Mississippi Business Journal » public school

Board could name state education superintendent by fall

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:10:20 +0000

JACKSON — Mississippi could choose its new state superintendent of education by October. The state Board of Education agreed to take applications for the post from early June through early September, with plans to interview finalists in late September and reach a contract with a new leader by October. The department has been led by [...]

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School damage total $7M; officials hope MEMA meets deductible

Associated Press — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:13:53 +0000

OAK GROVE — Lamar County School District officials said a Feb. 10 tornado caused $7 million in damage to Oak Grove High and its baseball and football facilities. The Hattiesburg-American reports the district has a $50,000 insurance deductible it hopes to have covered by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. District Construction Manager Johnny Downs said they’ve [...]

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New education trend? District marketing schools

Associated Press — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:26:37 +0000

TUPELO — Noting the competition that exists when parents choose where to send their children to school, first-year Tupelo superintendent Gearl Loden has begun a campaign to aggressively market the school district. From billboards to newspaper advertisements to a student-produced program that airs on WTVA-TV in Tupelo, the district has actively tried to share its [...]

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Automaker makes half-million-dollar donation to schools

Associated Press — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:18:10 +0000

CANTON — Canton school officials say a gift from Nissan North America will be used to help at-risk students. Superintendent Dwight Luckett tells The Clarion-Ledger the district will hire specialists to work one-on-one or in small groups with students to help them catch up to grade level in reading, language arts and math. The $500,000 [...]

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ACLU chapter: School prayer can make students feel like outsiders

MBJ Staff — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:49:39 +0000

JACKSON — The ACLU of Mississippi says it supports constitutionally protected, voluntary student-led prayer in school for students who want to pray. What ACLU-MS does not support, it reports in a release, is “any policy or practice that violates the Constitution.” This includes the practice of schools promoting one religious belief over another, “therefore making [...]

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Board adopts new school rating system, factors in graduates

Associated Press — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:54:00 +0000

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — The state Board of Education has approved a new school rating system. The system for the 2012-2013 school year adds graduation rates to the calculation of A-to-F grades for high schools and school districts. The board also opened a proposal for a future system to evaluate schools and districts for public comment, [...]

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Governor signs education bills, including charter schools

Associated Press — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 23:47:21 +0000

FLOWOOD — Gov. Phil Bryant continues to tout the “transformative” potential of new education measures The Republican Bryant signed four bills into law today at Northwest Rankin High School, where he pledged last fall to seek many of the changes. Among the new laws is one that expands the authority to create charter schools — [...]

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Judge orders school consolidation, district expects to save money

Associated Press — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:06:18 +0000

ACKERMAN — A federal judge has ordered Choctaw County to consolidate all seventh through 12th graders at Ackerman High School while leaving grades K through 8 at schools in Ackerman, Weir and French Camp. WCBI-TV in Columbus reports the order was issued by U.S. District Judge Glenn Davidson. The Choctaw County School Board had drawn [...]

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Committee rejects Bomgar’s nomination to Education Board

Associated Press — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:28:49 +0000

JACKSON — The Senate Education Committee has rejected Joel Bomgar’s nomination to join the state Board of Education. Bomgar, the 33-year-old founder of Bomgar Corp. of Ridgeland, saw his nomination tabled on an 8-7 vote. Opponents subjected Bomgar, a Jackson resident, to sharp questioning about his board membership on the conservative-leaning Mississippi Center for Public [...]

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Charter school bill finally passes; Bryant says he’ll sign

Associated Press — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:07:44 +0000

JACKSON — After two years of struggle, a bill to make it easier to create charter schools is on its way to Gov. Phil Bryant. The State Senate voted 34-18 to approve House Bill 369, which widens legal authority for charter schools. Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison, an Oxford Republican, says he had hoped [...]

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