Earle McAuley
·4 min read
Name: Earle McAuley
Office you're seeking: Escambia County School Board—District 4
Occupation: Teacher
Education: BS in English East Carolina university
August primary ballot is set. Nearly 100 have qualified to run for local elected offices
Why are you running for this office?
I initially got involved to try and bring some common sense and perspective to libraries and books. After much praying and discussion with family, I decided that my broad experience and passion could greatly help the students of Escambia County.
What experience do you have that makes you qualified for this office?
I am a 22-year veteran English teacher and the 2023 Gulf Breeze High School Teacher of the Year. I've taught in four states and five high schools, with experience in both inner-city and suburban schools. As a 20-year coach, I've been named PNJ Boys’ Lacrosse Coach of the Year four times. I have three successful children who graduated from Escambia County schools and a fourth who is a current high school junior. Married for 29 years, I was also a stay-at-home dad for eight years.
In your view, what is the role of public schools?
The mission statement for Escambia County is a great place to start.
“The mission of Escambia County Schools is to provide a safe, rigorous, and engaging learning environment that promotes healthy, respectful, resourceful, and responsible life-long learners. These learners will collaborate, lead by example, set goals to strive for excellence, and graduate ready for college or a career.”
A mission statement by definition is a goal—fulfilling the mission is the trick. It requires constant effort, coordination, and adaptation which I am committed to bringing.
What do you believe should be changed about the school district, and what specific steps you would take to implement those changes?
Teacher Retention, Middle Schools, Open Libraries.
Teacher Retention - Teachers & Staff must feel valued. Teachers who feel valued are 80% more likely to remain in the profession. This is probably the biggest issue facing this body.
A July 7th Economist article highlights the critical importance of teacher retention. Quality teachers are vital; children taught by the top 25% of staff make twice the progress of those taught by the least-effective quarter. Matthew Kraft at Brown University notes that attitudes towards teaching are at a 50-year low, with only 37% of parents considering it a good career for their children. High schoolers' interest in teaching has similarly dropped. From 2006 to 2020, the number of new teaching licenses in the U.S. fell by one-third. In my senior AP Lit course, only two out of 150 students expressed a desire to teach the last two years.
Adding bodies to classrooms is not sufficient. The future, without changes, is that “teacher” will be a two-year associate degree and dramatically lower the standards. Perhaps we should change our entire tax structure and pay teachers 200k a year.
However, in the meantime, here is a great start.
STAY Interviews: Conduct regular interviews with current staff to understand their needs and improve retention.
Tiered Inservice: Implement a tiered professional development system to provide ongoing education and growth opportunities tailored to different experience levels. A 17 year veteran and a new hire do not have the same needs.
Micro-Credentials: Offer monetary incentives for targeted, short-term training programs that allow teachers to develop specialized, purposeful skills and advance their careers.
Middle Schools: Many families are trying to opt out of our middle schools. I will make addressing the following middle school concerns a priority: cyber-bullying andsocial/emotional well-being, providing solutions to schools to curb cell phone usage, and adding support personnel to ensure every middle school has the resources (counselors, deans, and assistant principals) to address the challenges students and educators confront during these formidable years.
Open Libraries: We must employ common sense with parental involvement. With only 44% of Escambia County third graders reading at grade level, students need more access to books, not less. Children need to be reading. However, parental involvement is crucial. Parents should engage in their children's education. Teachers should communicate selection rationale to parents, provide alternate choices for objectionable in-class materials, and facilitate parent-child discussions on library book selections.
What do you believe the school district is doing right, and how would you improve it?
As I mentioned earlier, the core of any school is its staff. Our teachers are caring professionals dedicated to their students' success. The school board must provide them with the necessary tools. We need more resources for our lowest-performing schools. However, equal funding does not guarantee rigorous education for all. School finance reform should focus on improving the quality of education, from instruction to curriculum. We need additional resources to meet at-risk students' needs and accountability frameworks to ensure access to early childhood programs, effective teachers, and a rigorous curriculum for all students. One cost-effective idea is to have high-achieving high school students in the district to mentor elementary students in need. We could design an app to pair students during the school day, offering training, volunteer hours, and mutual benefits from the relationship.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Earle McAuley for Escambia County School Board — District 4 Primary elections 2024
