Tri-City Ledger -

The Escambia County Board of Education approved of a reorganization chart at its meeting last Thursday that, according to School Supertintendent Michele McClung, will help manage and give the school system a two-year head start on meeting the requirements for the Alabama Literacy and Alabama Numeracy Act at both the elementary and secondary levels.

“We have a need for an additional assistant superintendent to delineate the roles and responsibilities of the assistant superintendent,” said McClung. “One will focus on student services and one who will focus on teaching and learning professional learning development assessment.”

McClung explained the reorganizing will mainstream who reports to whom for the best interest of the operating of the school system and for test scores.

McClung said in addition to another assistant superintendent, she would like to add an English Language Arts (ELA) specialist and an elementary math specialist. She said there is a timeline embedded in the reorganization chart that will benefit the entire system.

“Those acts are going to require an extraordinary amount of work for the district,” said McClung. “Right now our district has 9 percent proficiency in math, which puts us in the bottom 25 percent of state. If we stay on that list, we will have to pink slip all of our administrators and teachers of schools that do not meet requirements and put them on paid leave and reorganize the entire school.”

McClung described that situation as 'creating complete chaos for the system', especially for the teachers who are working hard and meeting the goals. She said those teachers would be effected and tenured teachers who would put on paid leave would have to go somewhere.

“By reorganizing, we have two years to get good, clear focus on our academic, especially the literacy and numeracy act requirements,” said McClung. “The two separate areas will allow us to stay focused and give us a two year head start to work on proficiency, so we do not get on the list and have to reorganize.”

She noted the two current curriculum specialists now are dealing with issues and discipline in addition to trying to implement school improvement plans. Other changes are in the deputy of operations area with respect to maintenance, to include an Atmore lead and a Brewton lead and different specific trade skill for the workers who fall under those leads to work with the district, she said.

The board approved the reorganization chart unanimously, although they took no action in hiring said personnel for the reorganization.