NEWS

Jefferson County schools on brink of crisis

Amanda Claire Curcio
Democrat staff writer

Jefferson County School District is on the brink of another financial crisis.

Commissioner Pam Stewart listens to speakers during a Florida Department of Education board meeting at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Officials are scrambling to figure out how to rescue the district, for years crippled by plummeting resources. The state Department of Education found that Jefferson may not be able to pay its employees or certain bills. The district will likely have a negative balance in available funds for the approaching school year.

“I have no choice under the law but to declare that Jefferson County School District is in a state of financial emergency,” said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart in a letter sent to the district on Wednesday.

Jefferson County schools face more budget cuts

Jefferson is the only district in Florida with a financial emergency status and, DOE officials say, the only district designated for such status in recent history. The State Board of Education will meet soon with the sole purpose of creating a panel to oversee the School Board’s activities.

Now, the district is subject to additional inspections. It must submit monthly spending plans detailing every expenditure. And the School Board is no longer allowed to make new hires or changes to staff compensation or issue bonds or any form of debt without permission.

Among Stewart’s concerns, was the district’s plan to slash $172,945 in instructional positions, while no cuts at the district office were suggested. The 2015-16 budget shows that nearly $1.4 million went to general or school administration.

Superintendent Al Cooksey has not responded to repeated requests to comment. Cooksey is running for re-election on a Republican ticket. Five other candidates qualified in the race.

Jefferson County Schools District's financial emergency status comes at a time when the superintendent is running for re-election.

Similar steps were taken by the state in 2009.

But the rural county continues to hemorrhage students.

Many parents enroll their children in local private schools. At least 75 students will attend schools in Leon County through opportunity scholarships offered to those in failing districts. Jefferson finished last in standardized test scores this year, a spot it sees often.

And last June, 16 of 38 teachers lost their jobs after Jefferson lost $346,850 in funding. Hundreds of residents then signed a vote of no confidence in the district and sent a petition to the governor asking for help.

Community members have expressed dismay in the state’s latest findings, but not much surprise.

“Underlying these problems there appears to be a running battle between the superintendent and the School Board,” said Charles McClellan, a longtime Jefferson resident whose children went to school there. “In the absence of disclosure of proper information, the School Board is kept in the dark and cannot make proper policy decisions. This is no way to run a railroad or a district.”


Contact Amanda Claire Curcio by email at acurcio@tallahassee.com or follow @MandaCurcio on Twitter.