Academic goals set for area school campuses

While results of last year’s state testing in Franklin County’s public schools have not been officially released, Superintendent of Education Chris Kent is setting a road map to the future benchmarked with increased standards for learning while putting the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in the past.

“I can’t say a whole lot about our accountability results from last year in an open meeting because they are embargoed and will likely stay that way until right after our next meeting and will have to be approved by the state board of education,” Kent said during the monthly school board meeting held on Tuesday, Sept. 20 in Meadville.

“I can say that COVID-19 has affected us as it has a lot of other people and I will walk the line in terms of what I can say. Superintendents from around the state had met with the interim state superintendent and told her it might be easy for school people to understand why schools might have decreased some (in performance standards), but the public might not get it.”

To that end, Kent said the Mississippi Department of Education has provided documents — as late as Monday, Sept. 19 — to local school districts that they can share, if they so choose, with their respective communities to explain testing results.

“It isn’t a Franklin County thing, but is a state and national issue,” he continued in regards to testing results.

“What I can say about our results is this — the year before last, we took a state test and did not get a letter grade and no growth findings were given, but it was more of forming a base line for us.

“We got our proficiency rates back and they were OK. This last year when we took the test, our proficiency rates overall showed we just kind of maintained and didn’t grow. That said, while proficiency was OK, our growth was not OK … this hurt us accountability-wise because we missed a lot of growth points. That’s as basic as I can explain it with the embargo.”

Kent went on to say there were some bright spots where accountability is concerned with areas of great improvement shown by testing, but there were also areas of concern.

“I have met with our principals and went over it all,” he continued.

“As a district, we have spent a good deal of money with the Bailey Group, which is currently in every building and working with administrators and teachers — specializing in areas such as math and some other areas where we are suffering. I don’t want you to think that we’re just rolling over because we are committed to coming back, and I can say that with assurance.”

The superintendent said he has outlined his expectations for improvements district-wide with school leaders, and is not trying to cause too much pressure on anyone because that would be counter-productive to what he wants to accomplish.

Still, the spectre of the coronavirus pandemic has caused ripples throughout the education world — as it did with society in general — with the impacts of the illness being possibly felt for years to come.

Kent, however, said that won’t curtail the short- and long-term goals he has set for the district including:

• Increasing graduation rates — by working diligently to keep children in school — with a goal of an 80 percent completion rate during the current school year.

“Looking forward and with our efforts led by (FCHS Principal) Lisa Storey, I believe we will get back to that mid- to upper-80 percent range in the next couple of years,” he said.

• Surpassing the state’s average when it comes to students’ ACT results, and working toward an average of 19 on the examination.

“Our ACT results for this past year upticked slightly — with a 17.6 average — while the state’s average was 17.3,” Kent said.

“The state’s average results during that time decreased and ours increased. Even though we didn’t increase greatly, I am happy to see us moving in a positive direction.”

Kent praised current ACT prep efforts within the district that are helping students in reaching his expectations.

• Improved proficiency and growth throughout the district especially in areas such as reading and mathematics.

“By the end of this year, every building will have a C rating or higher and the district as a whole will be at least a B district,” Kent said of his goals.

“It is very obtainable from where we sit right now. I can tell you from the way the accountability model works, the more you suffer in an area one year, the easier it is to improve the following year. The higher you are, the harder it is to maintain … that’s just a fact.”

Kent said his policy henceforth will be one of no excuses.

“The way I see it, COVID-19 — for a little while — took our focus off education because we were more concerned about keeping our children safe and alive and not focused on English and arithmetic,” he noted.

“Now, we can’t use coronavirus as a crutch and I’ve told everyone since the beginning of this school year that the crutch is gone. I don’t want to hear it anymore and we’ve got to get going.

“I’m not saying COVID-19 is not real, but we can’t lean on that particular excuse anymore and we have to get down to business for the future of our children.”

In other items of business, the Franklin County Board of Education took the following action at last week’s meeting:

• Authorized budget revisions, in conjunction with end-of-year closeouts, related to the school district’s June financial report.

FCSD Business Manager Tremel Young said the revised statement of fund balance for the district’s maintenance account stood at $1,466,748.34 at the end of June.

Also in closing out the previous budget year, Young said all local funds received by the school system are matched with actual revenue while federal funds are accounted for separately.

“Our budget has to match what we have in the state’s (database),” she told the panel. “In the end, everything should be zeroed-out with the exception of federal funds.”

Those items as part of the fiscal year 2022 amended budget, which is due to the state no later than Oct. 15, were approved unanimously by board members.

The Franklin County School District’s budget year runs from July 1 through June 30.

Also accepted during the session were recommendations for budget amendments tied to federal funding of Title I, Title II and Title V programs from fiscal years 2021 and 2022 as well as a school improvement grant for Franklin County Upper Elementary from FY 2021.

Young noted federal Title program support must be obligated within 18 months of issuance — with the deadline for many of the funds coming due to be committed by Sept. 30.

• In regards to the current budget year, Young said the statement of fund balance for district maintenance at the end of August was $1,199,842.07.

She also noted the district has completed 17 percent of the current school year and has received 10 percent of its anticipated revenues for district maintenance while spending 12 percent of budgeted expenditures.

The district maintenance cash flow balance report, as of Aug. 31, was $2,605,425.96.

• Allowed for the application for grants through the Mississippi Professional Educators Classroom program by Amber Combs for counseling and supplies to support an art therapy initiative in the amount of $1,000; and an Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Program grant valued at $20,000.

• Approved an agreement with ACT Inc., for pricing and services connected with the district’s administration of the American College Test to high school sophomores.

• Authorized contractual services with “Dominate the Drillpad” totaling $1,697.28 for training initiatives with the cost of the program being paid for by Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps funding.

• Considered bids for three surplus school buses with the submissions taken under advisement during the meeting.

• Went into executive session with the district’s attorney, Lane B. Reed, to discuss pending litigation.

The Franklin County Board of Education will hold its next meeting at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 18 in the offices of the Superintendent of Education.