11 The state-wide AABC (Adminis-
trative Assistants / Board Clerks) Confer-ence on May 6-7 was a great success.
9 Three board members in the state have been
appointed to fill vacan-cies on the MSBA Board of Directors.
8 MSBA will conduct a superintendent
search for the Vicks-burg Warren School District, with posting to the MSBA website expected by June 24.
6 Beginning on this page, see the first graduates
of the MSBA Prospec-tive Superintendent Leadership Academy.
5A national news organization has ranked the state’s
top high schools.
3Hancock County High School Teacher Joshua
Lindsey is Missis-sippi’s Teacher of the Year. He was one of four finalists for the honor.
Volume 41, No. 6 • May / June 2013
8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; 8:00 a.m. -
12:30 p.m. - MSBA Basic Course, Eagle Ridge / Hinds Community College. LAST CHANCE to take the required New Member Basic Course this School Year!
Register for On-line Class: The Board’s Role
in Improving Student Achievement, Parts I & II. www.msbaonline.org
LAST CHANCE to earn state- required six (6) hours of Board Member Training for the 2012-13 School Year:
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
MSBA Center for Board Development (CBD) Train-ing / CLINTON: Determining Success, Mississippi High School Activities Association
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - CBD Train-
ing / CLINTON: The Board’s Role in State Accreditation, Mississippi High School Activities As-sociation
Discussion of the impact of the 2013 Mississippi Legislative Session was a main focal point of the April 29-30 Legislative Update & School Law Review, cosponsored by MSBA and the MSBA Council of School Board Attorneys. An eight-person panel (above) drew a number of questions following the session. Other matters included cautions in entering construction contracts, discussed by Atty. Dorian Turner (right photo).
The staff at MSBA is working to revise some policies and to create others that Mississippi school boards will need to adopt for the 2013-14 school year as the result
of the 2013 Mississippi Legislative Session, new state and federal guidelines, and/or court rulings. The policies will au-tomatically be updated sometime this summer for the school districts that have the MSBA O-Policy Service. Other school districts will be able to purchase revised / new policies on CD in late summer. Many of the changes resulting from state legislation, court rulings and other factors were discussed in detail at the April 29-30 MSBA Legislative Update & School Law Review, co-sponsored by MSBA and the MSBA Council of School Board Attorneys (CSBA). For more information, contact Denotris Jackson, MSBA Director of Policy / Advo-cacy, toll free, 888.367.6722 or [email protected].
Policies being updated for 2013-14
2 • MSBA Update • May / June 2013
BAILEY EDUCATION GROUP, LLC
BAILEY EDUCATION GROUP, LLC
BAILEY EDUCATION GROUP, LLC
Black
White
BAILEY EDUCATION GROUP, LLC 7474
BAILEY EDUCATION GROUP, LLC
BAILEY EDUCATION GROUP, LLC
NEW GENERATION SCHOOLS
A Bailey Education Group Successful School Model
www.baileyarch.comwww.baileyeducationgroup.com
SCHOOL BUILDINGS THAT WORK
Gary Bailey President
Chuck PoerVice President for Education Services
Regina GinnMarketing
InstructionalLeadership
Assessment and Data
TechnologyTeacher Effectiveness
Read, Write and Reason NEW
GENERATION SCHOOLS
MSBA Update • May / June 2013 • 3
Joshua Lindsey, Hancock High School English
teacher, is the 2013 Mississippi Teacher of the Year (MTOY). The news came at an April 16 Mississippi Teacher
of the Year Luncheon, hosted by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). Selected from among four congressional district finalists, Lindsey will receive a one-time $5,000 salary supplement funded by the Mississippi Legislature and will represent Missis-sippi in the National Teacher of the Year competition. He will travel to Wash-ington, D.C. to meet President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and will participate in a Rose Garden National Teacher of the Year recognition ceremony at the White House. Lindsey, a teacher for 11 years, taught at Han-cock Middle School for five years before coming to the high school in 2011.
Other finalists for the MTOY competition also were recognized at the MDE Luncheon: Kathy Farmer, selected the 2013 Mississippi Alternate Teacher of the Year, is a government, economics, psychology, history and sociology teacher in the Scott County
School District. Tara Harris is a second and third grade gifted education teacher in the Tupelo Public School District. National Board Certified, Harris has been in the classroom nearly 14 years. Gwendolyn Milton teaches personal finance and entrepreneurship at Gentry High School in the Indianola School District, where she has taught for three years. Office manager at the school for 20 years before deciding to become a teacher, Milton entered the profession through an alternate route teaching program and has completed the requirements to receive the Master Teacher of Economics endorsement and the Master of Arts Teaching degree in secondary education.
Congratulations to Lindsey, his school, and the entire leadership team of Hancock County School District! Board members are Dr. Jennifer Seal, president, Rose Acker, Richard Loper, Patti Stennett and William Thomas. Alan Dedeaux is the district superintendent.
Congratulations also is extended to all finalists!
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is edited from a news release by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).
Mississippi School Boards Association489 Springridge Road • P. O. Box 203 • Clinton, MS 39060
(601) 924-2001 • Fax: (601) 924-2003 • Toll Free: (888) 367-6722www.msbaonline.org
CORE VALUESAt MSBA, we are:
• Honest• Promise Keepers• Membership Service Focused• Seekers of Perfection
The Update is published bimonthly as a resource for school board members and administrators
throughout Mississippi. Comments and suggestions are welcomed.
Michael W. Waldrop, Ph.D.Executive Director
Denotris JacksonDirector of Policy / Advocacy
B. Anne LoveladyDirector of Board Development
Linda Buford-BurksDirector of Communications
Darla J. WarrenBusiness Manager
Anissa Young, CSRMInsurance Program Manager
Paul ChambleeRisk Management [email protected]
Alexis ColeMarketing Representative /
Policy Support [email protected]
Rose ReginaFinancial Assistant
April MillsExecutive Assistant
Stephanie Wells Receptionist
John T. MandevilleBusiness Development / Marketing225-953-1124 / [email protected]
Jim Keith, J.D.General Counsel
Dr. E. Harold FisherSuperintendent Search Consultant
Hancock Co.’s Lindsey is state’s top teacher
CREDITS: Some items in this issue may have come from resources outside MSBA’s organiza-tion. Regular columns using outside resources include: Technicalities, compiled from a newslet-ter of the same name from State Auditor Stacey Pickering’s Office; AG’s Opinions, from Attor-ney General Jim Hood’s Office; and, Ethics Opinions, from the Mississippi Ethics Commission - Tom Hood, Executive Director. Additionally, MSBA uses news items from the Mississippi Department of Education or those submitted by school districts.
MISSIONThe mission of the Mississippi School Boards Association is to ensure quality school board perfor-mance through advocacy, technical assistance, board development and information dissemination.
Lindsey
4 • MSBA Update • May / June 2013
Thinking about Going Paperless? Contact Darla Warren at MSBA today about making the right connections.
BoardBook is MSBA’s paperless solutionfor effective board meetings.
Technicalities from the State Auditor’s OfficePolicy References, where applicable, are in blue.
Is it a violation of the Open Meetings Act for a committee to enter into execu-tive session in order to keep drug rebate information confidential and still encourage open discussion among the committee members without public participation? Federal law requires that certain information received through specific channels be confidential.Section 25-41-7 sets out twelve (12) specific exemptions to the Open Meetings Act and mandates that executive sessions be limited to only those exceptions. The Open Meetings Act does not allow for executive session under the facts presented. To comply with federal confidentiality laws, we can only suggest that the commit-tee attempt to structure its discussions in public meetings in such a manner as to not disclose the specific information required to be kept confidential. (Attorney General’s Opinion to Dzielak, March 1, 2013) BCBK
If two bidders submit identical low bids on a construction project, and in the opinion of the school board both are equally qualified to do the construction work, can the board, in its discretion, request additional written sealed bids from the two low bidders to determine the successful bidder?No. The school district may not request additional sealed bids, even when the bids are identical and considered “equal” by the public entity. Pursuant to Section 31-7-13, if the school district determines, after careful scrutiny of the bids on both amount and quality, that there is still no “best bid,” it will be required to reject all bids and begin the process anew, until it can decide on a “lowest and best bidder.” (Attorney General’s Opinion to Price, March 22, 2013) DJED
Can a school district structure a principal’s salary so that they would receive greater pay than other principals in the district if their school has a higher number of students qualified for free and reduced lunch? Also, may a district provide additional pay to teachers who agree to stay for five consecutive years at a school that has a higher number of students qualified for free and reduced lunch?Under its ”home rule” authority, a school board may use National School Lunch Program data in setting salaries for principals and teachers as long as the school board complies with applicable federal laws and regulations. (Attorney General’s Opinion to Treadway, April 1, 2013) ABBA, GBA
An Opportunity for Businesses to Join in Support of Better
School Governance and Higher Student Achievement
Affiliate MembersDIAMOND LEVELBailey Architecture
Education, P.A.Gary Bailey, AIA
662-841-2111 • 601-951-1820 [email protected]
GOLD LEVELInteractive Digital
TechnologiesRod Koberg, 800-332-6994
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE & SCHOOL LAW REVIEWMSBA Executive Director Michael Waldrop (right) discusses the impact of education legisla-tion passed by the 2013 Mis-sissippi Legislature, including the state’s new law on religious freedoms. MSBA Counsel Jim Keith (not pictured) and Pete Smith (left), MDE Bureau Manager for Legislative Services, joined Waldrop on the three-person panel. (See more photos from the Legislative Update / School Law Review on page 1 and the next page)
MSBA Update • May / June 2013 • 5
Four Mississippi high schools have earned silver and six others have earned bronze medals in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 Best High Schools report released on April 22. Those earning silver medals and ranked as the top high schools in Mississippi (from the highest ranking)
are Pass Christian High, Pass Christian School District; Oak Grove High, Lamar County School District; Petal High, Petal School District; and, Pelahatchie Atten-dance Center, Rankin County School District.
U.S. News recognized the following districts (alphabetically) with a national bronze medal: Amite County High, Amite County School District; Bassfield High, Jefferson Davis County School District; Bay Springs High, West Jasper Consolidated School District; Belmont High, Tishomingo County School District; Biggersville High, Alcorn School District; and, Blue Mountain High, South Tippah School District.
Only districts earning gold or silver medals receive a state ranking in the U.S. News & World Report. A national news organization since 1933, U. S. News & World Report researchers scrutinized more than 21,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia before gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded, using state proficiency standards and college readiness as parameters.
MSBA extends congratulations to all districts recognized with silver and bronze medals! The board members and superintendents of districts with high schools earning silver medals and state rankings are:
Pass Christian High School - Pass Christian School District: Board members Randall Dewitt, President, Margaret Jean Kalif, Walter King, Portia Stewart and Philip Terrell; and, Superintendent Beth John.
Oak Grove High School - Lamar County School District: Board members Mike Pruitt, President, Kyle Hill, Steve Lampton, Craig Morris and Don Roseberry; and, Superintendent Ben Burnett.
Petal High School - Petal School District: Board Members Bruce Magee, President, Stephen Estess, Andre Heath, Bob Hopkins, and Laurie Porciello; and, Superintendent John Buchanan.
Pelatchie Attendance Center - Rankin County School District: Board Members Cecil McCrory, President, Ruth Burgess, David Farmer, Ann Sturdivant, and Deborah Tolleson; and, Superintendent Lynn Weathersby.
To see the entire report, visit http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/national-rankings.
Want an MSBA event photo? Photos of Dr. Tom Clark (above), Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Education Initiative Con-sortium, after he was presented the 2013 Friend of MSBA Award at the 41st Annual Conference in February are among a large gallery of photos documenting MSBA’s seminars and events this school year. Dr. Clark earned the 2013 Friend of MSBA Award in recognition of his ongoing support and collaboration that help promote the mission and goals of MSBA. To find various other awards photos as well as general photos of participants, presenters and speakers at MSBA events:1. Visit the MSBA website. 2. Click on “Conferences” from
the menu at the top of the screen.
3. Select “Awards Photos” or “General Photos” to review and download a wide range of event photos.
Contact MSBA toll free if you have difficulty reviewing or downloading photos: 888.367.6722.
Report ranks state’s top high schools
Legislative Update Panelists Laurie Smith, Kelly Riley and Nancy Loome, and MSBA President Bobby Gault listen as Hancock County Board President Sherry Ponder (photo at left) provides her perspective on the future of Mississippi Education. Smith is Gov-ernor Phil Bryant’s Education Advisor; Riley heads Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE); and, Loome leads The Parents’ Campaign. Each panelist had a turn to share her views about the state’s education future at the April 30 session.
Have you Earned Your Hours? Every school board member in Missis-sippi is required to earn at least six hours of training in any given school year: 12 hours if you are a new board member, and six for all others. The last opportu-nity to get six training hours is June 29 (SEE Upcoming Events on front page).
6 • MSBA Update • May / June 2013
Congratulations!
The MSBA Prospective Superintendent Leadership Academy (PSLA) has successfully concluded its first year, with 22 ad-ministrators from 17 school districts completing PSLA require-ments. Each was awarded a Certificate of Completion during
the last class meeting on April 18. “This inaugural class is an impressive group of future leaders in our
state,” said Dr. Mike Waldrop, MSBA Executive Director. He added that “The next class has a high benchmark to strive for, but we know they will be up to the challenge.”
“We could not be more pleased with the educational excellence and professional qualities exhibited by the Academy members,” said Denotris Jackson, MSBA Director of Policy / Advocacy and PSLA Advisor. “We are grateful for what they, along with the faculty, contributed to each class session,” she added.
The MSBA Prospective Superintendent Leadership Academy is a professional development program designed to prepare potential candidates for the challenging position of superintendent in Mississippi’s public schools. The Academy provides a minimum of thirty (30) hours of intensive study in the areas of the superintendent’s role; legal issues; state accountability and accreditation; ethics law; school board meetings; data-based decision making; school finance and insurance; personnel, community relations; team building; and governing by policy.
Dates for the next PSLA will be announced over the summer.
Watson joins new district as asst. superintendent
PSLA graduate Larry Watson will be an assistant superintendent in the Montgomery County School District, effective July 1. He currently serves as federal programs director in the Winona School District.
Congratulations!
MSBA Update • May / June 2013 • 7
Dr. Robin Ballard, Asst. Superintendent -
Lowndes County
C. Jermaine Brown, Director, Student Services - Biloxi
Dr. Deadra CassellDirector, Curriculum, Prof. Dev. - W. Jasper
Bernard S. ChandlerSuperintendent - Tunica County
Dr. Debra Dace Curriculum / Testing
Coord. - Tunica County
Dr. Valarie Davis Principal -
Coahoma County
Dexter T. GreenSuperintendent -
Okolona
Dr. Toriano Holloway Asst. Superintendent -
Starkville
Vikki LandryFederal Programs Dir.
- Bay St. Louis
Dr. June B. LeighDirector, Curriculum / Prof. Dev. - Aberdeen
Dr. Wendy McCulloughAdjunct Prof. - East MS
Comm. College
Dr. Karen Norwood Asst. Superintendent -
Biloxi
Dr. Alan Oubre, Exec. Dir., Student
Support - Hattiesburg
Dr. Eddie J. Peasant, Principal - Clinton
Dr. Dorothy Prestwich, Asst. Superintendent -
Clarksdale
Dr. Jason Sargent, Exec. Director, Office
of REA* - Jackson
Craig A. Shannon, Deputy Superintendent
- Columbus
Dr. Loretta Shird, Coordinator of Federal Programs - Okolona
Christine D. Spinks, Asst. Superintendent -
Long Beach
Larry H. Watson, Dir. of Federal Programs,
SPED - Winona
Dr. Christopher J. Williams, Sr., newly
appointed Asst. Supt. - Ocean Springs
Dr. Janice Wilson, Assistant
Superintendent - Biloxi
*Research, Evaluation & Assessment
8 • MSBA Update • May / June 2013
Don’t wait too late. Register Now.
JBHM LLC
www.jbhm-edgroup.com/conference
SEARCHES CONDUCTED BY MSBAVicksburg-Warren School District
Vicksburg, MississippiJune 24 - Tentative Posting Date
of Announcement Brochure, Application to MSBA website, www.msbaonline.org
SEARCHES BY OTHER SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATIONS
Cullman City School SystemCullman City, Alabama
Application Deadline: June 7, 2013This search is being conducted by the Alabama Association of School Boards. The 3000-student, award-winning, top
performing school system was the first in Alabama to adopt a one-to-one computer laptop initiative (2006), providing
laptops and wireless worldwide web access to students and em-ployees. For more information, contact Dr. Kendy Behrends at
(256) 335-6469 or [email protected].
SUPERINTENDENTMississippi Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion No. 13-024-E, rendered March 8, 2013, addresses whether a school board member is violating ethics law if he / she has an interest in a sixteenth section lease where: • the original 99-year lease was entered between 1940 and 1960• the original lease was authorized before the school board mem-
ber began service on the board, and • the school board will not be required to take any action con-
cerning the lease during the board member’s term or for one year after the board member’s term
ETHICS OPINION: If the school board will not be required to take any action that would have the effect of authorizing the school board member’s interest in the lease, no violation of Section 109, Miss. Const. of 1890, or Section 25-4-105(2), Miss. Code of 1972, should occur. Additionally, the school board member or a school district employee must recuse himself or herself from any matter coming before the school district con-cerning his or her own lease. Because neither the school board member nor the school district employee is serving as a contrac-tor to the school district, no violation of Section 25-4-105(3)(a) should occur. - Mississippi Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion No. 13-024-E, March 8, 2013
DID YOU KNOW?
MSBA Update • May / June 2013 • 9
Pass Christian Board President Randall Dewitt, Greenville Board Member Jesse King, and Tupelo
Board President Elizabeth Stone have been appointed to temporarily fill vacan-cies on the MSBA Board of Directors. The three will serve until the next meet-ing of the MSBA Delegates Assembly, set for November 12 during MSBA’s Fall Leadership Conference. The vacancies occurred when former directors were not re-elected / re-appointed to their school boards. The board members have been appointed to represent Congres-sional District 4 - Dewitt; Congressional District 2 - King; and, Congressional District 1 - Stone.
MSBA bylaws allow the association’s president to temporarily fill vacancies, giving the membership a chance to vote on permanent replacements at the next Delegates Assembly.
The next meeting of the MSBA Board of Directors will be in July.
Dewitt has been a member of the Pass Christian School Board of Trustees for four terms, currently serving as board president. A retired accountant, he works part-time as a teacher and coach at Hancock High School during baseball season. Dewitt is a strong supporter of military veterans, delivering speeches annually at schools and various community forums. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and is a member of the Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign War, and the American Legion. He is an alumnus of the University of Maryland, Georgia State University and
the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Dewitt and his wife Phyllis have four grown sons, two of them teachers.
King, school board member in the Greenville School District since March 2011, also is superintendent of the North Bolivar School District. Prior to becoming North Bolivar’s superintendent, he was federal programs director in the Leland School District. King, also a former high school principal in the Leland district, earned the Master of Secondary Education degree from Delta State University and an undergraduate degree from Mississippi Valley State University. In addition to being a board member and superintendent, King also pastors Greater St. Peter Baptist Church in Greenville and serves on the Board of Directors of the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) in Little Rock, Arkansas. He and wife Sandra have four grown daughters and a son, who is in college.
Stone is serving her fourth year on the Tupelo School District Board of Trustees. She has previously served as vice president and secretary. A graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in education, Stone earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After spending 10 years teaching high school chemistry and physics, she now is an active volunteer in her community, where she has served as PTO president, Junior Auxiliary School Aid Chairman, and the Association for Excellence in Education grants chair.
3 MSBA Board vacancies filled
Members recently appointed to the MSBA Board of Directors: (l to right) Randall Dewitt, Jesse King, and Elizabeth Stone. 2013-14
NEED-TO-KNOW: • Board Development Schedule• Policy Changes• Student Progress• District Budget
Status
New Board Members: Last training opp in JuneJune 21-22 is the last opportunity this school year for new school board members to take the 12-hour Basic Course of Instruction, mandated by state law for all newly appointed and elected school board members. State law gives board members six (6) months from their election / appointment to take the Basic Course. As required by MS Code Section 37-7-306, new school board members must complete the Basic Course within six months of their elec-tion / appointment to the school board. Failure to do so could result in removal from office. To receive credit, new board members must attend both days of the two-day course set for June 21-22. The schedule begins on Friday, June 21 from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and continues Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. There is no charge for the Basic Course for new board members, but board members must pre-register. Dis-tricts are responsible for board member meals and lodging. Registration is avail-able online at www.msbaonline.org.
2013 Honors Program CorrectionHazel Brooks-Johnson, former board member in the Noxubee County School District, was inadvertently left off the listing of honorees in the 2013 CBD Honors Program. She earned Master Circle, for 27 hours of board development training in 2011-12.
At the 9th Annual AABC (Administrative Assistants / Board Clerks) Conference in Ridgeland on May 6-7, AABC officers and board members took time for a photo: Seated right to left: President LeeAnn Dubaz - Biloxi, Vice President LaTeasha Blackmon - Oxford, Secretary Marie Souza - Jackson County, Past President Betty Jones - Cleveland; Standing right to left: Debbie Scire – Starkville, Pam Meadows – Clinton, Johnette Brock – Walthall County, Vickie Harris – Lafayette County and Cassie Turner – North Bolivar.
10 • MSBA Update • May / June 2013
MSBA Update • May / June 2013 • 11
Performance Based Education Company
Contact Us....
Don Evans, PresidentPhone: (601) 573-1401
Email: [email protected]
Steve Montgomery, Marketing Phone: (662) 295-6176Email: [email protected]
Our Core Value.....
Integrity/HonestyKnowledgeExperiencePERFORMANCEResults
Bill Wade, Marketing Phone: (601) 562-4906Email: [email protected]
ON THIS PAGE: A few photo highlights from the May 6-7 AABC Confer-ence in Ridgeland.
Pete Smith, Miss.Dept. of Education
MSBA’s Denotris Jackson, Director of Policy / Advocacy
AABC President LeeAnn Dubaz
Barbie Bassett, Author / TV Meteorologist
Clinton Schools’ Technology Director Kameron Ball
Chris Graham, Miss.Ethics Commission
Biloxi | Columbus | Jackson | Tupelowww.jbhm.com
OFFICERSPresident
Bobby Gault New Albany
Vice PresidentJames Stubbs Long Beach
Secretary-TreasurerEtta TaplinNorth Pike
Immediate Past President
Miranda BeardLaurel
DIRECTORSDISTRICT 1 (2011-13)
David Duncan South Tippah
Steven DoddDeSoto County
Elizabeth StoneTupelo
DISTRICT 2 (2012-14)
Leroy MatthewsQuitman County
Marilyn YoungTunica County
Jesse KingGreenville
DISTRICT 3 (2011-13)Lucius Lampton
South Pike
Sondra OdomPearl
Von NorwoodJeff Davis County
DISTRICT 4 (2012-14)Annie Chapman
Hattiesburg
Bobbie WhitfieldEast Jasper
Randall DewittPass Christian
MASBO REP.Sandy Halliwell
Clinton - Ex Officio
MSBA Board of Directors
Glenda BarrettNewton County
Scott BryanLawrence County
Mindy BrandAmory
Lygunnah BeanSouth Panola
Presidential Appointees (Serve during the President’s 1-year term)
12 • MSBA Update • May / June 2013