Manatee County Schools Budget Cuts

Rebekah Allen
January 14, 2009

The Escambia County School District issued a hiring freeze Monday - the first of several steps to be taken to address an estimated $5.4 million in state budget cuts approved in the recent legislative special session.

A memo ordering the action was sent from Assistant Superintendent Alan Scott to all Escambia school principals and department heads Monday.

The memo stated that all permanent positions - at the school and district level - that become vacant due to resignation, retirement, promotion or leave of absence will remain vacant unless otherwise approved by Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.

“They were made to help us endure (the cuts) we´re going to be hit with this year, and what we expect to be hit with next year,” Scott said.

Vacant classroom teaching positions, according to the memo, will be filled with long-term substitutes.

Special-education positions and teaching positions in schools flagged by the state as “differentiated accountability,” or in need of improvement, will be exempt from the hiring freeze.

Twenty-one Escambia schools are listed as differentiated accountability, an identification under No Child Left Behind for schools with low standardized test scores.

Scott said it is not uncommon for the district to issue a hiring freeze, but this one will be more strict than those in the past.

Gail Husbands, president of Escambia Education Association teachers union, said under the circumstances, she is supportive of the freeze.

“Something has to be done,” she said. “It´s very well done. And it´s very thought out in how they did it. Until the Legislature makes some different decisions or the economy turns around, there´s not a lot of choice.”

Thomas is expected to detail the remainder of his short term plans to cope with the budget cuts this week.

Additional Facts

These schools will not be affected by the freeze because the Florida Department of Education has flagged them as schools in need of improvement because of low standardized test scores:

Escambia High School

Pine Forest High School

AV Clubbs

Brentwood Elementary School

Edgewater Elementary School

Ensley Elementary School

Montclair Elementary School

O.J. Semmes Elementary School

Sherwood Elementary School

Warrington Elementary School

Sid Nelson Community Learning Center

Carver Century K-8

Hallmark Elementary School

Navy Point Elementary School

Oakcrest Elementary School

Weis Elementary School

West Pensacola Elementary School

Holm Elementary School

Spencer Bibbs Elementary School

Lincoln Park Elementary School

Warrington Elementary School

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