Four Forrest County teachers and three in Lamar County were chosen among 100 statewide instructors to be members of the Mississippi Teachers Advisory Council by the Mississippi Department of Education.
In Forrest County, the teachers include Shondra Patton of N.R. Burger Middle School in the Hattiesburg Public School District; and Amos Brandon McLain and Tarika Moffett at Petal Elementary School, and Tyler Shows at Petal Upper Elementary School, all in the Petal School District.
Representing the Lamar County School District are Laura Beth McCarty and Veronica Jones, both of the Oak Grove Middle School, and Ashlee Montgomery of Sumrall Elementary School.
The MTAC, formed in 2016, now has more than 300 educators representing schools in urban and rural settings and an array of content areas, including general education, arts, special education, and career and technical education.
The MTAC is designed to provide feedback to Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education, on the initiatives of the MDE, the Mississippi State Board of Education and the Mississippi State Legislature. Wright meets with teachers regularly. The MTAC aims to empower teachers to discuss topics critical to their success in the classroom and how MDE can assist.
"Over the last four years, I have greatly valued the feedback from teachers across this state through our meetings," she said.
"The MDE has provided professional development opportunities, resources, and changes in policy based in part on conversations I've had with members of the MTAC. I look forward to hearing from our new members as we work collaboratively on behalf of students," Wright said.