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Bi-monthly newsletter of the Mississippi School Boards Association.
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Volume 40, No. 1 / July 2011
10 MSBA seeks proposals for “best practices” presentations at the 40th Annual Conference in February. Does your district hold the secret to outstanding student achievement?
Alcorn School District goes Solar
2011-12 Board Development Schedule, which also lists special events including Legal Hot Topics, the annual RISK Seminar, and the AABC Conference.
New school year, new district policy requirements. Bills passed by the 2011 Session of the Mississippi Legislature.
PROMOTING MISSISSIPPI –– At the NSBA Southern Region Conference in Asheville, North Carolina July 13-15, MSBA President Marian Barksdale in-troduced a promotional video announc-ing that Mississippi will host the 2012 event in Biloxi. MSBA is well on the way to firming up the agenda for the July 23-26, 2012 Southern Region Confer-ence at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Registration for the conference will be available online soon and instructions for hotel reservations will be provided in the coming weeks.
During this school year, MSBA will expand its use of technology to literally make training available to board members from the comfort of their home computers. MSBA will “test the waters” by providing the option for board members to take this year’s two 3-hour training courses online, as well as the six-hour course, “Improving Student Achievement and Academic Success.”
These courses also will be available regionally throughout the state as usual.
As online courses, each webinar and training session will be innovative, topical, and practical. Participants will be able to ask questions and watch videos. Quizzes built into the training are designed to gauge understanding of the content. “Improving Student Achievement and Academic Success” will be launched this fall. So, keep an eye on MSBA’s website, www.msbaonline.org, for more information.
MSBA to offer webinars, online training sessions The trustees of the MSBA Workers’ Com-
pensation Trust have made the decision to return dividends to members for the second straight year! During the last
fund year, trustees gave their approval to make a $3 million member refund (dividend). The latest member refund, approved by the Mississippi Work-ers’ Compensation Commission, will go to districts that participated in the Trust during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 fund years. Focused attention in recent
years on school employee safety through loss control training and education as well as emphasis on return to work strategies for injured employees have contributed greatly to the healthy financial position of the self-funded WCT, says Anissa Young, MSBA Insurance Program Manager. Districts eligible for the member refund will be contacted about how the refund can be used to reduce their 2011-2012 pre-mium. Contact Young about WCT renewal or to get a quote for coverage for your district. Call toll free at 888-367-6722 or email [email protected].
MSBA WCT to return $1.5 million in dividends
September 1Board Member of the Year nominations dueSeptember 9Nominations to the MSBA Board of Directors dueOctober 7Legislative Survey Feedback dueSee pages 5-6 for more information
Very Important Deadlines!
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The Update is published bimonthly as a resource for school board members and administrators throughout Mississippi,designed to keep them abreast of issues affecting education locally, nationally
and internationally. Comments and suggestions are welcomed.
Michael W. Waldrop, Ph.D.Executive Director
Denotris JacksonDirector of Policy / Advocacy
Linda Buford-BurksDirector of Communications
Darla J. WarrenBusiness Manager
Anissa Young, CSRMInsurance Program Manager
Andrew OusleyTechnology Manager
Jenni Owen Trainer, MSBA Center
for Board Development (CBD)[email protected]
Rose ReginaCoordinator of
Workers’ [email protected]
Amy McIntosh, CSRMRisk Management [email protected]
April MillsExecutive Assistant
Alexis Cole, [email protected]
Jim Keith, J.D.General Counsel
John T. MandevilleBusiness Development / Marketing225-953-1124 / [email protected]
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
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MISSIONThe mission of the Mississippi School Boards Association is to ensure qual-ity school board performance through advocacy, technical assistance, board development and information dissemi-nation.
CORE VALUESAt MSBA, we are:
• Honest• Promise Keepers• Membership Service Focused• Seekers of Perfection
Some news items in this issue may have been taken in part or in whole from
resources outside MSBA’s organization. Regular columns in this newsletter from
outside resources include: • Technicalities, compiled from a news-
letter of the same name published by State Auditor Stacey Pickering’s Office;
• AG’s Opinions, from Attorney General Jim Hood’s Office; and,
• Ethics Opinions, from the Mississippi Ethics Commission - Tom Hood,
Executive Director.
Additionally, information in this issue about school district honors not pre-sented by MSBA or about exemplary
school district programs is likely from the districts or from the
Mississippi Department of Education.
LISTENING INTENTLY -- Staff reports on activities of the association at the July 21 meeting of the MSBA Board of Directors were received with deep interest, evident from the expressions of (from left) MSBA President Marian Barksdale, Vice President Miranda Beard, and Board Member Glenda Barrett. MSBA staff member Denotris Jackson, far right, also is pictured. Among the actions of the board was President Barks-dale’s appointment of members of the 2011-12 Nominating Committee and the Board Member of the Year Committee. Both committees will make reports at the November 14-15 Fall Leadership Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson.
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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.
Has the penalty for wrongful denial of access to public records changed?Yes, as of July 1, 2011. Senate Bill 2289 amended Section 25-61-15 and it now states, “Any person who shall deny to any person access to any public record which is not exempt from the provisions of this chapter may be liable civilly in a sum not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00) per violation, plus all reasonable expenses incurred by such person bringing the proceeding.” CNA May an employee of a local government who is participating in the Mississippi Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) continue to work after retiring through PERS?Yes. However, as of July 1, 2011 Section 25-11-127 requires the employee to wait 90 days after retiring to start back to work; and he/she may only work ½ of the time and earn only ½ of the annual compensation based upon a July to June year. The employee may as an alternative work an amount of time to earn 25% of his/her average compensation for retirement purposes. GBRJ Must an employee returning from reserve military duty be restored to the job position held when he/she was called to duty?Yes, or a position similar in status, pay and seniority, according to Section 33-1-19.
NOTE: Senate Bill 2547, passed in the 2011 Regular Session, amends Sec-tion 27-39-207 to clarify that the required newspaper publication for a school board’s annual ad valorem tax assessment for the support of a school district is not required if no increase in ad valorem tax effort in dollars is proposed.DCC, DCCA, DFA, KCB Should bonds for elected school board members be issued for four years or for their six year term?The surety bonds for each board member should be issued for his or her six year term. (Attorney General’s Opinion to Basil dated May 27, 2011) BBBD, DH Is a school board member exempt from school district policies regulating school visitors, such as sign-in and visitor pass requirements?No. No law prevents a school district from requiring individual board members to sign in and obtain a visitor’s pass when visiting schools in the district. (Attorney General’s Opinion to Parson dated May 13, 2011) BBBCB, KM
Register online now for upcoming MSBA eventsBoard members and other school leaders can take advantage of MSBA’s first events for 2011-12 to earn continuing education (and SeMI) credits while refining critical skills and gaining insight into timely education issues. on September 26, the continuing education course, “Conducting Effective Board Meetings,” will be held 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at South Panola High School in Bates-ville. on September 27 the course, “The Board’s Role in School Health,” will be held in the same time slot at the same location. The first statewide event is the Legal Hot Topics session addressing student discipline matters, scheduled 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. october 5 at the Clyde Muse Center in Pearl. Register online at www.msbaonline.org. 4
New school year brings new district policy requirements
Due to legislation passed during the 2011 Legislative Session, school
districts will have added responsibilities in a number
of areas. While brief sum-maries are provided be-
low, more details can be found on the MSBA website, www.msbaonline.org. House Bill (HB) 636 - Allows districts to assess home schooled
students for certain privileges.
HB 639 - Stipulates how districts can enter into a contract to allow a commu-nity or junior college to provide an adult GeD program on their behalf or con-tract with other entities to acquire space for districts to provide such programs.
HB 641 - Districts must report sexual misconduct of teachers and students to the Mississippi Department of educa-tion, Mississippi Department of Human Services and the District Attorney’s of-fice. The law sets penalties for failure to report such acts.
HB 999 - Requires school boards to adopt a policy for an abstinence-only education or abstinence-plus education curriculum by June 2012. Districts also must have a program of instruction in place by the beginning of the 2012-13 school year.
HB 1126 - Allows districts to purchase easements for access to 16th Section lands and stipulates procedures.
HB 1178 - Prescribes procedures for transferring students in and out of alter-native schools.
Senate Bill (SB) 2372 - Permits the use of school buses to transport community
citizens to military air shows without liability to the district.
SB 2433 - Requires districts to pro-vide parents a copy of the procedural safeguards established by MDe when a child is referred for special education evaluation.
SB 2511 - Authorizes the school board to reject bids for hunting and fishing on 16th Section lands and to hold auctions among the bidders.
SB 2547 - Requires districts to advertise ad valorem tax assessment only if assess-ment results in a dollar increase to tax payers.
SB 2659 - establishes a district-level community council in districts where there is a school at risk.
SB 2869 - Clarifies dual enrollment and requires boards to adopt a mandatory grading policy.
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED:Legislative Survey MSBA has mailed out the annual survey to get board member input for developing the 2012 MSBA Legislative Agenda. The survey also is available on MSBA’s website, www.msbaonline.org. The survey, which should be completed by individual board members, provides an opportunity for board members to document concerns they want brought before the Mississippi Leg-islature. Information from surveys received by the october 7 deadline will be compiled and presented for action of the Delegates Assembly at the MSBA Fall Leadership Confer-ence, set for November 14-15 at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson.
• Sample policies for the Abstinence-Only and Abstinence-Plus sex
education curricula, as required by House Bill 999
• Sample policies for the new Professional Educator Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, mandated by House Bill 641
• MSBA Board of Directors Nomination Form (due September 9)
• 2011 Board Member of the Year Nomination form (dueSeptember 1)
• Documents for application to the 2011-12 MSBA Cash Flow Man-agement Program: Cash Flow Data Sheet and Financial Question-naire
• 2011-12 Board Development Schedule (also on page 7 of this newsletter)
• Link to the MSBA Twitter account. Follow us!5
Know an outstanding Board Member? MSBA is seeking candi-dates for the Board Mem-ber of the Year Award, to be presented November 15 during the MSBA Fall Leadership Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson. Nominations for the Board Member of the Year honor started rolling in shortly after informa-tion and forms were mailed to board members July 7. Nomination forms, also available online at www.msbaonline.org, should be submitted by September 1.
Want to serve your state association? Forms for consideration to serve a two-year term on the MSBA Board of Directors were mailed late this month. Available also online at www.msbaonline.org, the form for board member nominations should be completed by September 9. The MSBA Board of Directors meets quarterly, setting associa-tion policy and providing guidance for MSBA pro-grams and services.
MDE plans random check for complianceIn accordance with Ac-creditation Policy 5.1 of the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, 2010, the office of Ac-creditation (Mississippi Department of education) will conduct a series of ran-dom, unannounced audits to verify compliance with
district plans submitted for making up missed days of school.
Preliminary state assessment results released July 22 by the Mississippi
Department of education show that the state’s students continue to make progress in their achievement. Prior to the release of final scores and accreditation levels, the MDe will continue to review the data for testing anomalies and work with school districts to make adjustments, according to a MDe news release.
The Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second edition (MCT2) is given to students in grades 3 through 8 in Language Arts and Mathematics. The MCT2 was first implemented in 2007-08 to assess the state’s more rigorous curriculum standards for language arts and mathematics. The revised curriculum standards are based on the National Assessment of educational Progress (NAeP) and other national standards.
“I am pleased that we continue to make incremental progress in Language Arts. For the first time, Mississippi has over 50% of its students in each grade scoring in the proficient or advanced categories,” said State Superintendent of education Dr. Tom Burnham. “Also there has been an increase in proficiency in every grade other than 5th grade, which maintained last year’s proficiency level. The increasing Language Arts proficiency shows that our efforts with literacy and our emphasis on more rigorous standards are having a positive effect. These results demonstrate that students
will rise to our level of expectation.”The assessment results will help determine performance classifications for schools and districts using the accountability model. Schools will be classified from highest to lowest: Star School, High Performing,
Successful, Academic Watch, Low Performing, At-Risk of Failing and Failing. The 2011 school and district performance classifications will be released in September. To view detailed test results, visit www.tiny.cc/maars and click on search for state, district or school data.
MDE releases preliminary student test results
Information, charts courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Education
CENTER FOR BOARD DEVELOPMENT • MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
2011-12 Board Development ScheduleContinuing Education Courses (3 credit hours)
DATE TIME COURSE LOCATIONMon Sept 26 5 - 8 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings BATESVILLE / South Panola High SchoolTue Sept 27 5 - 8 pm The Board’s Role in School Health BATESVILLE / South Panola High School Sat Oct 15 9 am - 12 n The Board’s Role in School Health GULFPORT / Central OfficeSat Oct 15 1 - 4 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings GULFPORT/ Central Office TBD 5 - 8 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings DISTRICT 1 / TBAMon Nov 7 5 - 8 pm The Board’s Role in School Health LOUISVILLE / Lake Tiak O’khataTue Nov 8 5 - 8 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings LOUISVILLE / Lake Tiak O’khataSat Nov 19 9 am - 12 n The Board’s Role in School Health HATTIESBURG / Hattiesburg School District OfficeSat Nov 19 1 - 4 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings HATTIESBURG / Hattiesburg School District OfficeSat Jan 28 9 am - 12 n The Board’s Role in School Health GRENADA / Country Inn & SuitesSat Jan 28 1 - 4 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings GRENADA / Country Inn & SuitesSat Feb 11 1 - 4 pm The Board’s Role in School Health PICAYUNE / Picayune Junior High SchoolSat Feb 11 9 am - 12 n Conducting Effective Board Meetings PICAYUNE / Picayune Junior High SchoolTue Mar 6 5 - 8 pm The Board’s Role in School Health SUMMIT / Southwest MS Community CollegeThu Mar 8 5 - 8 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings SUMMIT / Southwest MS Community CollegeMon Mar 19 5 - 8 pm The Board’s Role in School Health CLEVELAND / Delta State UniversityTue Mar 20 5 - 8 pm Conducting Effective Board Meetings CLEVELAND / Delta State UniversityTBD 5 - 8 pm The Board’s Role in School Health DISTRICT 1 / TBASat May 5 9 am - 12 n Conducting Effective Board Meetings TUPELO / Hancock Leadership CenterSat May 5 1 - 4 pm The Board’s Role in School Health TUPELO / Hancock Leadership CenterSat Jun 30 9 am - 12 n Conducting Effective Board Meetings CLINTON / MS High School Activities AssociationSat Jun 30 1 - 4 pm The Board’s Role in School Health CLINTON / MS High School Activities Association
Basic Course of Instruction for New School Board MembersDATE TIME LOCATION
Fri Dec 9 & Sat Dec 10 8 am – 5:30 pm Fri; 8 am – 12:30 pm Sat RAYMOND / Eagle Ridge Conference Center Fri Apr 20 & Sat Apr 21 8 am – 5:30 pm Fri; 8 am – 12:30 pm Sat RAYMOND / Eagle Ridge Conference CenterFri Jun 22 & Sat Jun 23 8 am – 5:30 pm Fri; 8 am – 12:30 pm Sat RAYMOND / Eagle Ridge Conference Center
MSBA Statewide EventsDATE EVENT LOCATION HOURS
Nov 14 Early Bird Session: MSBA Fall Leadership Conference JACKSON / Jackson Hilton Hotel 3Nov 15 MSBA Fall Leadership Conference JACKSON / Jackson Hilton Hotel 3Feb 27 Early Bird Leadership Seminar JACKSON / Jackson Hilton Hotel 3Feb 28-29 MSBA’s 40th Annual Conference JACKSON / Jackson Hilton Hotel 6 + 3Apr 30 Early Bird Session: Legislative Update & School Law Review JACKSON / Jackson Marriott Hotel 3May 1 Legislative Update & School Law Review JACKSON / Jackson Marriott Hotel 6
Legal Hot TopicsDATE TIME LOCATION HOURS
Oct 5 10 am – 2:00 pm PEARL / Muse Center (On Rankin Campus of Hinds Community College) 3Jan 18 10 am – 2:00 pm Eagle Ridge Conference Center / Raymond, MS 3Mar 7 10 am – 2:00 pm Embassy Suites Hotel / Ridgeland, MS 3
Other Statewide Events (No Credit Hours for Board Members)
DATE EVENT LOCATIONMar 7-8 RISK (Reliable Insurance Support & Information) Seminar Embassy Suites Hotel / Ridgeland, MSMay 1-2 AABC (Administrative Assistants / Board Clerks) Conference Embassy Suites Hotel / Ridgeland, MS
Register Online @ www.msbaonline.org
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Starkville School DistrictStarkville, Mississippi
Application Deadline: october 31, 2011 Brochure, Application available on or before September 12, 2011 on the MSBA website,
www.msbaonline.org
The Starkville School District Board of Trustees has engaged the services of MSBA in conducting a search for a new superintendent. MSBA also will be pro-viding superintendent search services to the Columbus School District Board of Trustees and the Tupelo School District Board of Trustees.
Applications, announcement brochures and other details for the Columbus and Tupelo searches will be available on the MSBA website in the coming weeks. Check the job posting area of the website regularly for updates.
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The Alcorn School District is completing an energy makeover, transform-ing its energy system to a 50 KW ground-mounted solar collection system funded by a grant through the American Recovery and Rein-vestment Act. In addition to providing an energy source for the school
district, the system offers the opportunity for Alcorn students to learn about this more environment friendly energy system and will potentially generate income for the district from the selling of excess power to Alcorn County electric. The Alcorn School District planned to introduce the community to the new energy system at a July 26 orientation. As a part of the project, the district is performing the following upgrades:
• New thermostats and remotely monitored control systems• Lighting upgrades and lighting occupancy sensors• New HvAC equipment• Computer power management• Drop ceilings• Roof replacements• New windows• A switch from propane to natural gas
MSBA congratulates the Alcorn School District on this innovative project. The school district leadership team consists of board members Peggy Bain, Mary Kath-ryn Coleman, Carroll Morton, Russ Nash, and Randy Wilbanks; and, superinten-dent Stacy D. Suggs.
Alcorn School District goes solarWANTED: Best Practices Proposals MSBA is seeking proposals from school districts for “Best Practices” concurrent sessions at the MSBA 40th Annual Conference, set for February 27-29, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson. each session will last approximately one hour. For consideration, school districts proposals should focus on innova-tive, effective student achievement programs, cost-cutting measures, and other outstanding strategies that can be replicated in other school districts. An online form for presentation proposals will be available on the MSBA website by September 1, with deadline for re-ceipt by September 30. MSBA will consider only proposals submitted using the online, fillable form.
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Biloxi • Columbus • Jackson • Tupelo
OFFICERSPReSIDeNT
Marian BarksdaleOxford
vICe PReSIDeNTMiranda Beard
Laurel
SeCReTARY-TReASuReRBobby GaultNew Albany
IMMeDIATe PAST PReSIDeNT
Lygunnah BeanSouth Panola
DIRECTORSDISTRICT 1 (2009-2011)
David DuncanSouth Tippah
Stephen DoddDeSoto County
Tommy PrudeColumbus Municipal
DISTRICT 2 (2010-2012)
Tommie CardinClinton
William Kinard, Jr.Coahoma County
Demetric WarrenHollandale
DISTRICT 3 (2009-2011)
Barbara JonesLauderdale County
Sondra odomPearl
etta TaplinNorth Pike
DISTRICT 4 (2010-2012)Steve Conner
Quitman
Patricia StennetHancock County
James StubbsLong Beach
MSBA Board of Directors
Presidential Appointees*
Glenda BarrettNewton County
Gary GoldenPontotoc City
Jerome HafterGreenville
Dr. Lucius LamptonSouth Pike*Serve during the MSBA President’s one-year term of office.
