The Panama City Marine Institute

PCMI is located at 200 E Beach Drive in Panama City. PCMI currently has 100 students. 1/3 is girls and 2/3 is boys. Their mission statement is: The Panama City Marine Institute (PCMI) is a not for profit organization whose mission is to redirect and motivate at risk youth to accept responsibility for their actions, develop respect for themselves and others, and become productive members of the community. This will be done using a balanced approach to ensure public safety and personal development of the young people and their families.

PCMI opened its doors in 1974 on Beach Drive in Panama City, Florida. PCMI's success rate is almost 75% and offers middle and high school students GED preparation, as well as a complete core curriculum, taught by state certified teachers. They also follow Bay District School System requirements. Students are offered pre-vocational and pre-employment training in marine service fields to help them obtain jobs in marine-related careers. PCMI also offers scholarships to local colleges and technical schools to all students who complete their program.

I spoke with Rusty Russell who is the executive director of PCMI. He explained that after care and feeding, funding is most important to their success. They get funding from The Department of Juvenile Justice, which is similar to a church with a 501CC contract. They also get Department of Education funds and do auctions and fundraisers. Private and business donations are also beneficial to their success.

The kids come from two different sources: The Department of Juvenile Justice and Bay District Schools. Out of the 100 enrolled, 55 are from the Department of Juvenile Justice and 45 are from Bay District Schools. The Department of Juvenile Justice is where the children are either on probation, minimum risk commitment, or conditional release. They have no choice in their enrollment; this is a term of their probation. The other 45 that are from Bay District School System are children ages 12-18 who are having difficulty in school for various reasons; attendance, drugs, etc... Not all kids that go to PCMI are "troublemakers." Some are abused at home or picked on in school and flourish at this environment as opposed to a public school setting.

The students are involved in regular school curriculum and also participate in the ROPES Program as well as marine related activities such as boating, kayaking, diving, etc. There is a woodshop as well. I took a tour of the facilities and was very impressed with the atmosphere. Every student I met shook my hand and introduced him or herself and every teacher I met was friendly and glad to see me. There are classrooms, a library, a wood shop, a dock, and various other teaching rooms and meeting rooms. There is also a store where the kids can purchase items as gifts for family with what is called bid bucks. A child is given a bid buck when they do something good without being asked. Even introducing themselves to a visitor is worthy of bid bucks. It gives them something to strive for. There is also a yearly trip that students must meet certain requirements in order to take. Last year's trip was to Key West and judging by the pictures on the wall, it looks like everyone had a wonderful time.

A few of the persons employed at PCMI are teachers (who must have a BA and highly qualified), caseworkers, a licensed clinical social worker, and administrative. PCMI teachers do all of their own custodian work as well as meal preparation is done by staff, not lunchroom staff. There is also no SRO's available. Teachers start out at $35K, case managers at $28K, LCSW at $40K, and office staff and support makes $10 per hour. Some teachers, fresh out of college, think that PCMI is an easy job but it's not. There is a high turnover rate, school is in session year round, and there are few raises. The kids have special needs and can be hard to work with at times. Rusty gave an example of how in the movies you'll see things improve in a 2-hour time span but it takes much longer in real life to make a difference and see your work realized. Yet, this work is very rewarding for those strong enough to take on this challenge.

A few years ago, PCMI focused on school but with more opportunity to do hands-on experience with marine related activities. Now, due to the No Child Left Behind program and the Quality Assurance Program, time spent in the classroom is more imperative to regulations than ever before.

Overall, PCMI seems like a wonderful place for a child to grow and flourish. The staff and students were pleasant and extremely friendly. I was actually sorry that the meeting ended when it did. PCMI accepts donations to the school such as books, shoes, and clothes. Monetary donations are always welcome as well.