School superintendents Tess Smith of Lamar County and Dr. Matt Dillon of Petal will be members of a group selected to develop statewide recommendations for 2020-21 school year.
State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright appointed the 10-person group, which will be led by Dr. Bonita Coleman from the Ocean Springs School District. The group will hold two statewide virtual meetings on June 16 and June 25. Smith said she was named to the committee in early June.
“A few weeks ago, I was asked to join some other superintendents from across our state to develop some ‘considerations’ for school districts going forward,” she said.
Dillon said he has been talking to superintendents around the state about the 2020-2021 school year.
“I have been part of multiple video calls with superintendents from across six states,” he said. “We are planning to attend school in August with precaution based on the well-being of students and staff. There is still a lot of uncertainty about what will be allowable come August. We are also working on contingency plans for multiple scenarios.”
Smith and Dillon lead school districts that have performed well in state assessments. Petal was the No. 1-rated district in the last assessment, while Lamar County was the top-rated district that combined high schools.
Smith said the superintendents are considering a checklist or other things to begin discussion. “It is not a how-to guide nor does it have all of the answers,” she said. “There are a lot of moving parts in the operations of a school district. I see this document and related training as a guide to use and refer to in order to stay on track. There is no magic guide for what is ahead of all of us, but we do need to continue to work together . . . Two heads are better than one!”
Dillon said the superintendents will have several projects to determine how to present recommendations. “The meeting will inform superintendents about considerations regarding academic programs, school schedules, health/safety, operations, family/community support, technology, communication, etc.,” he said.
Babette Duty, superintendent for the Covington County School District, said the committee members will provide a good resource for the upcoming school year.
“The information that this team is putting together will be solid guidance based on the wisdom of tenured superintendents,” she said in the district’s recent newsletter. “It should be noted, however, that a pandemic is an unprecedented event. The committee will not provide a blueprint for districts to follow for planning the school year.”
The other superintendents who are members of the committee are Todd English of the Booneville School District, Jason Harris of the Columbia School District, Adrian Hammitte of the Jefferson County School District, Charlotte Seals of the Madison County Schools, Lance Evans of the New Albany Schools, and Miskia Davis of the Sunflower County School District.