
Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who helped spearhead the drive for tweaking this year’s grades, was measured in his praise of the recommendations.
“We support the commissioner’s recommendations, especially the continuation of the temporary safety net that prevents schools from dropping more than one grade letter in a given year,” Carvalho said. “It is our hope, however, that the Florida Board of Education will consider polling districts for the ESE Center choice (rating or grading) prior to the release of school grades; otherwise, they will be branded as failing, and have to appeal.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Walnut Hill Teen, Two Women Seriously Injured In Lillian Hwy Wreck
July 15, 2013
A Walnut Hill teen and two women were seriously injured in a two vehicle wreck Sunday afternoon on Lillian Highway.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 16-year old Deonte Mitchell of Walnut Hill was a passenger in a 2008 Mercury Milan driven by 24-year old Marshall Scott Gilson, Jr. of Pensacola. Their vehicle was traveling at an excessive speed when it entered the intersection of Lillian Highway and 69th Avenue and struck a 1993 Cadillac Deville before hitting a traffic light pole and numerous trees.
Mitchell was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola in serious condition, while Gilson was taken to Baptist Hospital with minor injuries. Another passenger in the vehicle, 22-year old Kenneth J. Nettles of Pensacola, received minor injuries. A fourth passenger in the vehicle, known only as “John”, fled the scene on foot, according to FHP.
The driver of the Cadillac, 46-year old Anja M. Gullen of Pensacola, and passenger 22-year old Sarah J. Morgan, were transported to Baptist Hospital in serious condition.
Gilson was cited for driving without a license and driving too fast for conditions. Gullen was cited for an expired driver’s license, troopers said.
Pictured: A Walnut Hill teen and two women were seriously injured in this two vehicle wreck Sunday afternoon on Lillian Highway. Photo by WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Inside Century Correctional Institution
July 15, 2013
Today, we begin our look inside the Century Correctional Institution with a trip through security and a look at what’s behind the fence and razor wire. Our series will continue this week inside the medical unit, the chapel, the prison’s most secure housing unit and more.
No weapons, no drugs. Must have a picture ID. Subject to search. No cell phones, no cameras. No smartphones.
No smartphone? That one seemed a little harsh and hard to swallow. I live with my smartphone in running NorthEscambia.com — I always figured the paramedics would pry it from my hands one day.
Otherwise the briefing on entering the Century Correctional Institution seemed simple enough. The same rules apply to family visiting prisoners on the weekends, but we were getting the all-access pass, far beyond the visitation room and yard.
We were told the no camera and no phone rules did not apply to us — Tallahassee had pre-approved NorthEscambia.com for the tour. But no photos of locks, guard control rooms or anything else related to security. And no photos that showed the identifiable faces of a prisoner. Seems that the state’s rules say prisoners have a right to privacy behind bars unless they sign a photo release.
Col. Joseph Schwarz is in charge of keeping the prisoners in and the rest of the world out as security boss. A commanding voice, with a bit of an accent, he seemed fit to play himself in a movie giving orders and watching over a Southern prison chain gang.
Standing under the razor wire that surrounds the 40-acre CCI campus, the barbs look like enough deterrent to keep one on the proper side of the fence.
Then it was through the gate, five people at a time on a Community Partnership Tour. Gates and doors must close behind those entering the facility before the one in front opens. There was no slamming sound like the movies. If you are headed into CCI to begin your life sentence, you’ll miss the gate slamming closed sound that momma warned you about. Just the sound of a chain link fence gate closing. And an electrical hum as a lock is opened and closed from a control room. Still, it’s hard to imagine what the feeling would be like headed in for 10, 20 years or even life.
In the guard tower, those watching over Century Correctional from above are armed with different weapons. One of the weapons is a shotgun. Aim is not terribly important with a shotgun…it’s not terribly hard to hit the guy trying to get over the fence.
Just inside the first fence, still surrounded by more fence and razor wire, it very much feels and looks looks the typical preconceived idea of a prison. And then there’s the thought of the guy up in the tower with the shotgun.
Stepping through the second gate is a bit of a surprise. A two-lane road, bright painted yellow lines in the middle and sides. Staff walks down the middle, while prisoners must walk outside the yellow lines on the “shoulder”. The grass is freshly trimmed, flowers beds are neat and plentiful around the buildings lining the road.
The flower beds — filled with fresh mulch, pansies, petunias and other little flowering plants like grandma would plant — are everywhere around the sidewalks and along neatly painted buildings.
Library. Chapel. Security. — neat, hand lettered signs are above the doors of each building. A “Town of Century” water tower close behind the buildings. It really looks more like small town USA than a prison…if you overlook the bars on the windows. Somehow the bars look very out of place on the Chapel.
But at the far end of CCI small town, USA, there’s another fence, razor wire and another guard tower. Beyond those are the dorms — the home of over 1,400 inmates. Some will spend their final days and last breaths here.
Our series “Inside Century Correctional Institution” continues this week on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Fire Destroys Jeep
July 15, 2013
Fire destroyed a Jeep late Sunday night near Barrineau Park.
The fire was reported about 11:40 p.m. on Jacks Branch Road, near the intersection of Barrineau Park Road. The Jeep was fully involved when the first firefighters arrived on scene. There were no injuries.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call.
Pictured inset: A Jeep burns along side Jacks Branch Road late Sunday night before firefighters arrive on scene. Pictured top and below: Firefighters work to extinguish the fire. Reader submitted photos by Nick Helmkin for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NHS QB Club Hosting Softball Tournament
July 15, 2013
The Northview High School Quarterback Club will host a coed softball tournament on August 2 and 3.
The entry fee is $150 per team. To register a team and support the Class 1A state football champions in their upcoming season, call Bodie Tullis at (850) 390-3945.
Editor’s note: The above represents a lower registration fee and a date change from a previous announcement.
Wahoos Blank Biscuits
July 15, 2013
Pensacola’s red-hot offense rolled into the All-Star Break with another strong performance, smashing seven runs on 14 hits in a 7-0 blanking of the Montgomery Biscuits on Sunday evening at Riverwalk Stadium. The win moved the Blue Wahoos to within two games of first place Mobile and marked the first time this season that Pensacola won four games in a single series.
The Wahoos offense came out early, striking for three runs in the first inning against Montgomery starter Jake Floethe. Donald Lutz, Tucker Barnhart and Travis Mattair stroked consecutive RBI singles in the first to give Pensacola the early advantage. An inning later, Brodie Greene doubled with one out, stole third base and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Corey Wimberly to make it 4-0.
That was enough support for Pensacola starter Ryan Dennick who got the nod after pitching just one inning on Friday before rains suspended that contest. Dennick fired five shutout innings, allowing just two hits with a strikeout and two walks to improve to 5-10 on the season.
Chris Manno, Josh Ravin, Loek Van Mil and Jamie Walczak combined to hold the Biscuits to just three hits over the final four innings to give the pitching staff its seventh shutout of the season.
Pensacola put the game away in the top of the eighth inning against reliever Erik Hamren. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Mattair scored Yorman Rodriguez on an RBI groundout before Mike Costanzo and Ryan LaMarre notched RBI singles to make it 7-0. The knock for Costanzo was his first in a Blue Wahoo uniform this season in 12 at-bats.
Eight of the nine Wahoos starters ended up with at least one hit in the ball game while five players smacked multi-hit games for the fourth time in the series. Corey Wimberly led the attack with a 3-for-5 showing while Lutz (2-for-4), Barnhart (2-for-4), Mattair (2-for-4) and Costanzo (2-for-5) contributed two-hit games. In the series, Pensacola blasted 31 runs on 52 hits for a team batting average of .308 during the five-game set.
The Wahoos will take the next three days off for the Southern League All-Star Game, which will be played on Wednesday in Jacksonville. Pensacola will return to action on Thursday night at home as they open up a series against the Huntsville Stars at 7 p.m. Daniel Renken (3-6, 3.91) is the scheduled starter for the Wahoos while Huntsville has not yet named a starter.
story by Kevin Burke
Zimmerman Acquitted Of Trayvon Martin Murder
July 14, 2013
A Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty of all charges relating to the murder of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. The high-profile case sparked a massive national debate on race and guns in the state and U.S.
Twenty-nine-year-old Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer, could have been sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder or up to 30 years for manslaughter if he was found guilty.
Martin, 17, was shot over a year ago by Zimmerman, who claimed he acted in self-defense. The prosecution argued that Zimmerman was guilty of second-degree murder, stating that he racially profiled the unarmed teen and assumed he was a criminal when he saw him walking through a gated community in Sanford. They claimed that Zimmerman tracked Martin down and started the fight that led to the shooting.
The verdict was reached by a panel of six women jurors, 15 months after Martin’s death and six miles away from where the incident took place.
The case has triggered a national debate on the issues of self-defense, gun laws, and race in the United States. When Zimmerman walked free for 44 days after the shooting, nationwide protests erupted calling for his arrest. The 29-year-old has also received death threats.
The shooting also sparked heated discussion surrounding Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law. The legislation, which was approved in 2005, states that people fearing for their lives can use deadly force without having to retreat from a confrontation – even when it is possible.
The law isn’t just on the books in Florida – it has been enacted in some form in about 30 other states. But many argue that the legislation shouldn’t exist, and that lawmakers and gun advocates went too far in authorizing the use of deadly force in scenarios where it could potentially be avoided.
[VOA] Courtesy/pool photo.
Six Rescued After Canoe Accident
July 14, 2013
Six people were rescued unharmed Saturday afternoon after a canoe accident on the Perdido River.
Just before 1 p.m., one of the six people called 911 and reported that the group was lost in the woods somewhere near the Barrineau Park bridge over the Perdido River. Their canoe had collided with a railroad bridge over the river during a severe storm. They had made it ashore on the Alabama side of the river and had walked nearly an hour, becoming lost in the heavily wooded area.
The six were located in under an hour by members of the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Recue and other agencies. There were no serious injuries reported.
Fire Stations Respond To Century Apartment Complex
July 14, 2013
Area fire stations responded to the Camellia Gardens Apartments on Freedom Road in Century early Sunday morning. About 4:35 a.m., a resident reported light smoke in their apartment.
There was no major damage reported; the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Four people initially complained of smoke inhalation on the scene, but all refused transport to the hospital by Escambia County EMS.
County Administrator Selection Committee Set To Narrow List
July 14, 2013
The Escambia County Administrator Search Committee will meet again Monday to consider the nine remaining applicants for county administrator.
The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Central Office Complex at 3363 West Park Place. The committee is expected to cut the list in half for presentation to the Escambia County Commission for a final decision.
The remaining candidates for Escambia County Commissioner are listed below in alphabetical order along with a brief listing of past experience. Click any of the names to read the candidate’s complete resume.
- Lyndon Bonner – Ocala, FL. City manager Bunnell, FL; assistant county administrator, Sumter County; county administrator Okeechobee County; city manager North Miami Beach.
- James Chansler – Jacksonville, FL. Utilities director city of Jacksonville and city of Boca Raton; wastewater management director Broward County.
- David Fanslau – Rock Hill, NY. County manager Sullivan County; township administrator Winslow, NJ and Logan, NJ.
- Kenneth Fields – Boca Raton, FL. Assistant city manager Hollywood, FL; village manager Islamorada, FL; executive administration officer Seminole Tribe of FL.
- Kenneth Griffin – Tampa, FL. CEO water/sewer authority and assistant county administrator Hillsborough County; executive officer Pearl River Valley Water Supply District
- Patrick Howard – Seneca, SC. County administrator Marion County, Ocala, FL.
- Albert Penksa – Gettysburg, PA.County manager Adams County, Gettysburg, PA; controller CFO Cambria County.
- 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.
- George Touart – Pensacola, FL. County administrator with Escambia County, FL; city councilman, Pascagoula, MS; co-owner of two businesses in MS.