The Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees began Monday’s meeting by swearing in its newest member and ended it by reaffirming its president.
Mayor Robert Smith swore in Stephen Jones, who was appointed to the school board by the city council this month, and reinstated Currie Fisher, who was reappointed to the board.
Angela Verdell was unanimously re-elected board president. Glen Lautzenhiser was unanimously chosen as secretary, a position Fisher had served in previously.
Athletic facilities
The board spent much of the evening debating the approval of athletics projects.
Board members consulted with local engineer Kevin Stafford, who advised the board to raise its football field and improve drainage around the stadium, which has suffered from flooding repeatedly. The board, after much debate, elected to pursue Stafford’s recommendation for the football field and track improvements. They voted unanimously to get a new track, make adjustments to raise the field and improve drainage. The cost is estimated at $1,089,000.
Trustees also approved $260,150 to put in a new soccer field at the current football practice site. An expansion of the football weight room, estimated at $131,268, a new baseball hitting facility estimated at $376,350, and a new locker room and concession stand for softball estimated at $264,700, were all approved by the board.
Board member Jason Spears repeatedly addressed his concerns that the project was going to come in excess of the $2 million originally budgeted for athletics expansions. He proposed the district enforce some kind of cap on spending.
“We’ve got to get the numbers right on the front end,” Spears said.
The board voted to move money from the district general fund to pay for the remainder of the projects. The board voted to cap the excess funding for the project at $290,000.
Test scores closing gap, attendance & drop-out report
District test results to evaluate student achievement were also presented to the board meeting.
Comparing 38 spring test scores district wide to results on similar tests given in the Fall, CMSD students improved on 18 tests, saw scores decrease on 15 tests and had scores hold constant on five tests. The numbers posted by CMSD mirrored statewide trends.
Based on how CMSD stacked up against the rest of the state in fall testing, the district closed the gap in 22 out of 38 statewide tests, something superintendent Dr. Philip Hickman said is important.
“That’s huge,” Hickman said. “That’s a testament to our teachers and our principals.”
Average daily attendance was down slightly district wide in February. Attendance in February was 93 percent district wide, something administrators largely attributed to adverse weather and flu season.
A larger discussion was held by Hickman and the board about chronic absenteeism. Hickman said the district planned to help each school identify students who are missing multiple days a month. The idea is to get photos of those students distributed to teachers and administrators, so they can spend more time trying to engage those students.
There have been 12 drop-outs this school year within CMSD.
Expelled students are considered drop-outs — CMSD has expelled two students this year. Five ninth graders have dropped-out, as have five tenth graders. Hickman said many of those students had aged out of their grades. The district aided those students in getting enrolled in GED and workforce programs, according to the superintendent.
There are currently 245 seniors at Columbus High School, 50 of whom are at risk of not graduating. Hickman said counselors are now working with these students, 24 of whom are now opting for a non-traditional, 21-credit graduation.
EMCC proposal
The board was addressed by Mark Alexander of East Mississippi Community College, who asked for permission to use a portion of Hunt High School to be used for workforce training program.
EMCC would use the four to five classrooms in the southern wing of the building. Alexander said EMCC will rehab the entire wing, including portions of the building not being used by EMCC. The workforce training program area will be blocked off from the area with CMSD students.
The board decided to table the decision for approval until next meeting, when they could see a proposal in writing.
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