Oil spill woes trickle down to schools

PENSACOLA, Florida (WALA) - As the school year approaches, school leaders worry about the impact the oil will have on the Escambia School District. They expect fewer students, and possible budget cuts due to declining property values.

Schools start in Escambia in about three weeks. That will make it day 127 since the oil spill.

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas worries about what impact it will have on the district.

"It's difficult to get a handle on hard data. At the moment we are not seeing loss of students, but as I told the Commissioner earlier this week, students that leave don't always think about stopping by and telling us they are leaving. We won't know until school begins," said Thomas.

A loss of students and declining property values mean less money in the budget. Thomas says in the past year, values of property all throughout Escambia County went down more than a billion dollars. He fears the oil spill will only drive values down even more.

"Half of our money comes from property, school taxes on property. If those values decrease, the amount of money the school district receives will decrease," said Thomas.

He also worries about psychological impacts on the children. Mental health specialists are on standby just in case.

"There will be some psychological pressures. When families are out of work, things in the home get tense. Helping youngsters deal with that is something we are conscious about," Thomas said.

Thomas says it’s frustrating not knowing what’s next, but all they can do is be prepared for the worst. He's trying to save as much money as he can.

"I can't speculate on what might happen. I do know we are in precarious environment economically, you will see me be as conservative as I can be," Thomas said.