The Marion County school board says it’s looking to solidify relationships with the Board of Supervisors and legislators representing the county.
Board President Larry Jenkins attended the Southern Region Leadership Conference for school board members in Hot Springs, Ark., in mid-July and brought back a report to discuss with fellow Board members and the District’s administration at Monday’s meeting.
Jenkins spoke about collaborative efforts between school boards and what he termed “power groups,” which include county boards of supervisors, business leaders, mayors, boards of aldermen and state legislators.
Jenkins said he and fellow school leaders from Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas all felt they needed to work harder on relationships.
“No. 1 would be our relationship with our Board of Supervisors,” he said. “We also need to focus on relationships with our legislators, Rep. Ken Morgan, Sen. Angela Hill and Rep. Bill Pigott. We need to have a relationship so that they understand Marion County schools. I would ask, do they know what our grades are? They vote on funding, but do they really have the facts? I and many other board members from others districts and states felt that there was a disconnect there. We want to improve those relationships. We want to help them understand how well the students are achieving in our school district.”
Jenkins said they could invite the supervisors to their meetings.
“We would contact them and then place them on our calendar for the year. Board members of each district would get to know each (county or city) board member. I personally don’t know each board member at the county supervisors. I know their names, but as far as relationships on a personal basis, it’s lacking,” he said. “I know Ms. (Wendy) Bracey (Superintendent) communicates with them, but maybe if the Board also assisted her in communicating the same message to them, they would understand why we need a mill here or a mill there.”
Bracey told the Board that when final numbers on achievement are released the school district could invite supervisors to a meeting where the data is presented.
“We would do one big presentation,” she said. “You all would hear it, they all would hear it and everybody would be on the same page.”
Jenkins also suggested inviting Hill, Morgan and Pigott to meetings and events at the schools.
In other business, the Board:
• Approved 16 various school fundraisers.
• Discussed the Mississippi Association of School Boards’ Legislative Survey.
• Approved student transfers and disciplinary actions.
• Approved out of state travel for the West Marion Band to attend a competition in Semmes, Ala., on Sept. 30.
• Approved the financial claims docket.
• Opened bids for 16th Section Land leases.
• Approved a quote from Ed Cartier for $7,000 to remove 12 trees from 16th Section Land on Joes Road.
The Marion County School District Board of Education will next meet in regular session at 6 p.m. on Oct. 9 at its offices on Mississippi 13 North.
