The Simpson County School District held their regularly scheduled meeting on January 16, which marked the first regular meeting for new board members Thomas Ray Floyd and Terra Mallette.
Board member Stacey Herrin moved to remove board comments from the agenda, which was seconded by Thomas Ray Floyd, but after further discussion no action was taken.
The board approved all minutes, policy review, consent agenda, and financial reports. CPA Megan St. Clair appeared before the board to answer questions concerning the fiscal year 2023 audit. St. Clair said the audit went well and there were no major findings against the district.
In wake of the recent storms experienced in Simpson County some students and their families have been left displaced from their homes. The board approved these students who have temporarily moved outside of the district to attend school virtually if parents request. Superintendent Dr. Paul Lawrence explained that the displaced students have struggled with transportation and would benefit from a virtual option.
Approval was requested for the 2025-2026 academic calendar, but the item was tabled for further review. Dr. Lawrence announced that the district will move away from remediation days and will view August 1 as a possible date for school opening.
In the superintendent’s report, Dr. Lawrence updated the board on the conditions of the campuses following the recent storms. He said the campuses received very minimal damage across the district. However, there are currently utility problems with underground pipes at both high schools. Board vice president Lillie Hardy thanked everyone for the hard work that has gone into fixing the pipes thus far.
Dr. Lawrence also announced that Simpson County ranked 44 out of 150 school districts in administrative cost. He said the district is well below the administrative cap allowed.
Dr. Lawrence announced that the district was awarded a grant from Accelerate Mississippi for over $40,000 to help fund the HVAC program at the Simpson County Technical Center. Supplies for the program have also been donated by Air South, a local company.
Simpson County School District was one of 15 schools in the state and one of 707 schools in the country to be awarded the FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Program that will provide the district with over $200,000 to help facilitate cybersecurity needs. The Federal Communications Commission selected 707 participants for the FCC’s Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, including 645 schools and districts, 50 libraries, and 12 consortia. A release from the Federal Communications Commission said that 15 schools, libraries and consortia were announced as selected participants in the three-year pilot program and will receive support to defray the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment and provide the Commission with data to better understand whether and how universal service funds could be used to improve school and library defenses against increasing cyberattacks.
“Making sure our students have access to all the opportunities of the digital world has been a cornerstone of my time at the Commission. It is also vitally important that this access is cybersecure,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “This issue touches every state in every region of our country, including on Tribal lands, and that range of experience is reflected in the participants announced today. Through this program, we will be able to provide our federal, state, and local government partners with actionable data about the most effective and coordinated way to address the growing cyber needs of schools and libraries.”
The ongoing proliferation of innovative digital learning technologies, and the need to connect students, school staff, and library patrons to information, jobs, and life-long learning have led to a steady rise in the demand for bandwidth in schools and libraries. However, the shift to modern connectivity has brought with it increased cybersecurity threats and attacks, particularly for K-12 schools and libraries. To address this challenge, the Cybersecurity Pilot Program will allow the FCC to collect data and evaluate the effectiveness of using universal service funds for cybersecurity services and equipment to protect school and library broadband networks and data. The $200 million budget uses reserved, unused universal service funds to ensure that gains in enhanced cybersecurity do not come at the cost of undermining E-Rate success in promoting digital opportunities for all and basic connectivity.
To select Pilot participants, consistent with the Commission’s rules, Commission staff first looked at qualifying applicants’ discount rate and National School Lunch Program percentages, prioritizing the highest percentages. To ensure diversity in the participant pool, including geographic diversity, staff also considered applicants’ entity type, size, and location, among other things, as directed by the Commission.
Consistent with the Commission’s goals, the selected participants represent a diverse set of large and small, and urban and rural schools, libraries, and consortia from various geographic areas with differing cybersecurity experiences and needs, with a particular focus on low-income and Tribal applicants. The Cybersecurity Pilot Program is part of Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s Learn Without Limits initiative to address the Homework Gap by ensuring connectivity to and within schools and libraries. This initiative includes Wi-Fi on school buses, the Wi-Fi hotspot lending program, and E-Rate support for libraries in Tribal communities.
Dr. Lawrence expressed excitement that the district was chosen to participate in the program.
Dr. Angela Mixon updated the board on their pre-kindergarten program that was initially scheduled to begin in January. Dr. Mixon said the program will start in August of 2025 and materials have already been purchased for the pre-kindergarten classrooms. The district is currently in the hiring process and need to fill 9 teaching positions for the program. Each classroom must be staffed with 2 certified instructors for a blended pre-k experience. The classrooms require one pre-k instructor and one special education instructor.
The board entered executive session to discuss personnel, student and parent problems. The annual evaluation of the Superintendent, litigation, and the HR report before adjourning the meeting.
