Warrington Middle School in Escambia County to be Charter … – Pensacola News Journal

The verdict is in: Warrington Middle School is slated to become a charter under the leadership of Charter Schools USA.
The Escambia County School Board approved an educational review agreement with Charter Schools USA in a 4-1 vote Tuesday night to move forward with the organization.
Charter Schools USA will now conduct a review of the school, making note of everything from teaching styles to test scores, and will be paid $15,000 a month. They will then move on to the next stage of the multi-year process: submitting an official charter application in January for the board’s approval in compliance with the state’s deadline.
This plan is anticipated to unveil more specific details of what the transformed school will be like, one of the burning questions being whether it will take shape in a K-8 grade format.
The four board members who met in-person with representatives from Charter Schools USA this week spoke with more optimism about the transition than they had a month before.
“They were excited, I got excited with them,” District 1 board member Kevin Adams said of his conversation with Charter Schools USA. “I have always said, it is not in the best interest of children to close that community school and have them on buses for four or five hours a day being bused out. … It is in our best interest for this to be a success.”
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So far, most board members have found the outside company to be cooperative and have even managed to forge common ground.
“I was very pleased to hear their opinions,” District 5 board member Bill Slayton said. “They are, and they have been, public school operators. They have participated, they have suffered as some of us have, they have gone through tough nights and the tough days. They do understand what’s going on. I was really pleased when they could actually relate to me. Schools that they are working in fit the pattern.”
Although the agreement was postponed the first time it was posed in the October, Superintendent Tim Smith said the board used the additional time diligently.
“I’m appreciative of the board’s work and in all that they have done to dive into the agreement,” Smith told the News Journal following the decision. “It’s a very unique process that we’re going through. I appreciate them really giving it the due diligence and the thorough vetting. I’m very excited that it has been passed. I think it’s the best option that we have for the students in the Warrington community.”
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Despite the board’s support of Charter Schools USA, there was still plenty of pushback to be spread around, such as District 4 board member Patty Hightower’s unmet request for a budget breakdown.
Hightower also expressed concerned over Charter Schools USA’s lack of a binding commitment, since the agreement allows the organization to opt out after 90 days. The outside company will need to work to earn the community’s trust, she said.
“To me, it is about the students. These students have, over and over again, been faced with the possibility of their school closing. I have tried to help them (Charter Schools USA) understand that they’ve got to build back that trust in the community. That the community itself is not sure where they are going to be next fall at this point,” Hightower said. “I needed assurance from them that they really were here for the long haul.”
District 3 board member Laura Edler expressed concern that the company’s disconnect with the Warrington community may make the match a poor fit. Edler was the sole “no” vote against the charter.
“I’m not quite sure that they understand the population that they will be serving, and that causes me great concern,” she said. “I’m feeling that something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.”
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Edler was not the only one who spoke in opposition. Charter contender and Warrington Middle School Dean Darryel Laster, who reminded the board of his relevant work experience and close connection to the Warrington community, also spoke against the agreement.
Slayton said Charter Schools USA may be the best shot when it comes to meeting the U.S. Department of Education and state demands.
“Every time we think we get it right they tell us, now you got to do it again a different way,” Slayton said. “I have finally come to the opinion that maybe the only people that can look at the DOE and the state school board and say, ‘leave us alone, we’re going to do it this way,’ may be Charter Schools USA.”

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