More from the public (8:07 p.m.)
May 5th, 2008, 6:16 pm · Post a Comment · posted by fsherman
Charlie Saleeby, a major proponent of the Destin High School passes out “a lot of new information that we’ve collected and gathered since the last time we spoke.”
•Based on current grade population in DES and DMS, we could anticipate 756 students in a Destin High School. Currently, Niceville has 2200. Crestview has 1965, Fort Walton about the same. Baker HS has 438, Laurel Hill has 128. Port St. Joe 417. Chipley, 650 (and that’s a relatively new school, that opened 2001). South Walton, 570. Walton HS in DeFuniak will open with 670. Wewahitchka, 272 students (I think he said.). Destin is one of the largest cities in the Panhandle that doesn’t have a high school.
•Can we have good enough programs at such a small school? The School Board says no, but 11 of the top 20 high schools in a recent report are as small as Destin (It’s a US News and World Report). One high school in a small community has 810 students, 16 AP courses–two less than FWB HS–and a 90-percent plus level of college resident.
•The number five high school in Vermont has 410 students, and a 100 percent college-readiness index.
•For all their size, none of Okaloosa County’s high schools are in the top 100. And the 100th school has 52 percent college readiness, which means our high schools must fall below that. “A community can have the quality of education it demands—and Destin has always demanded quality education.”
•Extracurricular activities: These are vital for acceptance into college.
A Destin HS couldn’t field a band equal to Choctaw or FWB HS, but probably more students could participate in cheerleading, dance, soccer, football than get to at the larger high schools.
•With gas prices rising, it’s going to become more and more expensive to shlep kids to Fort Walton Beach, pick them up after band practice or drama rehearsals, etc.
