LCSD thanks school board members for service
Feb. 16—Next week is School Board Member Recognition Week in Mississippi, and the Lauderdale County School District honored its five members early by presenting them with a gift during Thursday night's school board meeting.
Superintendent Dr. John-Mark Cain said the five board members are to be commended for their commitment to the district's more than 5,900 students and the contribution the board makes in educating them.
"I can't do this job without you," Cain said. "Not that we always agree, but, you know, you represent your communities, and you represent those view points. We can't have a great school system without a great school board, so we wanted to say thank you and recognize each of you tonight."
Recognized by the district were board president Kelvin Jackson, board vice president Dusty Culpepper and board members Barbara Jones, Michael Wilson and Josh Thompson. They were each presented with a fleece pullover that was embroidered by Career and Technical Education students from Northeast Lauderdale High School.
In Mississippi, School Board Member Recognition Week is usually observed during the third week of February. According to the Mississippi School Boards Association, more than 700 Mississippians are either elected or appointed members of local school boards across the state. They often put in long hours attending meetings and school activities, as well as answering questions and fielding concerns from parents and community residents.
Cain said being a school board member has become more difficult in recent years not only locally but across the nation. Yet, he commended their persistence in working on behalf of Lauderdale County students.
"You get the phone calls, you get the emails, you get the complaints at ball games, you get them at Walmart, you get them at church on Sunday," Cain said of board members. "But at the end of the day, we depend on you to help us make the best decisions for our students, for our faculty, for our staff."
Jackson, speaking as board president, said the five members serve because they have a heartfelt desire to improve educational opportunities for the district's students.
"We serve because we want to make a positive difference in our community," he said. "There are a lot of people that may complain and may have concerns or problems, but we five board members have always worked to make an active difference in our community."
Also at Thursday's meeting, the school district recognized Meridian Community College as its Community Partner of the Month for its support of county students and programs.
Cain presented MCC President Dr. Thomas M. Huebner Jr. with a plaque in recognition of the college's partnership with the district.
"We've got a lot of things going on with Meridian Community College, a lot of talks about the future of our school district and their institution, about partnerships that we have," Cain said. "There's going to be a lot of discussions going on over the next few weeks and months as we try to transition into more opportunities for our students." Jackson added that the school board appreciates its partnerships within the community.
In times of limited resources, partnerships are needed and necessary more than ever, and we know the beneficiaries of those partnerships are our children," he said.
Huebner said he couldn't imagine a better relationship than the one MCC has with Lauderdale County Schools.
"We are just grateful for the opportunity to serve and work together to benefit our community," he said. "Our community doesn't get better without better opportunities for our students."
Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.
