Conservator Robert Strebeck says he is “reasonably confident” that the Leflore County School District’s accreditation will be restored, probably taking effect in the second semester.
The Mississippi Department of Education’s Commission on Accreditation has recommended that the district’s accreditation be restored, but the official decision won’t be made until the state Board of Education votes at a meeting coming up Dec. 18-19.
Even then, Strebeck will continue to oversee the district. There are “other criteria that the district has to meet” before lifting the conservatorship is even considered, he said.
The district lost its accreditation after the state took it over in October 2013. Superintendent Viola Williams McCaskill and the school board were removed after the district received two consecutive grades of “F” on the state’s accountability model. Strebeck assumed control soon after.
Strebeck said last month that state Department of Education auditors had found the district in violation of 27 process standards. All of those standards have apparently now been met, a state Department of Education spokeswoman said Friday.
The Greenwood School District is also awaiting from the state Board of Education at the Dec. 18-19 meeting. The district is recommended to be moved from “pending” to “accredited.”
Strebeck also approved the CORE Professional Learning Common Core Implementation Project for the district. The professional fees for the program, which includes two sessions, is $1,400.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
