| Magee Courier-Simpson County News

Delta State’s future depends on $11 million, multi-year budget cut, president says

Sat, 09/30/2023 - 05:31 PM

About a decade of “emergency-style budgeting” at Delta State University has all but maxed out its credit and created an $11 million hole that is poised to be an unavoidable existential threat.

Fixing the budget won’t be easy, Daniel Ennis, the new president, warned the campus during a town hall on Thursday. It must happen within five years and will require across-the-board cuts, including to salaries and positions, in part because the regional college’s single-best source of revenue — enrollment — has cratered by 48% in the last 16 years.

Early Intervention Task Force aims to expand services to children with developmental delays

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Sat, 09/30/2023 - 03:51 PM

The Task Force is working to gather data necessary to make legislative recommendations before the 2024 session begins.

The “First Steps” early intervention program, administered by the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH), supports families of infants and toddlers under three years of age who have a developmental delay.

At Innova Preparatory School in Hattiesburg, smaller classes provide a learning environment where teachers have more one-on-one interactions with students. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

School accountability scores are same or better than last year

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Fri, 09/29/2023 - 01:31 PM

Only 8% of Mississippi school districts got a D or F on this year’s accountability grades, an even smaller percentage than last year.

The grades, released Thursday by the Mississippi Department of Education, are the state’s annual assessment of school quality based on state test performance, student growth from year to year, and graduation rates. Schools and districts did not receive grades in 2020 or 2021 because of the disruptions of the pandemic, receiving post-COVID grades for the first time last year.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley and Mississippi Association of Educators President Erica Jones address the concerns of educators during a town hall meeting held at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

Brandon Presley to teachers: educating Mississippi children is ‘the most important thing’

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Fri, 09/29/2023 - 10:51 AM

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley called for fully funding public schools and increasing teacher pay as he laid out his education policy priorities in a Monday town hall.

Presley, who is challenging Republican incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves in the November election, laid out his proposals in a Jackson town hall hosted Monday evening by the Mississippi Association of Educators.

Family nurse practitioner Kristi H. Goodson talks with Karla Beard, a registered nurse with the Choctaw County School District, during a telehealth call at the C Spire corporate building in Ridgeland, Miss., Thursday, September 21, 2023. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today

Few schools utilizing telehealth program, but administrators hope to ramp up

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Thu, 09/28/2023 - 11:11 AM

Most school districts only used the state’s new telehealth program a few times in the 2022-23 school year, but program administrators say they are working to increase participation and have already seen positive results.

SCSD Superintendent Speaks to Local Pastors at Prayer Breakfast

sfairchild

Wed, 09/27/2023 - 11:28 AM

Simpson County School District’s (SCSD) superintendent, Dr. Paul Lawrence, was recently the guest speaker at a prayer breakfast held at the Disciples of Christ Fellowship Center in Mendenhall. The breakfast was sponsored by the SCSD Board of Education.

On Sept. 24, community members and local pastors gathered to hear Lawrence give a speech regarding his vision for the district — "One Simpson County.” This vision emphasized the importance of unity and collaboration within the district and across the community.

Barber to be honored

sfairchild

Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:41 AM

Mia Barber of Magee will be honored with three scholarships next week at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.
Barber is a 2016 high honor graduate of Magee High School and a 2022 honor graduate of Spring Hill University in Mobile, Alabama. She is now a medical student at Meharry.
During the summer Barber was one of only a few of the medical students selected to do her student internship at the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., where she was able to expand her opportunities in the life sciences.

Pam Keith is in her second year with Co-Lin Simpson County Center Business Office and as bookstore manager. More importantly, she is nearing her third year mark of being cancer free. In October 2020 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer Stage 1A. According to the National Cancer Institute website statistics are sobering: 19,710 new cases will be diagnosed in 2023 with 13,270 resulting in death. Keith believes part of her responsibility as a survivor is to speak the truth about ovarian cancer. September is recognized as Ovarian Cancer Month.

Keith recalls ovarian cancer scare

sfairchild

Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:38 AM

It’s 2020 and life is difficult at best with all of the guidelines in place due to the Covid 19 pandemic. In addition, you decided to sell your house and move from Magee to Mize, which means a new school for your teenage children and new surroundings, new life.

E&R has grand opening

sfairchild

Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:37 AM

The Mendenhall Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for E & R Diesel Service, LLC located at 4418 Highway 49 N. The business is owned by Eric and Rosalind Jaynes. On hand to help celebrate the event were City officials, Chamber members along with family and friends.

Board discusses providing art program

sfairchild

Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:15 AM

At the Simpson County School Board’s monthly meeting on Sept. 21, two board members praised a conference on arts in education conference the board had attended.
Ralph Walker spoke highly of the conference and Lillie Hardy reiterated her support of the arts in Simpson County Schools. Hardy said the conference provided data that supported the need for the arts in school and the role they play in shaping well-rounded students.
She voiced her concern that the district may not be infusing the arts into the curriculum as needed.

Marlecia Tucker Homecoming Queen for Magee High

sfairchild

Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:13 AM

Congratulations to Marlecia Tucker, right, on being voted Magee High School’s 2023-2024 Homecoming Queen. Marlecia was crowned by 2022-2023 queen Kymiah McCann. Marlecia is the daughter of Marlana Sonnier-Crosby and Marcus Tucker. The Trojans won their Homecoming matchup 12-0 against Taylorsville.

Homecoming Friday Night

sfairchild

Wed, 09/27/2023 - 08:46 AM

SCA 2023 Homecoming Court: Sophomore Maids are Sophie Grubbs, Elie Stewart, Mallory Duncan, and Danni Cooper. Junior Maids are Ava Dunn, Lola Cook, Mollie Kate Garner, and Avery McNair. Senior Maids are Maylin Berry, Avery Crain, Payton Purvis, and Natalie Styron. Football Maids are Olivia Jordan and Kelsie King. Flower girl is first grader Lexi Frye and Crown Bearer is first grader Gunner Cole. The Homecoming queen will be announced Friday as the Cougars take on Brookhaven Academy. Festivities begin at 6 p.m.

Gulfport High is preparing the next generation for the workforce

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Mon, 09/25/2023 - 10:11 PM

Community backing in Gulfport resulted in a new state of the art facility to prepare students for the next step in life. Students are taking full advantage of the opportunities.

Amanda Johnson, executive director of Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School, reacts after Clarksdale Collegiate’s application for Clarksdale Collegiate Prep was approved during a Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board meeting in Jackson, Miss., Monday, September 25, 2023. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today

Mississippi board approves state’s first charter high school

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Mon, 09/25/2023 - 09:21 PM

Students applauded, cried and jumped with excitement at the news that Mississippi’s first charter high school was approved Monday afternoon.

The school, Clarksdale Collegiate Prep, has been approved to open in the Clarksdale Municipal School District in the fall of 2025. It is an expansion of Clarksdale Collegiate Public, a K-8 public school already operational in the school district.

IHL board members during the public portion of their meeting at IHL headquarters, Thursday, May 18, 2023 in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

IHL system put on federal monitoring after blowing deadline to submit annual audit

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Mon, 09/25/2023 - 08:41 PM

The U.S. Department of Education has placed Mississippi’s public university system under a form of oversight that restricts the flow of federal financial aid dollars and hinders the creation of new academic programs, according to a letter obtained by Mississippi Today.

The Institutions of Higher Learning is planning to appeal the sanction, known as heightened cash monitoring. It comes after IHL was 75 days late in submitting its system-wide annual audit and financial statements for fiscal year 2022.

Ladner: Breaking the Mold of American K-12 Education

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Mon, 09/25/2023 - 04:11 PM

Below is an opinion column by Matt Ladner:

Auditor’s proposal to defund some college majors catches fire online, but are lawmakers interested?

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Mon, 09/25/2023 - 02:51 PM

Buoyed by a series of tweets from State Auditor Shad White belittling certain liberal arts degrees as “garbage,” “useless” and “indoctrination factories,” a recent report from his office calls for Mississippi to change how it funds higher education by stripping public money from programs that don’t support the state’s economy in favor of those that do.

Long Beach Middle’s house system gives students unique life lessons

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Fri, 09/22/2023 - 04:31 PM

Community, purpose and responsibility are just some of the lessons for students.

To make the transition from elementary to secondary easier, a Mississippi school district’s middle school is utilizing a unique system to give students a sense of purpose, community and responsibility.

University of Mississippi students walk to class on the Oxford campus. Credit: Molly Minta/Mississippi Today

‘No one is losing out’ in proposed college financial aid changes, board says

brandonsup

Thu, 09/21/2023 - 01:41 PM

A new proposal would seek to more than double the number of Mississippians who are eligible for state financial aid by expanding one of the state’s undergraduate financial aid programs.

Student Financial Aid Redesign Task Force seeks more funding, expanded access

sfairchild

Thu, 09/21/2023 - 09:32 AM

A Mississippi higher education task force looks to revamp the state’s financial aid programs to make them more efficient, and successful, by removing restrictions and increasing funding.

The Task Force is working to gather data necessary to make legislative recommendations before the 2024 session begins.

Community backing in Gulfport resulted in a new state of the art facility to prepare students for the next step in life. Students are taking full advantage of the opportunities.

Community, purpose and responsibility are just some of the lessons for students.

A Mississippi higher education task force looks to revamp the state’s financial aid programs to make them more efficient, and successful, by removing restrictions and increasing funding.

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