New Middle School in Point Washington

[Romeosmydog]

If ever the Bay school becomes empty again it night make a nice place for an expanded SoWal Montessori Academy - public charter or private.

Let me know if you are serious about this. A conversion charter would be the only way the district would give up the building. One has already been written and approved by the state. The district didn't like it so much. A charter elementary school would be ideal.

 

[ckhagen]

Let me know if you are serious about this. A conversion charter would be the only way the district would give up the building. One has already been written and approved by the state. The district didn't like it so much. A charter elementary school would be ideal.

 

[organicmama]

I add a second

 

[InletBchDweller]

The gym was paid for by the county. PTO only paid for the A/C and the flooring which have both been completed for sometime now. The gym is actually finished and can be used at anytime, although the "official" Gym Opening Ceremony will be held June 4th.

I agree, the gym has taken a long time!

OK, I was not too clear on who paid for what. I just remember at a PTO meeting where the flooring was discussed and I was shocked that the PTO paid for it. COrrect? Over $20,000? If I am wrong please let me know...

Great! We get out of school June 10Th...I thought is suppose to be finished in Jan.

We are growing faster then the county and schools can keep up! Both Emerald Coast & Bay still have portables for classrooms, Bay opened with Portables.

I dont mind the portables (not saying you do) as long as my child gets a good education and it has covering for when it is raining...

Well the district gave in and the next 10 buses will be air conditioned if it matters. May be a while before you see any down there. Something has got to be done about those long bus rides though. 2 hours a day is ridiculous.

Long bus rides... that is us! The bus would pick up little IBD at 6:45 in the morning and in the afternoon the bus leaves the school around 2:20 and gets to our house around 3:00. Not an hour but is long when it is HOT on the bus.

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I am glad a new school will be for accomodating the East end of Walton County. For so long the East County residents had to get to Butler - not a drive I would want to take everyday at all....


thanks for letting me give my 2 cents even though I don't have a dog in this hunt anymore...

 

[Teresa]

Let me know if you are serious about this. A conversion charter would be the only way the district would give up the building. One has already been written and approved by the state. The district didn't like it so much. A charter elementary school would be ideal.

I remember the whole thing. it was a dang shame. a charter elementary school is really needed around here. Bay was perfect. so sorry it didn't make it. parents and teachers worked very hard to make it a reality for children and families in our area, and some lost their jobs over it.

 

[Jdarg]

I remember the whole thing. it was a dang shame. a charter elementary school is really needed around here. Bay was perfect. so sorry it didn't make it. parents and teachers worked very hard to make it a reality for children and families in our area, and some lost their jobs over it.

Maybe the time was not right then, but now that there are so many newer families and children, who knows?

 

[Teresa]

Maybe the time was not right then, but now that there are so many newer families and children, who knows?

the timing may have been a little too early. we were experiencing a lot of growth even then, and parents were very very involved in Bay (was it a middle school then?) and the entire process. it could happen again.

 

[kloli]

OK, I was not too clear on who paid for what. I just remember at a PTO meeting where the flooring was discussed and I was shocked that the PTO paid for it. COrrect? Over $20,000? If I am wrong please let me know...

Correct. The flooring was optional. Upon investigation, we found that many of the school gyms in Walton County were provided with flooring paid for by school PTOs. Butler's gym/flooring was privately donated. Our alternative was to use the concrete foundation itself. The same applies to the A/C. PTO either pays for it or we don't have it. PTO has argued these points and held countless meetings regarding these, and other gym related issues. We were shocked as well.

 

[Camp Creek Kid]

I remember the whole thing. it was a dang shame. a charter elementary school is really needed around here. Bay was perfect. so sorry it didn't make it. parents and teachers worked very hard to make it a reality for children and families in our area, and some lost their jobs over it.

If Bay had become a charter middle school (which is what they were trying for--a charter Middle school, not Elementary school), then there still would not be an elementary school option for families on the eastern side of Sowal and we'd still be either driving 80 miles a day to drop-off and pick-up, or the children would be on the bus for over 3 hours a day.

As Tootsie says, the time was not right. As I see is Bay IS perfect as the wonderful little elementary school that we have today. Small schools are the best educational environment, although large schools are more cost efficient. I will hate to see the day when Bay is closed and the new school built. However, that is most likely many years away.

Bay has been is use continuously since 1938--first as the only school in South Walton, K-12. After Butler was built and the high schoolers were bused to Freeport, it was a small middle school. After the middle school left, it was immediately retrofitted to be the Kindergarten for all of South Walton for 3 years and then used as a Kindergarten/ 1st grade for families on the eastern side for 1 year. Now it is in its 2nd year of being a K-5 school. In my opinion, Bay should have become a K-5 school immediately after the middle school moved out.

 

[Romeosmydog]

I remember the whole thing. it was a dang shame. a charter elementary school is really needed around here. Bay was perfect. so sorry it didn't make it. parents and teachers worked very hard to make it a reality for children and families in our area, and some lost their jobs over it.

Not just a "Some" almost ALL of the teachers and staff at Bay Middle School that signed or supported the charter were fired. Eleven total. My name was first on the list to "not have my contract renewed". It was also the first in the newspaper. As luck would have I had a great attorney and took on the district, super, and principal. In the end I walked away from the situation with my dignity restored and first right of refusal of any job in the district. Of course I used my right to refuse the job and taught in Okaloosa County instead!

That is all water under the bridge, I have even considered going back to teaching in Walton County, but everytime someone brings up the possiblilty of closing Bay School it brings up such strong emotions. We fought so hard to keep it open. We gave it everything we had, and in the end we lost the battle, the war and our jobs. Most of the teachers that were let go took jobs in other counties, some went into real estate ;-).

While on my soap box, I must say that South Walton has treated Middle School like "Stuck in the Middle" School. No long range plans have been in place until now. They have moved the students from Bay, to ECMS now to the new school. This is a very fragile age for kids. They need a since of autonomy I pray that the new school will provide them with it.