By By Adrienne McKenzie – for the Standard
If Escambia County residents do not approve a 3-mill tax renewal for the Escambia County School system in the June 5 election, Huxford Elementary School will be forced to put off necessary facility renovations and restoration, officials said.
Escambia County Superintendent Billy Hines said he is not allocating a specific amount of money per school. However, Atmore area schools could stand to lose nearly $300,000 overall if the tax is not renewed.
Huxford Elementary School principal Betty Warren said that if the tax renewal is not passed, it would not affect her school as far as teacher units are concerned, but it would affect the school in other ways.
Hines agreed, saying the tax could be used in elementary schools for building improvements.
Warren said Huxford does not have a gymnasium and when stormy weather occurs, the children are not able to have a rest from class.
A gymnasium would not only be useful for the children on stormy days, it would also be useful if the school ever wanted to host a program or have an assembly. The library is located in the auditorium, along with the reading coach, the computer lab and the nurse's station, causing the room to become very crowded. Assemblies and programs are not feasible in the auditorium because of everything else that occurs in that area. A gym would allow for a location for the school to have different assemblies.
Warren said it is important that residents pass the tax to better improve facilities children are educated in.
If the tax is renewed, Warren said it would show people from other areas that Escambia County is concerned about the education of its children.