[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6173826,"mediaKeyId","5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851","parentId",5377897,"title","District reports gains in school grades; middle-school acceleration tops state","audioSeconds",796,"startMs",3874000,"endMs",4670000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851&start=3874&end=4670","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851/thumbnail_3874000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6173826/Florida/District-reports-gains-in-school-grades-middle-school-acceleration-tops-state","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6173826-44f7ce13af247582b7a89abc7e84eb99/orig.mp4?Expires=1771069268&Signature=Gb0bXpr8Ab0IE1eS274ALp2HhQuHP8eameCoX~2mU5gyCMMYae-1~XHYh-QW8VbRP58VT0BqqcBFDWBfvVb8OhwvN5saSP0lJoCDLqcB2YjxdCc1L-K5uq1HM4vCVAAALs-4PcZr3nEIqLw7-9MB5RsHvTPnxzo7cTNkym03FYv4O6FbHL4G45zWvZb3nbNCVue0DSvK8wvKIPRrIu3OXQ3hJWN0~kzZafgui~SdVsSi38z63OzqK6X3f90j13cGNL-4VFJMx0ne9SGxvtZzeEeLEVSnwOTMoc4i-aRgErZdSMurGIPaD4cnTc6cqATNmUUks-iaC8DCc-QMGtijhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Escambia School District","date","2025-07-11T08:17:29Z","article","District assessment staff on Friday reviewed 2024–25 academic results, reporting that more than 75% of schools at some levels achieved A or B grades and that the district has seen steady gains since 2019.

Presentation highlights: Staff said the district currently uses two grading scales (elementary and middle/high/composite) and expects the state to add a third scale next year for high school and composite calculations. The presenter noted that “the percent of students the percent of schools that made an A or B has gone above 75%” for two levels, a threshold that triggers state-scale adjustments.

Districtwide performance: The presenter said district composite index scores rose about 80 points since 2019 and reported the district’s composite was a 62, which placed it tied for 32nd overall under the current scale. Middle-school acceleration (algebra and biology combined) ranked No. 1 in the state under the district’s reporting method.

Subgroup and federal index notes: Staff explained the new federal accountability component (CSI/CI listings) now includes schools with prolonged subgroup performance below thresholds; the district currently identified 15 schools under the CSI/CI classifications — including three D-rated schools and several alternative programs — but staff said they removed eight schools from possible inclusion this year through targeted interventions.

Why it matters: The results shape school improvement priorities, federal accountability status and state-scale calculations that determine grade cutoffs for future years. Board members asked for continued focus on the district’s D-rated schools and on sustaining gains in middle-school acceleration.

Next steps: Staff will finalize school improvement plans and expect the state to announce any scale changes before the upcoming school year. Board members praised staff and administrators for the year’s progress and asked for follow-up on targeted supports to move D-rated schools.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular School Board Workshop","oneSentenceSummary","District staff reported gains in A/B rates since 2019, noted middle-school algebra improvement that led statewide rankings, and flagged remaining work on several D-rated schools and federal index classifications.","taxTitle","Escambia, School Districts, Florida","taxId",15600,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6173831,"Escambia district previews capital-millage revenue, planned projects and transfers",1829,4771000,6600000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851&start=4771&end=6600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851/thumbnail_4771000.jpg","/articles/6173831/Florida/Escambia-district-previews-capital-millage-revenue-planned-projects-and-transfers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6173831-5fdf7427da461db9763857874d5694fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771069268&Signature=mNn2flq~U6vuBAGKiD7wmr6gYUboMbtDMDWrlR8OWwGD0S5~4WFyn7edfAkTprWr~e17073Er~J1EZ6bDSa5H4IdDKLibGyWeCQ8XAmVfeLbbF5ufSYwaHlD9AN7W1x~24piQMF3dQk8qKJBfFOsuC6dWFiHfdoICHLYuE99-Tsxzsend3hPBVJs2SvSasUzdCbDFy2oZoHcwcPwAhvgSJNzy2Hj0uAbbj7Ek53sDAP~LgzxGBfP14vuFdzN-5hmv8Gp9HZ8xWg9TiWs9bC2LLrQezkbkDdK78LPIt-j9153nBFNurXV8GWt1aHSItmK2aAIJ-dSbkDnKzO0esylsg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Escambia County School District finance staff at the July workshop presented an initial capital-millage plan that pairs preliminary revenue estimates with a list of department and school needs, debt-service transfers and several planned construction projects.

Key figures and structure: Staff projected revenue of about $52 million at a 1.5-mill capital levy on a certified tax roll of roughly $36.1 billion (assuming 96% collection). Identified capital needs and transfers totaled about $48.3 million, leaving an estimated $3.7 million as an ending fund balance or reserve under the district’s preliminary calculations.

Major components shown to the board included:
- Department and school replacement cycles (computers, buses, copiers, radios) and discretionary project requests.
- Transfers from capital millage to debt service funds for certificates of participation (COPS) and other bonded debt: staff cited $4.9 million (millage portion for series 2020A), $1.8 million (interest-only for series 2023A), and a preliminary $3.1 million estimate linked to a 2025 issuance (series 2025A). Staff noted the district segregates these debt-service obligations into separate funds.
- Eligible maintenance transfers from millage into the general fund for work-order–driven maintenance and property insurance (a statutory cap of $200 per unweighted FTE was referenced).
- Charter school capital-share payments (60% of the calculated charter share) and an itemized listing of schools eligible for state capital outlay.

Planned capital projects discussed: the district described three major school-construction initiatives to be funded in a bond/COPS program: an auditorium at Escambia High School, a parallel auditorium project at Tate High School, and a gymnasium/“gymatorium” renovation at Pine Forest. A proposed prototypical classroom-addition program would replace portable/modular classrooms at multiple campuses with permanent classroom structures; the design approach uses a prototypical plan customized to match each campus facade.

Finance staff noted some line items remain placeholders — including an unidentified contingency of about $2.5 million for emergency repairs — and said the lists will be refined before final budget action. “The revenue for that at 96% would be $52,000,000. So the $52,000,000 minus the 48, we have about $3,700,000 remaining,” staff said.

Why it matters: The capital millage supports long-lived district assets, scheduled debt-service obligations and recurring replacement cycles (technology, buses, radios). Board members asked staff to scrutinize timing and necessity of discretionary requests given other pressures on district funds and to return refined numbers in time for the formal millage and budget hearings.

Next steps: Staff will continue to refine the list of projects, debt-service estimates and transfers and present a final recommendation as part of the district’s budget process in the coming weeks. The board asked for calculations showing how taking less than the full 1.5 mills would affect revenue and the millage rate; staff said they would provide that figure.","At a July workshop district finance staff outlined the proposed capital millage plan including revenue estimates, transfers to debt service and insurance, discretionary school and department requests, and major projects such as high-school auditoriums and classroom additions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6173835,"Escambia audit office recommended new director; quality review finds general compliance and arbitration wins >$1 million from FEMA",611,647000,1258000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851&start=647&end=1258","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851/thumbnail_647000.jpg","/articles/6173835/Florida/Escambia-audit-office-recommended-new-director-quality-review-finds-general-compliance-and-arbitration-wins-1-million-from-FEMA","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6173835-14091a7f65d3ac69e2788e118ccf6296/orig.mp4?Expires=1771069268&Signature=DYn5hCELZsVWXKAcMVj6IX3vCzsoLMkjBQipOCoNqn-KUM8M0lkf8~OkjRV5bBNFXR8HIqL1VSdy31HNo9vn0tVtiD9kMHQlXpl~do96gPwopEhiAPf~zw3XAa-Cp4Nefm6SPK6GHzWWMr3APa6KI5ssJGjl3Qq~QunpKyIWTnwryUwzIRrnDUUVHecWdwVqkwX-opq0hPL58xC0Lc9Mw81twb5UrQklLNN~yaLv1xFT-b6~vT61djODObBd6cAtXYFpl~yhU5cVXMGFbTXFa0x9Eip6pp~0m352HDFQ4PN9Ek41L5LjEVP6UgZZqHdOYdfpigXfZDBkAUo66h39cw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Escambia County School District staff on Friday presented three related items to the school board: the audit office’s five-year quality assurance review, a recommendation from the district’s audit committee for a new internal-audit director, and the outcome of a binding arbitration with FEMA over disaster debris reimbursement.

The audit office’s external review found the office “generally complies with the standards,” and recommended formalizing an annual internal assessment process so the office conducts a mini-quality check each year. “The highest level of conformity that you can get is that you generally comply with the standards,” a staff presenter told the board, adding the reviewers recommended more frequent, formalized annual self-assessments.

Appointment recommendation: The audit committee interviewed seven candidates over two days and recommended McKenzie Lane, a former member of the audit office who the committee said holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree and a certified fraud examiner credential. The committee told the board Lane had prior experience auditing school internal accounts, performing inventories and conducting exit conferences with principals. Lane addressed the board and said, “The district feels like home,” and expressed gratitude to the interview and audit committees. The audit committee chair, Todd Wilson, and other committee members were present to support the recommendation. The board did not take a formal appointment vote during the workshop; the item was moved from the regular agenda for discussion and will appear for formal approval at a later meeting.

FEMA arbitration: District staff also reported that the district pursued binding arbitration with FEMA after the agency questioned more than a million dollars in debris costs. The arbitration panel found for the district and ordered FEMA to obligate the funds in the Florida Public Assistance system. “They dismissed all of FEMA's administrative arguments… when it came to the merits they said, ‘Look, you’ve documented your debris so many different ways… you’re entitled to all of it,’” a district presenter said. The staff added there is no precise timeline for when the remaining obligations and subsequent reimbursements will flow but described the arbitration outcome as a favorable final step before the standard invoice-and-reimbursement process.

Why it matters: The quality-assurance finding supports the audit office’s reliability; the recommended director is an internal candidate familiar with district operations; and the arbitration result could make more than $1 million in federal reimbursement available to the district once FEMA enters the order and the district completes the normal reimbursement paperwork.

Board input and next steps: Several board members thanked outgoing audit director David Bryant for his service. The audit committee’s recommendation will be placed on the board’s regular meeting agenda for formal action. Staff said they will develop the annual internal-assessment process recommended by the reviewers and return the management letter and district response to the board as required by standards.","At a July workshop the district heard an audit office quality-assurance report that found general compliance and recommended annual mini-assessments; the audit committee recommended McKenzie Lane to replace David Bryant; a binding arbitration awarded the district over $1 million in FEMA debris reimbursement.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6173840,"Escambia board debates stricter rules for instructional and library materials, donor books and committee role",2505,1365000,3870000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851&start=1365&end=3870","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5377897-88885b36e3d7775d03078c84f9058851/thumbnail_1365000.jpg","/articles/6173840/Florida/Escambia-board-debates-stricter-rules-for-instructional-and-library-materials-donor-books-and-committee-role","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6173840-135b1ad4df5a060729c5fd64c65a44f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771069268&Signature=BMcEpfOy4UXz-5E~gO5GhivCfiQHEtxsO6KoBbA3ogHfaK6pOottDTNVlA~q4x5lBWde5KH-nIggK9Yg9dXiRFFnhnq22Cfc9VO496woo0dSgIM5Y09j~vTmWbU0~iCBQ9CYDaNt6OHUHNHLmjaF2IU1bCVQoXbVyN14EiFZZQhbDe-WxQnfQ7gDZ~h51a93eB9rcvokaSCIX3aM~HDk-xCQ7s4rheT3LH6LUYQNr6sUDAgD-sIt-EJq0Tl-qoNdEKrESUO86QIxzq2~8C1W4EaofYYJ2VTsGg6WeZqW4TreqE0mqcyigLnQuMu3Q15P7gdk2V4UHHNSQHlu9iCZPQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Escambia County School Board on Friday debated changes to district policies 2520 and 2522 that would tighten selection standards for instructional and library materials, explicitly cover donated materials, and narrow the decisionmaking role of standing book-review committees.

Board members and staff spent more than an hour on page-by-page language in the draft policy, focusing on whether materials removed elsewhere should be automatically excluded here, how to handle books used in AP and IB courses, and whether donated classroom books should be treated the same as purchased items.

Why it matters: The discussion affects what students may access in classrooms and media centers and who — district staff, volunteer committees or the school board — has final authority for contested items. Board members repeatedly stressed they remain legally responsible for materials on school shelves and want a clear, auditable process.

Staff said the revised language would add an explicit prohibition on “explicit” material in adopted instructional and supplemental lists and would repeat that restriction in the section on school library and media center collections so it applies to donated as well as purchased items. “I placed a section under adoption of instructional materials that included language that there would be no explicit material in supplemental, instructional and required reading lists,” said Miss Odom, who led policy drafting for the district.

Board members pressed for clarity on several operational points: whether donated items and classroom-level materials are already covered (staff said they are), whether teachers must complete a form to use outside material in class (staff said certified staff and the principal sign off is required), and how AP/IB required readings should be handled if those titles appear on state or other districts’ removal lists.

Several board members said they want an exception process so that titles approved for use in AP, IB or dual-enrollment courses can be retained with explicit board approval rather than removed automatically if another district has pulled the same title. As one board member put it, in reference to prior decisions on Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, “we did a full board review and restricted it to 11th and 12th grade; do we maintain that decision or remove it because another district removed it?”

A separate debate focused on the district review committees that currently vet challenged books. Some members argued the standing committee process has produced outputs inconsistent with later board votes and proposed eliminating standing committees in favor of forwarding disputed titles directly to the superintendent and then the board for final action. Other members recommended keeping committees as a community input resource but tightening their scope and ensuring any committee approval still comes to the board for final sign-off.

Board direction and next steps: The board asked staff to clean up the draft language to (1) explicitly include donated materials and acquisitions in the certification requirement for media specialists and the coordinator of media services, (2) add a clear exception path for AP/IB/dual-enrollment materials to return to board consideration, and (3) propose revised committee language that preserves community input while ensuring final decisions come to the board. Miss Odom said she would incorporate the board’s edits and return with updated language for the formal agenda.

What was not decided: There was no final vote on policy 2520 or 2522 at the workshop; the board debated options and asked staff to bring revised language back for action at a future meeting. Public-comment concerns and a referenced letter from the state attorney general’s office were discussed as context but did not produce board action at this workshop.","At a July workshop the Escambia County School Board reviewed proposed revisions to policies 2520 and 2522 to restrict explicit materials in instructional and library collections, add donated items to acquisition rules, and reconsider the role of district book-review committees for challenged titles.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

District reports gains in school grades; middle-school acceleration tops state

Escambia district previews capital-millage revenue, planned projects and transfers

Escambia audit office recommended new director; quality review finds general compliance and arbitration wins >$1 million from FEMA

Escambia board debates stricter rules for instructional and library materials, donor books and committee role