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Governor Bryant was expected to sign papers today, making way for a state takeover by Monday and the appointment of a conservator.
But, it's not the "D" rating that has the district in trouble, says State Board Spokesperson Pete Smith.
"East Oktibbeha County High School has been a failing school for the past three years. That means they scored less than 100 on the QDI, which is an assesment test. That placed them into what the law called "new start", meaning that the State Board can go in and remove teachers and kind of start the school over," he said.
The whole interview:
When that happened, the review team started looking at the district as a whole.
"They launched a mini review to see if the district was compliant with the 37 accreditation standards by law and State Board policy. They reviewed 30 of those 37 standards and found the district in compliance with only one of them. So that prompted some quick action by the Commission on School Accreditation."
Smith said a conservator will effectively run the entire district with a goal to get it back in compliance with standards.
"Once we get the executive order from the governor's office, that gives the Board of Education the authority to go in and remove the superintendent and remove the school board members and those folks will be replaced by the conservator. That person will be the sole leader in that district, along with the State Board of Education."
In this case, former Jackson Public Schools superintendent Dr. Jane Sargent is the pick. She's expected to remain until the end of the year., to the tune of about $46,000, plus expenses. A more permenant conservator will then be named.
"Mind you, conservators are temporary anyway because the whole idea is for a conservator to come in and get the district back where it needs to be and get on out," said Smith.
The changes in administration will likely not be noticeable to students. The goal is for students to see change in the quality of education.
