The Simpson County School District’s special meeting last Thursday addressed the looming bus driver shortage.
The lack of bus drivers has affected eery district school. Due to the shortage several drivers have been asked to drive double and triple routes to make up the difference. Parents have expressed concern about their children arriving at school late or being unable to make arrangements to get students home after school.
Superintendent Dr. Paul Lawrence said the district has been proactive in finding a solution to the bus driver shortage and recently held training to get more drivers certified.
Lawrence said the school district is also evaluating the bus routes hoping to make them more efficient. He said the routes have not been evaluated in some time. He said the current plan is to combine some of the routes and that he thinks the number of routes could be reduced from 16 to 12.
He also announced that the pay scale will be revised for bus drivers to make Simpson County School District more competitive by increasing pay. The pay scales in surrounding districts will be researched to find an average, and the proposed pay scale will be presented to the board once it is completed.
During discussion board member Lillie Hardy approached the issue from a different perspective, highlighting the disadvantages for students who did not have a driver for their route. Hardy said the situation could be seen as discrimination and the district is not putting these students in the best position to succeed. Dr. Lawrence said the district will pick these students up and get them home at the end of the day and guaranteed that buses will run these routes even if they do not have drivers. He said they may be late, but the district will work to keep parents informed.
Board member Stacey Herrin expressed concerns about late students missing breakfast. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Furlinda Travis said school administrators have been directed to keep breakfast open later to accommodate these students.
Herrin asked about the number of bus drivers the district needs and was told it varies by zone. She asked if it would make sense to farm out the bus duties to an outside company as some other school districts have done when facing similar situations. Dr. Lawrence said using an outside company has advantages and disadvantages, but he advised against it.
Board member Stan Bulger acknowledged that there have been issues in the past with drivers being able to manage the kids on the buses. He said this issue is not unique to Simpson County. Hardy closed the discussion saying the focus should be on making sure the late students are getting what they need in the learning process.
She said, “We need to provide equal opportunity to all of our students.”
Dr. Lawrence also reported that the portable buildings being used at Mendenhall High School are now operational. The buildings were brought in to facilitate the move of the seventh and eighth grade students from Mendenhall Junior High School to Mendenhall High School.
Dr. Lawrence reported that he has received approval for the State Invested Pre-K (SIP) grant agreement. Mississippi State Board of Education awarded $4,725,000 in grants to five school districts to implement new State Invested Pre-K (SIP) programs. The Simpson County School District will receive $1,125,000 over a three-year period to provide funding to support high-quality pre-K programs for 4-year-old children in districts that are not part of the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) Early Learning Collaborative program. SIP programs expand MDE’s offering of high-quality pre-K programs.
Like ELCs, the SIP programs will meet all 10 benchmarks established by the National Institute of Early Education Research: use of early learning standards, curriculum support, teacher degree, teacher specialized training, assistant teacher degree, staff professional development, maximum class size, staff-child ratio, screenings and referrals, and a continuous quality improvement system.
The grant period is Aug. 16, 2024 – June 30, 2027. Awarding of the grant each year is contingent upon the successful completion of services, a performance evaluation and the availability of funds. Additional SIP funding opportunities will be available in spring 2025.
During board comments Hardy said it is important to maintain the integrity of the board. She asked that everyone remember that the board speaks as a group and not individually. She said it is important that the board put on a strong front and support the superintendent.
She added, “Together we can do a lot of things and individually we can undo a lot of things.”
Board president Ralph Walker reminded board members to remember their code of ethics and what the Simpson County School District is about.
Clarification was given on the human resources report. Jeb Lee was named the athletic director for Magee High School, where he currently serves as a teacher and head baseball coach.
The board approved transition days for incoming Assistant Superintendent Dr. Angela Mixon, who will start on September 1, replacing Dr. Deidre Randall as curriculum and instruction coordinator. The board approved the half day salary scale for teachers.
Approval was given for the use of a security company to work athletic events when deputies are not available. The board also approved athletic ticket prices for the year. Student pre-sale tickets will be $5 and must be bought at the school. Others can buy tickets online through Go Fan for $8 or for $10 cash at the gate.
A violation of policy was discussed with an employee working additional days. Hardy asked if the employee in question had been reprimanded. Asst. Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Furlinda Travis said the matter was discussed with the principal at the school in question and steps have been taken to correct the mistake.
Board Attorney John Hooks updated the board on pending legal matters. He said that Jim Young and his team will look at the budget and an attorney will be present at the Board of Supervisors meeting on September 12 to answer any budget questions in an advisory role. The board confirmed a budget work session with Jim Young on September 19 at 9 a.m. before adjourning the meeting.
