December 14, 2017
JACKSON, Miss – The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) voted today to delay its decision on whether to include the Humphreys County and Noxubee County school districts in the state’s first Achievement School District (ASD) until the superintendent of the ASD is hired. The first ASD will launch in the 2018-19 school year.
A state law enacted in 2016 requires the Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) to intervene in persistently failing school districts by placing the districts in a state-run Achievement School District (ASD). Districts that are rated “F” for two consecutive years, encompass 50 percent or more F-rated schools and have 50 percent or more of their students attending F-rated schools are subject to inclusion in the ASD.
Both Humphreys County and Noxubee County school districts have been rated “F” for two consecutive years. In addition, 75 percent of Humphreys County schools are rated “F,” and 73.7 percent of the district’s students are enrolled in F-rated schools. In Noxubee County, 80 percent of schools are rated “F,” and 70.5 percent of students are enrolled in F-rated schools.
Jackson Public Schools also meets the criteria for the ASD. However, the SBE voted to exclude Jackson Public Schools from consideration in the first ASD because Gov. Phil Bryant is currently pursuing another strategy, in partnership with the city of Jackson and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to help the district improve its longstanding academic deficiencies.
The SBE will be the governing body of the ASD, and the local school boards will be disbanded effective July 1, 2018. Under the SBE’s leadership, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is currently conducting a national search for the ASD superintendent. The MDE will provide support to the ASD superintendent and the current district leaders as the districts prepare to transition to the ASD.
State law requires that districts absorbed by the ASD maintain a “C” rating for five years to become eligible to revert back to local governance.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519