Noxubee schools deserve takeover
It appears the Mississippi Department of Education is about to take over another public school district, this time in Noxubee County.
The district is one of many in rural counties whose students struggle academically. Noxubee County has an F rating from the state, but poor test scores isn’t the problem that has the state on the verge of taking action.
If news reports are accurate, the district’s larger problems are lousy financial management and questionable decisions by leadership.
Officials have acknowledged they won’t be able to pay the district’s bills in August. The Department of Education says the district is violating 26 of 32 state accreditation standards.
A state investigation also alleged that the superintendent told staff members to falsify records, managed through intimidation and overturned disciplinary decisions made by principals and others.
Members of the school board, meanwhile, are suspected of improperly interfering in the day-to-day operations of schools.
It’s a challenge to run any public school district. But the task borders on impossible when managers — the superintendent and the school board members — are paying more attention to decisions employees make than they are to making difficult financial choices.
Yes, the F rating is bad. But it’s clear that the management of the district is worse.
Jack Ryan, Enterprise-Journal
Tariffs very bad
for us
Mike Espy, the former congressman and U.S. agriculture secretary and now U.S. Senate candidate, is on the mark when he says Mississippi will be the loser in a tariff war.
This state doesn’t make steel. It grows soybeans, cotton and other export-dependent crops. If U.S. farmers lose foreign market share, Mississippi suffers.
Gov. Phil Bryant should tell his good friend Donald Trump that.
Tim Kalich
Editor and Publisher
Greenwood Commonwealth
