The Greenwood Public School District has received a three-year, $250,000-per-year grant from the Mississippi State Board of Education to create a pre-kindergarten Early Learning Collaborative.
The grant will support joint efforts by the school district, Head Start and Judy’s Kids pre-school to advance pre-K programs in Greenwood.
Three other districts in the state received the grant, Superintendent Jennifer Wilson said at Thursday’s school board meeting.
Wilson has advocated increasing pre-K enrollment in the district since she began working as superintendent in June. Right now the district serves around 60 pre-K students.
“The funding begins Jan. 17,” Wilson said. She did not say whether the grant money will allow the district to enroll more students in pre-K but said the district’s goal is to “improve pre-K instruction and achievement.”
Also Thursday, Wilson gave the board an overview of academic achievement gains at individual schools since the school year began and since state accountability ratings were released that gave the district a grade of D and two of its schools a grade of F.
“We still have much work to do,” Wilson said.
Next week, the district kicks off an Accelerated Reader Initiative from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each student will set an individual target, and those targets will be used to create targets for individual schools.
Wilson asked each school board member to adopt a school, monitor the progress of goals there each month and present rewards to the school once it reaches its goals.
The initiative will kick off next week, and Greenwood High School cheerleaders, as well as cheerleaders from Mississippi Valley State University, will be part of the festivities.
In other business:
• Wilson told the board that a plan for potential use of the Williams Elementary School building will be forthcoming. The board voted at the end of the 2014-2015 year to close the school for financial reasons.
• Board member Deirdre Mayes will be inducted into the Premier Circle of Distinction at a luncheon in Jackson next week by the Mississippi School Board of Association. Board member George Ellis Jr. will be inducted into the Master Circle of Distinction. Those honors represent levels of expertise, training and experience as school board members.
• The board approved a bid from Brandon accounting firm Fortenberry and Ballard PC to audit books for fiscal year 2015-16. Fortenberry’s $21,600 bid was the only one the district received.
• The district has received an Equipment Assistance Grant for $18,1888 to purchase a freezer for food services at Bankston Elementary. The district will have to match the grant for the purchase of a walk-in freezer.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
