PANAMA CITY — With Bay District Schools planning to consolidate six voluntary pre-K (VPK) programs at one school, Bay County NAACP leaders said they are concerned about effects to Oscar Patterson Elementary, the last historically African-American school in Bay County.
At a Feb. 10 Bay District School Board meeting, the board decided to consolidate pre-K programs at Oscar Patterson, Oakland Terrace, Lucille Moore, Cherry Street, Springfield and Cedar Grove elementaries into one site.
Rufus Wood, Bay County NAACP president and pastor at Love Center Missionary Baptist Church, said he and others are concerned about Patterson being chosen as the site because all historically African-American schools have been repurposed or closed.
Superintendent Bill Husfelt said a specific site for the VPK program has not yet been considered and added a task force had not yet even been formed on the matter due to attention focused on reopening West Bay Elementary. Husfelt said at the February meeting that Wood would be on the task force.
Wood said he did not want to sit idly by while the location was considered; he wanted to make clear he and others in the Patterson community were opposed to the school being repurposed or closed.
The Bay County NAACP said in a press release while it “strongly supports” early childhood education programs, another site would be better suited for the program. Wood said other communities can share in school repurposing. Patterson is at 1025 Redwood Ave., in the Glenwood area.
“Some employees may lose their jobs and many children would be bused from the neighborhood to other schools,” the NAACP said.
A community meeting will be held Monday at 6 p.m. at Love Center Missionary Baptist Church on the issue, Wood said.
School officials hope that by consolidating the pre-K programs, the quality of education would improve and students would be better prepared to enter kindergarten.
“We need to get better,” Husfelt said.
Board members are hopeful the consolidated pre-K center will open by next school year, board member Ryan Neves said at the February meeting.
First Providence Community Baptist Church pastor Russell Wright Sr. was at the February meeting and spoke out against Patterson possibly closing or being repurposed. Wright said he was concerned the area had lost too many schools.
Wright said test scores had come up at Patterson and that the school should keep serving as an elementary site.
Andre Goss, a permanent substitute teacher for alternative schools and Patterson Oversight Committee member, also spoke to the board at the February meeting. Goss said pre-K programs were needed.
“Do we need it at Patterson? I don’t think so,” Goss said.
Goss said Patterson had gone from an F school to a C school in almost one year and added the school has made great strides.
Want to go?
- What: Community meeting on VPK
- When: Monday
- Where: Love Center Missionary Baptist Church, 3100 E. 11th St., Springfield
- Why: To discuss consolidation of six voluntary pre-K programs