Escambia County School Board member Kevin Adams urged other board members to support the Escambia Children’s Trust as Commissioner Mike Kohler seeks to bring an end to the program.
“I have talked to this commissioner and I don’t understand why somebody would want to pull these services away from the children when it’s working. … I think it would be catastrophic issue for the school district in Escambia County if those funds were lost,” said Adams who cited Children’s Trust data that revealed from 2023-2026, the entity provided services to over 10,000 children with many receiving multiple layers of support.
The Escambia Children’s Trust was approved by voters in 2020 and is responsible for allocating more than $10 million annually in property taxes to fund initiatives and services to help children and their families, especially those with the greatest need.
Kohler is requesting the Escambia County Board of Commissioners on Thursday discuss putting a referendum on the ballot Nov. 3, 2026, although it does not indicate what the specific referendum would be.
Kohler did not respond to a request for comment, but this isn’t the first time he has raised the issue of putting the Children’s Trust back before voters.
Escambia County voters approved the creation of the Children’s Trust in 2020, with 61% of the vote. Once passed, the ECT has a natural end date of 2030.
“It’s (the Children’s Trust) really moving pretty good now. We know from our academics improving, our graduation rates improving—all the numbers are going in the right direction,” Adams said. “So, I’m with the 61% of the people who voted for the Children’s Trust. I think we should give it the rest of the time to do its’ work.
“I can’t believe there will be majority of the county commissioners that would vote for them to do that. I truly believe if they want to put it on this election for another 10 years, it will pass. It will pass because people out there recognize how well a job is being done. I know we’ve got some in this town who keep looking in the past that can’t let it go for some reason. But that’s OK, the rest of us will keep moving forward.”
Adams said children in Escambia County’s pockets of poverty in high crime areas need the extra resources.
“I am asking the rest of commissioners to please support that Children’s Trust, especially with all of the school districts that are being impacted financially across the state of Florida now,” Adams added. “And I would ask my fellow board members to talk to their county commissioners to make sure. But like I said, I can’t hardly believe there would be a majority to say, ‘Hey we want to put it on the referendum to shut it down.’ Because that would be thousands and thousands and thousands of students who would lose critical resources.”
ECPS Superintendent Keith Leonard, who along with board member David Williams serve on the Children’s Trust’s executive board, said evidence shows that the Children’s Trust afterschool and summer programs have improved students’ academic and social skills.
“For me as your superintendent – which is the only reason I am a member of the Children’s Trust, what I see is only positive outcomes. What I will continue to do is support and be an advocate for what I know matters and that’s providing the best services we can provide whether it’s through the Children’s Trust or what we do in each individual schools for those students,” Leonard said.
“I appreciate your advocacy as a board member of the Children’s Trust, and I hope we are able to continue to make positive outcomes for students.”
Adams attributed some of the Children’s Trust success to the school district’s presentation on the Corridors of Concern.
“That was where the Children’s Trust started getting focused when we had that presentation where you were actually taking it from the Corridors of Concern straight down to each student—tracking the results,” Adams said. “I will tell you for (Children’s Trust Executive Director) Lindsey Cannon, it’s been a job getting the nonprofits used to a basically performance-based contract.”
Board member Carissa Bergosh asked Adams to share his Children’s Trust data with other board members.
“I want to have concrete data,” she said when discussing the issue with county commissioners.
Some of the other data shared by Adams at the meeting included:
Pensacola News Journal reporter Mollye Barrows contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: School board member makes fiery plea for Escambia Children’s Trust
Reporting by Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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