Putnam Middle School
| Putnam Middle School | |
|
Birmingham City Schools |
| Years | 1961–present |
|---|---|
| Location | 1757 Montclair Road, (map) Eastwood |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Principal | Brenda Dial |
| Enrollment | 330 (2008) |
| Colors | blue and white |
| Mascot | Panthers |
| Website | bhamcityschools.org |
W. E. Putnam Middle Magnet School is a middle school in the Birmingham City Schools system located at 1757 Montclair Road in the Eastwood neighborhood. It was constructed in 1961 as an elementary school with 13 classrooms, an office and a cafeteria. Shortly after his death in 1962 the school was renamed for former Birmingham Board of Education research director W. E. Putnam. It was converted into a middle school in 1980. The principal is Brenda Dial.
Under a school consolidation plan proposed by acting superintendent Barbara Allen, Putnam Middle accepted additional students transferring from Kirby Middle School in 2009.
In March 2012 the school closed for a week due to possible widespread contamination from a mercury spill in a science laboratory.
Under a consolidation plan proposed by Superintendent Craig Witherspoon in early 2013, Putnam would close with some students transferring to Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School and others enrolled in a new program for 7th and 8th graders at Woodlawn High School.
In 2013, under the terms of the Alabama Accountability Act, Putnam Middle School was deemed a "failing school", permitting parents to claim tax credits to transfer students to another school. The school remained on the updated list released in 2016, but did not appear on the 2017 list.
Principals
- Edward Eubank, 1961-1976
- Lillie Mae Hagler, 1976-1980
- David Newell, 1980-1997
- John Ippolito, 1997-2003
- Jeanine Bell, 2003-2004
- Michael Scott, 2004-
- Brenda Dial, -present
References
- Chandler, Kim (June 18, 2013) "Alabama Accountability Act: 78 schools listed as failing/ Current private school students not eligible for tax credits." The Birmingham News
- Phillips, Ryan (February 11, 2016) "Birmingham City Schools see staggering number of failing schools." Birmingham Business Journal