The Eupora Rotary Club heard an update on the Webster County Schools from Superintendent Brian Jones last week.
Jones, in his Aug. 14 presentation, shared how he had told the school system’s teachers to strive to be on someone’s list of top five people who have molded them.
Regarding teachers and upcoming professional development, Jones said grade-level teachers throughout the district will meet to discuss what is working, what is not and how to be better. East Webster and Eupora teachers will share ideas with each other, he said.
“We’re all in this together,” Jones told Rotarians.
One point of pride Jones cited was that Webster County third-graders ranked ninth in the state on last year’s third-grade reading gateway. The Literacy-Based Promotion Act requires third-graders to pass a reading assessment to be promoted to fourth-grade.
“I salute our teachers and students for that,” he said.
Another accomplishment, Jones said, was that students in the Webster County School District grew 218 points on last spring’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. This was above the state-average gain of 208.
In an effort to recruit future teachers, Jones said a Teacher Academy class was created at the Career and Technology Center. The instructor is Teresa Whitaker.
Students enrolled in the new program are based at the elementary schools, where they help with tutoring and prepare bulletin boards. Jones said the program will be more in-depth next year.
Jones also discussed school safety, which he said is his top priority. Security fencing and gates have been placed around both high school campuses. The superintendent said he did not want the schools to feel like prisons so they include some iron gating.
Additionally, TBL Security Services of Starkville has been hired to provide an armed officer at each school (four total) every school day this year. Additional officers may also be employed for special events after school hours on an as-needed basis. Jones stressed that their job is to protect the schools by walking the grounds.
The county School Board approved a recommendation in June to increase the school district’s ad valorem request by 5 percent for 2018-19 to cover security costs for the schools. Jones confirmed during the Rotary program that the board, on Aug. 13, adopted a new budget that includes the property tax levy increase.
Additionally, he said an automated all-call system is in place to notify parents if their child is absent and that current enrollment districtwide is 1,818.
Jones is in his second year as the county school system’s first appointed superintendent of education. He and his wife have two children in school here.
