New Superintendent Wants Input In Survey; Writes Letter To All Employees
November 19, 2008
Newly-installed School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas sent an email to district employees Tuesday, and made a call to all parents, asking for input into running the district.
In his letter to employees, Thomas encouraged all employees to be role models for students in the county with a positive attitude that is “worth catching”.
The survey, which should be complete by December 5, can be accessed by clicking here.
The full text of the new superintendent’s letter to employees is below.
November 18, 2008
Open Letter to Escambia School District Employees:
I am excited about the opportunity to serve as your Superintendent of Schools. As employees of the school district we are all expected to be role models to our students. As role models, our attitude matters. Therefore, I pledge to you that I will model a respectful, dignified and positive attitude as we work together to meet the challenges that face
our district.
Realizing that we can accomplish more working together, I am asking that you join our team. Every employee in our district is important and I welcome everyone’s ideas, opinions and thoughts about how together we can make our students exemplary, thereby making our school system better.
To determine our most important priorities, a short survey has been constructed to collect your input. This survey can be accessed through the Escambia School District web site www.myescambiaschools.com. A paper version of the survey is available for individuals who do not have access to the internet. I will appreciate your downloading and distributing to anyone you know without internet access. It is important that a wide range of Escambia citizens participate and provide feedback. Responses will remain anonymous unless an individual chooses to be identified.
Completing the survey by Friday, December 5, 2008 will insure responses can be compiled in a timely manner with results being shared with everyone. If you believe, as I do, that the best days of our school district are ahead of us, please join me in making this vision a reality. Together we will create an outstanding school system: where students want to attend school and strive to the best of their abilities; where employees feel ownership and valued; where local businesses work cooperatively with the schools and are confident that
qualified and trained employees can enter the work force upon graduation; thus providing a transparent and accountable system where taxpayers realize a positive return on their investment.
Most importantly, attitude not only impacts your happiness and success, it also can impact the happiness and success of all the people around you . . . your family, your friends, and your peers at work. Remember, our attitudes are contagious, and from time to time we need to ask ourselves. . . “is mine worth catching?”
Respectfully,
Malcolm Thomas
Superintendent
Gindl Completes 50 Years Of Service To Escambia Schools
November 19, 2008
An 50 year era in Escambia County education quietly slipped into the history books Tuesday as Peter Gindl, Sr. was, once again, no longer on the Escambia County School Board.
Gindl was fresh out of college back in 1957 when friends first convinced the political newcomer to run for the school board. He was a product of the Escambia School District, a graduate of Auburn. But he really did not know much about the office that was about to propel him into a lifelong quest to help children succeed.
“I was just fresh out of college, a single fellow, when a group of friends convinced me to run for the school board. I had a college education, and the other guy did not,” Gindl said Tuesday. “I didn’t know anything about the school board, but I ran. And I won — by 36 votes.”
Election after election, he continue to win, remaining on the school board for twenty years before deciding to “retire” and teach. He then spent 18 years in the classroom before “retiring” from teaching in 1996. While he supported the family as a farmer (he held an agricultural education degree, after all) for nearly 50 years, the second retirement was not forever. Education was just in his blood somewhere.
In 2004, he returned to the school board in District 5, ousting Linda Finkelstein from her seat. Gindly had plans to return to the board for another term in 2008, but District 5 voters had another plan, as they elected Bill Slayton to Gindl’s seat.
Gindl is not bitter about being defeated by Slayton. He said that if he had to lose the seat to anyone, Bill Slayton would have been his choice.
Slayton and the rest of the new board are going to have their work cut out for them, Gindl said. Budget cuts and school closures are going to be the major issues the new board will face, he said.
“I’d be happy to offer input if they would like to hear what I have to say,” Gindl said. Education really is in his blood.
“I’m going to miss it,” he said Tuesday from his Molino home, just hours before his term officially came to an end. “I’ll miss working with the parents, the educational personnel, everyone that cares about the kids. It has always been about the children.”
Will this retirement be his last from education in Escambia County? He admits, sadly, that he will likely not ever run for the school board again. At 72, his health is just not what it used to be.
“But I will always, always be here to do what I can to help the children. I just love the children.”
Tuesday Night Brush Fire In Molino
November 19, 2008
A brush fire in Molino kept fire crews busy for hours Tuesday night.
The fire was reported about 7:45 on Molino Road near Four Star Farm Road, about two miles west of Highway 29. Units from the Molino Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue and a bulldozer from the Florida Division of Forestry spent about an hour attempting to bring the fire under control. The fire was declared under control at 8:42 p.m. Forestry and Molino firefighters finished a plowed barrier around the fire by about 9:17. Fire units remained on scene until 10:00 Tuesday night
Authorities say smoke could remain in the area through early Wednesday morning hours as the fire continues to smolder.
The fire was in a remote area with no easy access; fire units were delayed while attempting to find a way to reach the fire.
Northview Splits Basketball Games With Central
November 19, 2008
The Northview varsity girl’s basketball team beat Central High School Tuesday, and Central’s JV beat the NHS JV team.
The varsity Chiefs defeated Central 39-30.
Lanecia Gomez had two rebounds and one assist for the Chiefs. Shaniqua Jones had five steals and seven rebounds, while Timeka Marshall had seven steals. Angela Rodriguez had one steal. Brittney Thompson had six steals and nine rebounds on the night, and Gabe Wesley had six steals and a rebound. Shakeria White had six steals and two rebounds.
Marshall lead the Chief’s scoring, with 14. Wesley picked up 11 points. Jones had seven, and Thompson had three. White and Rodriguez both had a couple of points for Northview.
Northview’s JV team lost to Central, 27-16.
For the JV Chiefs, Naomi Cooler had one steal, and Christina Donald had three rebounds. Amber Francis had a rebound, while Kassandra Lett had one steal and five rebounds. Also for the NHS Chiefs, Sarah Kyles had a steal and a couple of rebounds. Shelly Reich had three steals, two rebounds and three assists.
Leading the scoring for Northview was Lett with nine points, Cooler with four and Reich with three.
Alabama Troopers Kick Off Week-long Traffic Blitz
November 19, 2008
Alabama State Trooper will kickoff a 24 hour a day, week-long traffic blitz today to focus on impaired drivers.
It is the fourth statewide Take Back Our Highways campaign that will see sheriff’s and police departments joining troopers in the crackdown. Troopers will use nine recently acquired BAT-mobiles at DUI checkpoints statewide during the holiday enforcement period. Equipped with breath alcohol testing equipment, the trucks allow for on-scene processing of impaired drivers and also serve as temporary holding facilities.
“Troopers care about your safety. They will be working to ensure this holiday season is a joyous time unmarred by the tragic consequences of an alcohol-related crash,” said Col. J. Christopher Murphy, director of the Department of Public Safety. He said every available trooper, including many whose normal duties don?t include road patrol, will join with local law enforcement agencies to crack down on drunken driving through stepped-up sobriety patrols and checkpoints. ”
Murphy said the primary goal of troopers is to prevent crashes and save lives. He stated that trooper-reported traffic fatalities were down by about 100 from the same period last year, and troopers are committed to further reducing fatality totals through the holiday safety campaigns.
Northview Student Doing Well After Brain Surgery Wednesday In Miami
November 19, 2008
We’ve received word from Miami that Nathan Therrell’s brain surgery Wenesday went well.
Nathan, a freshman at Northview High School, underwent surgery to remove a hypothalamic hamartoma, also called an “HH”. The HH is not a tumor, nor is it a cancer; it is a tissue growth. Nathan’s HH was about the size of a grain of rice.
Doctors believe they removed the entire HH.
“He still has a long way to go, but for now all is good,” his aunt Kelly Sims tells NorthEscambia.com. “Keep him and his family in your prayers.”
Click here to read the story about Nathan that NorthEscambia.com first published last Friday.
Nathan is pictured above at a recent Northview football game. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Commissioners Sworn In
November 19, 2008
Three Escambia County commissioners were sworn in Tuesday morning.Former District 5 Commissioner Wilson Robertson was sworn in as the new commissioner in District 1. Robertson beat incumbent Mike Whitehead in the November 4 general election. District 5 Commissioner Kevin White and District 3 Commissioner Marie Young were also installed Tuesday morning with both having been re-elected to their post.
”First of all, I want to give credit to the Lord, because I would not be here without Him,” White said following his swearing in, “and second my family.””This job is hard on each of us, as well we know, but it is not near as hard on us as it is our families,” he said emotionally. “They suffer the most for what we go through. It’s not all peaches and cream like a lot of people think that it is.White said he was a bit surprised by his re-election, considering the history of voters in District 5.
“If you’d ask me a year ago if I would be sitting here again, I didn’t think so because the history in District 5, as Wilson well knows, is not real good at getting re-elected. They recycle them up there a lot,” White said, referring to the district’s history of not re-electing incumbents. Robertson, who now serves in District 1, was elected to a second term in District 5, but they were not consecutive terms.
“You have to go out for four years so they can forget some things, then come back and get re-elected,” Robertson joked, “cause you can’t pave every dirt road.”
Marie Young was elected by her fellow commissioners as the new chairperson, replacing Gene Valentino. Grover Robinson was named as vice chairman.
Pictured above: District 5 Commissioner Kevin White being sworn in for a second term Tuesday morning.
New School Board Takes Office
November 19, 2008
New school Superintendent Malcolm Thomas (pictured left) officially took office Tuesday night, along with new District 5 member Bill Slayton and District 3 member Linda Moultrie.
Patty Hightower was elected by the board as chairperson for the third straight year. She was nominated by Slayton.
Hightower nominated, and the board approved, Gerald Boone as vice chairman.
Missing Boaters Found Safe
November 18, 2008
Four missing boaters on the Escambia River would found safe last night after a search by area fire departments.
Chief Donnie Wadkins of Pace Fire Rescue says the boaters left the Quintette Boat Ramp and headed up river. They hit a stump, and one boater fell out. He was uninjured, but the boaters lost their motor in the collision.
It took several hours to find the boaters, Wadkins said, leading to concerns of hypothermia in last night’s cold weather. None of the boaters were injured, he said.
Escambia County Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Robbie Whitfield say the Cantonment State of Escambia Fire-Rescue was dispatched to the Quintette Road bridge area to assist with the search.
Town Forgives Sewer Bill For Woman That Vowed Not To Pay
November 18, 2008
She took on the town, and she won. The Century Town Council has voted to forgive a $629 sewage bill that a woman that said she would go to jail or hell before she paid up.
The council had tabled action at their last meeting on whether or not to force Leola Robinson to pay up at the request of Ann Brooks, council president, while Brooks discussed the issue with the town’s attorney.
“I learned something very interesting,” Brooks said at the council’s meeting Monday night. She said that she discovered that the town had actually denied attempts by Robinson and tenant Selma Scott to hook into the Century sewer system.
“I’ve seen many things that led me to know that she didn’t have access,” Brooks said.
The piece of property in question, located at 370 West Highway 4, is within in the town of Century. But it is partial in the Century water franchise area and partially in the Central Water Works franchise area. Handwritten notes by Town Clerk Dorothy Sims dated June 21, 1999, state that she “issued a land use approval…explained…that mobile home had to be connected to town’s water or they would not get sewer service.”
On September 14, 1999, a county official contacted Sims to question why the sewage connection could not be made.
“I informed him that we had a hold on this, and she couldn’t connect to the Town’s sewer. I asked him to tell the lady she couldn’t connect to the Town’s sewer because she connected to Central Water Works,” Sim’s notes from September 14, 1999, read (pictured left, click to enlarge). The notes indicate that Leola Robinson, Marilyn Robinson and Selma Scott asked for a letter from the town stating why sewage service could not be installed, also on September 14, 1999. “I informed them that it is due to the fact they connected to Central Water Works water after they were given the land use permit.”
Robinson’s daughter Marilyn Robinson took the issue to the Escambia County Commission on September 16, 1999. She told commissioners that Scott would be required to purchase 500 feet of sewer line to connect to the Century sewer system and about 100 feet of pipe to connect to Century’s water. Marilyn Robinson asked the commission for permission to use a septic tank “since she had been denied sewer service based upon the absence of a cooperative agreement between the Town of Century and Central Water Works.”
Then District 5 Commissioner Wilson Robertson made a motion that county staff meet with the Town of Century and Central Water Works in attempt to resolve the issue, and if no solution could be reached, allow Scott to install the septic tank. Records indicate that the county health department did approve the septic tank installation on the property inside the Town of Century, and the county performed a final inspection on the septic tank on October 14, 1999.
“I attempted to access the minutes from the Town Council meeting that I was told this matter was discussed, the agenda was in the minutes book, but the minutes were not,” a statement Brooks prepared and read Monday night said. “I asked for the tape of the minutes, but it along with many others was destroyed. The best source of information that I could find to support the Town’s position at that time regarding the issue was Dorothy’s notes.”
“It is my opinion that she was wrongly denied sewer access, and I will support a motion to forgive the $629 bill for minimum sewer sewer fees that we have billed Mrs. Robinson for Ms. Scott, her tenant, for failure to hook up to our sewer system.”
The council voted 5-0 to forgive the bill.
When Robinson placed a mobile home on property she owns, she did not connect the trailer to the town’s sewer system. The town billed her each month for the minimum sewage usage charge, and that bill reach about $3,000 by the time the issue came before the town council in May.
Town ordinances indicate that every property owner in the town must connect any structure to the town’s sewer service within three months. If not, the ordinances say the town can charge the property owner a minimum monthly fee and enter the person’s property to connect the service. The ordinances also prohibit septic tanks in the town unless approved by the health department and the council. At that May meeting, Mayor Freddie McCall said the most the town could collect from Robinson by law would be charges from the past four years….$624. The bill is now $629 with the addition of a late charge.
At the council’s November 3 meeting, Robinson said she would go to “jail or go to hell before I pay that bill”, and that the county had given her permission for the septic tank to be installed.
Pictured top Leola Robinson listens to the Century Town Council discuss her sewer bill. Pictured above: A portion of Town Clerk Dorothy Sim’s notes from 1999 (the yellow highlight was added by council President Ann Brooks). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.