MPSD board approves officers for 2023-2024 school year

GLENDA SANDERS |, The Meridian Star, Miss.
·3 min read

Apr. 22—Meridian Public School District Board of Trustees President Sally Gray will continue serving in her top officer position for the 2023-2024 school year after a vote of the school board during its monthly meeting Monday.

Beverly Pennington will continue in her role as vice president, and Ron Turner Sr. will again serve as board secretary.

The board officer positions were approved in unanimous votes by all four members in attendance. Board member Kim Houston was not present.

The school board also approved its regular monthly meeting schedule for next school year with meetings slated for July 17, Aug. 21, Sept. 18, Oct. 16, Nov. 13 and Dec. 11 in 2023. Monthly meetings rounding out the next school year are scheduled for Jan. 16, Feb. 20, March 19, April 15, May 20 and June 18. The school board typically adds special board meetings throughout the year to take care of unexpected business.

Also on Monday, the school board recognized five district leaders for their completion of the PREPS CEO Leadership Academy.

Those recognized were Keraneisha Green, assistant principal of Northwest Middle School; Dr. Tiffany Jones-Fisher, associate principal at Meridian High School; Frederick Liddell, director of exceptional education for the Office of Exceptional Child Education; Shannon Thomas, principal of Parkview Elementary School; and Victor White, assistant principal of TJ Harris Upper Elementary.

The Collaborating to Empower Others (CEO) Leadership Academy is a program offered through Mississippi's only statewide educational consortium, called the Program of Research and Evaluation of Public Schools, or PREPS, located at William Carey University.

The mission of the leadership academy is to provide school leaders with a solid background in school culture, data analysis and instructional theory, according to the PREPS website. Its aim is to create a statewide network of passionate school leaders who can provide trust and support to each other especially during challenging times as administrators.

The school board also recognized the Phil Hardin Foundation and its executive director, Lloyd Gray, not only for the foundation's continue support to the school district but also for making it possible for the educators to attend the PREPS CEO Academy. Through its sponsorship, the Hardin Foundation helps reduce the tuition costs for districts to send participants to the program.

In other business, the school board also:

* Approved two change orders for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funded-project to re-roof West Hills Elementary School, which will increase its cost by $12,000 and lengthen its completion date by 30 days;

* Adopted a resolution amending the language in the board's previously approved resolution authorizing and directing the issuance of more than $33.6 million in general obligation bonds for the school district as part of the bond issue approved by voters last fall;

* Tabled a hunting and fishing lease bid on 251 acres of district-owned land, at $10.50 an acre, until it can be determined what the minimum bid is allowed by the state;

* Approved a $13,000 MSU-Gear Up grant to be used to provide ACT assessments, mentoring, computer science or stem programming, parent/community engagement activities and training; and

* Approved a recommendation to review all policies associated with the MPSD, including the school district, school board, general school administration, facility expansion, general public relations, organizational relations, and education agency relations.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.