By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Escambia County Board of Education members put one problem behind them when they narrowly decided on a new dress code during their meeting of last Thursday (June 26), but a more serious problem was made public when Chief Schools Financial Officer (CSFO) Avery Ford and Superintendent of Education Dr. Michele Collier informed board members that hardly any of the school system’s summer employees have been paid yet.
“Since May 27, the people working in our summer program have not been paid,” Ford told BOE members, pointing out that regular payroll is distributed a month in arrears, a procedure that doesn’t work for those who will only have a few weeks to accumulate any savings. “Student workers, summer-school teachers and everybody else who is working in June, have not been paid yet.”
Ford admitted that bringing the summer payroll up to date will not be an easy task. He suggested a new program be implemented to prevent a similar occurrence from cropping up in the future.
“This is not a straight-forward process,” he said. “There is no payroll system set up to take care of the summer workers. We need a solution as soon as we can get one.”
New District 3 representative Jerry Wilson said the situation has reached the point where something needs to be done.
“The student workers are saving their money, and some of them are walking to work every day,” said Wilson, speaking directly to the CSFO. “These kids need their money. Most of them have to buy their own school clothes and shoes. What do we need to do to make this right?”
Ford replied that school bookkeepers have been notified that their help will be needed.
“We’re going to have the bookkeepers come in and verify the time and dates worked,” he said. “All that has to be verified before these people get paid. As far as how long it will take, I don’t know off the top of my head.”
When Board President Coleman Wallace asked if the work could be outsourced, Ford explained that outsourcing would be less cost-effective and will take just as much time as the plan he laid out.
Deputy Director of Operations Shaun Goolsby said the students who are working in the maintenance department have more than earned their tardy pay.
“These students saved us about $20,000 on the work at A.C. Moore [Primary School],” he said.
Dr. Collier pointed out that getting the summer workers paid would help mitigate a problem that could arise in later years.
“Next year, when we need them, they won’t come,” she said of the student workers. “We have a lot of them that are wanting to leave now.”
The main item approved during the regular meeting that followed the work session — and brought the first split vote since the March elections — was a new dress code to replace a systemwide uniform policy that wasn’t working.
The board was asked to examine two options. In a roll call vote, District 1’s Kevin Hoomes, District 2’s Greg Dawkins and District 3’s Jerry Wilson voted on one option, while Cindy Jackson (D4), Loumeek White (D5), Sherry Digmon (D6) and Wallace (D7) voted on the other option.
Under the new rules, “Spirit shirts” or collared shirts in school colors are acceptable. Khaki, navy or black pants, shorts or skirts are acceptable. Students will now also be able to wear blue denim jeans, as long as the jeans have no holes, rips or tears in them. Jackets and other outerwear can be of any color but must not include logos. Jackets and hoods may not be worn inside school buildings.
Clothes that are prohibited include those with inappropriate language, images or logos on them. No hats, caps or bandanas may be worn inside schools, and students must not wear open-toed shoes, slippers, Crocs or slides.
Another item that took up a lot of meeting time, and which was discussed at length during the work session, was the purchase of a video sign board for W.S. Neal High. After Goolsby pointed out that the school had received around $75,000 in donations, serious discussion began about the video sign, for which the low bid was $159,000.
White, Digmon and Jackson raised questions about whether the purchase represented good stewardship of school system money, and the parameters of discussion were expanded. It was finally decided that a cap of $100,000 would be offered if either of the two county high schools (Escambia County High and Flomaton High are the other two) desired to erect such a video board, with the difference being made up by the respective schools.
The measure passed by a 6-1 margin, with Digmon casting the only dissenting vote.
In other business conducted Thursday, the board:
*Heard from Goolsby plans to build a 70-space parking area at A.C. Moore Primary School (ACMP), at which an estimated 320 students would attend next school term. The area would provide more parking spaces for teachers and parents. The cost of the project is estimated at $80,000.
*Approved the purchase from Interior Elements of library furniture for ACMP, at a cost of $26,002.90, which will be paid out of a PreK enhancement grant.
*Announced that the BOE will meet July 15 at the Brewton Central Office. Board members will have a training session from 1:30-3:30 p.m., with a special meeting set to commence at 4:30.
*Revised the summer salary schedule.
*Approved a dual-enrollment agreement with Reid State Technical College.
*Approved a contract with Family First Education Services LLC for supplemental vision services. The services, for which the cost was not disclosed, will be paid from Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds.
*Approved the purchase for $36,939 from Arey Jones Educational Solutions of 100 Chromebooks for W.S. Neal High School.
*Approved the expenditure from FY25 Advancement & Technology (A&T) funds for the purchase from Renaissance Learning of the following educational enhancement software: Accelerated Reader ($42,804); MyOn ($61,380.63) and Nearpod/Flocabulary ($42,107). The costs will be paid out of FY25 A&T funds.
*Approved a contract with Gulf Coast Therapy for physical and occupational therapy services for the upcoming school year. No amount was provided, and the source of funding was not disclosed.
Personnel
The following personnel recommendations by Michele Collier were approved by the Board.
The following abbreviations are used:
Escambia County Board of Education – ECBOE
A.C. Moore Primary School – ACMPS
Huxford Elementary School – HES
Rachel Patterson Elementary School – RPES
Escambia County Middle School – ECMS
Escambia County High School – ECHS
Flomaton Elementary School – FES
Flomaton High School – FHS
Pollard McCall Junior High School – PMJHS
W.S. Neal Elementary School – WSNES
W.S. Neal Middle School – WSNMS
W.S. Neal High School – WSNHS
Child Nutrition Program – CNP
Note: Date at the end of each item is the effective date.
Retirement
1. Janet Brantley, media specialist, FES, June 30
Resignation
1. Paula Spicer, special education teacher, ECHS, June 11
2. Anthony Buchanan, special education aide, ECHS, June 24
3. Kimberly Flores, elementary teacher, FES, June 30
4. Brittany Mattox, elementary teacher, FES, June 30
5. Hannah McFerrin, elementary teacher, WSNES, June 10
6. Kristin Lucido, teacher, WSNMS, June 12
Employment
1. Vicki Smith, Elementary Curriculum & Instruction supervisor, ECBOE, July 1
2. Gus Holmes, physical education teacher, ACMPS, Aug. 1
3. Joydan Pleasant pre-k auxiliary teacher ACMPS, Aug. 1
4. Tara Longmire, elementary teacher ACMPS, Aug. 1
5. Jamar Williams, custodian, ACMPS, July 23
6. Nathan Winkles, math teacher, ECHS, Aug. 1
7. Mariah Prince, special education teacher, ECHS, Aug. 1
8. Courtney Deason, English teacher, ECHS, Aug. 1
9. Erika Dailey, instructional paraprofessional, ECHS, Aug. 1
10. Mykailyn Terry, ELA teacher, ECMS, Aug. 1
11. Krista Reaves, bookkeeper, FES, July 14
12. Stephanie Hart, registrar, FES, July 23
13. Meri Elise Kent, instructional paraprofessional, FES, Aug. 1
14. Retha Hoomes, custodian, FES, July 23
15. Betty Carden, elementary teacher, FES, Aug. 1
16. Charlotte Smith, media specialist, FES, Aug. 1
17. Heather Boddy, math teacher, FHS, Aug. 1
18. Dawn Malone, part-time interventionist, HES, Aug. 6
19. Virginia Parker, part-time interventionist, PMJHS, Aug. 6
20. Claudie Smith, elementary teacher, WSNES, Aug. 1
21. Harley Wilson, SPED paraprofessional, WSNES, Aug. 1
22. Damien Jackson, special education teacher, WSNES, Aug.1
23. Patricia Cooper, custodian, WSNES, July 23
24. Christina Wright, custodian, WSNES, July 23
25. Nora Morris, speech language pathologist, Office of Special Education & Student Services, Aug. 1
Employment change
1. Torie Trenthan, from secondary math specialist to accountability supervisor, ECBOE, July 1
2. Cynthia Clack, from pre-k auxiliary teacher aide, ACMPS, to pre-k teacher, ACMPS, Aug. 1
3. Wendy Stokes, from office aide, ACMPS, to registrar, HES, July 23
4. Melanie Kent, from special education teacher, FES, to special education programs specialist, ECBOE, July 23
5. Sherri Glidden, from 6-hour lunchroom worker to 7-hour lunchroom worker, WSNES
Transfer
1. Veronica Hacker, 7-hour lunchroom, from RPES to HES, Aug.1
2. Faith Oglesbee, 7-hour lunchroom worker, from FHS to ACMPS, Aug. 1
Rehire (amended)
1. Odia Berry, custodian, ECHS, July 23
2 Toya McMillian, assistant principal, ECMS, July 23
3. Aundrea Beasley, instructional paraprofessional, RPES, Aug. 1
4. Jennifer Lee, assistant principal, WSNES, July 23
Summer employment
1. Rebecca White, counselor HES, Huxford Elementary School, July 28 – July 31
2. Leketha Bradley, counselor, PMJHS, May 27 (amended)
3. Michael Bowens, teacher, WSNHS, July 14
Summer employment
1. Melanie Renfroe, CNP worker, HES, May 28
Leave of absence
1. Taylor Campbell, teacher, RPES, May 5
Contract
1. Terries Lett, probationary principal, RPES, July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026