Editor, Commonwealth:
On Thursday, Nov. 10, the Greenwood Public School District was awarded a Pre-K Early Learning Collaborative grant by the Mississippi Department of Education. One of four districts in the state to receive this grant, the district and its partners will use the funding to enhance the implementation of a high-quality early childhood education program for 4-year-old students.
The Greenwood-Leflore Early Learning Collaborative is comprised of the Greenwood Public School District, the Leflore County School District, MAP Headstart, and JKN Judy’s Kids. The Greenwood-Leflore Collaborative has been awarded $247,500 per year over the next three years to support its efforts.
In submitting the grant application, a number of individuals provided letters of support, which were critical in demonstrating the level and magnitude of community-wide support for this initiative.
These individuals are:
1. Daphne Kaplan, program officer, U.S. Department of Education
2. Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, U.S. House of Representatives
3. Sen. David L. Jordan, Mississippi Senate
4. Rep. Willie J. Perkins, Mississippi House of Representatives
5. Mayor Carolyn McAd-ams, City of Greenwood
6. Mayor Thelma Collins, City of Itta Bena
7. Greenwood City Council President Ronnie Stevenson
8. Leflore County Sup-ervisor Robert Moore
9. Leflore County Supervisor Anjuan Brown
10. Angela Curry, executive director, Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Board
11. Zach Luke, Bank of Commerce
12. Christine Hemphill, Greenwood Rotary Club
13. The Rev. Jessie Payne Jr., pastor, Providence Missionary Baptist Church
14. Lora Evans, 2016 Mississippi Parent of the Year
15. A number of wonderful parents of Head Start students
The district, its administrators, faculty, staff, parents and students thank each individual and business as well as the entire community for supporting the district as it strives to become the “best option” in the state where all students are graduating college and are career-ready.
Dr. Jennifer Wilson
Superintendent
Greenwood School District
