Nonprofit Mississippi News The debate about public school funding continues. How much should it be? Kayleigh Skinner and Kayleigh Royals, Mississippi Today reporters, visited two school districts. One was considered wealthy, the other less so. They compared the financial resources of the Madison County public school districts to see the effect money has on the quality education that can be provided in both. Madison Avenue Upper Elementary School is located in a wealthy neighborhood with a community park that includes a pond, playground and well-maintained landscaping. The school’s entrance is marked with posters advertising a raffle to win a trip. Kim Hurst, principal, visited the classrooms to talk with Mr. T, the school’s custodian. He was concerned about a serious leakage in the cafeteria. The problem was reported to the maintenance director of the district within one hour. The third graders, dressed in animal costumes, practiced for The Lion King’s play in the school auditorium. However, their performance would be held at Madison Central High School’s gym. This is the exact location where Donald Trump, then a candidate in 2016, held a rally. Students work hard in their classrooms on benchmark assessments, which are tests that measure their understanding of a subject or identify students who require extra help. They do this on their Dell Chromebooks. The district provided the computers for the first graders of the lower elementary school, while the school’s parent organization (PTO), purchased them for the upper elementary students. Property wealth plays a significant role in the amount of funding Mississippi school districts receive each year, as it is in many other states. The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, (MAEP), allocates funding based upon student characteristics and necessary resources like staffing and supply. However, local property values also play a part. MAEP mandates local districts to contribute 28 mils or $28 per $1,000 in assessed property value within their school district. MAEP also includes a controversial component called the “27 percent rule”. The state will pay the difference if the 28 mills raised by a school district exceeds 27 percent of the total amount. Critics argue that the formula allows state-funded districts with high property values to retain $120 million of state funds that they would otherwise have had to raise locally. Madison County School District is included in this category. It is easy to see the resources it offers students. Stephanie Peets is the elementary school’s literacy specialist. She works with all grades of students who struggle with reading. An English Language Learner specialist is also employed at the lower school. This is an important resource because English learners’ test scores count towards accountability grades from the state for schools and districts. They (literacy specialists) assess need. We go in and address the need. Hurst said that there is great communication with the lower schools so they know who’s coming in and what their needs are. Ronnie McGehee, Madison County School District Superintendent, was the one who spearheaded the effort to place literacy specialists in every school district. This effort began years ago. McGehee stated that it was part “a commitment we made in order to increase literacy with every student at every location.” This was even before the Third Grade Literacy-Based Promotion Act was passed. The Act requires third-graders to pass a reading exam before they can move on to the fourth grade. Although the law provided funding for literacy coaches in the state, it was not enough to provide them at all schools. The PTO has provided additional assistance so technology is not in short supply. Promethean boards are interactive whiteboards that look like an iPad and were donated by parents to every classroom. The PTO also pays two art teachers their salaries. They work with students on Tuesdays, while regular teachers meet weekly. Nearly 10% of teachers at the school have been National Board Certified, which is the highest certification that teachers can get. Hurst stated that she doesn’t have any new teachers for this school year. She said, “We don’t have as many (new teachers) because they stay here until they retire.” The school is just a few minutes from Madison Ridgeland Academy. Hurst stated that she is very aware of the options available to Madison County parents, which has the second highest median income in the state. Anna Garletts is a fifth-grade English Language Arts teacher. Ten of her 11 years have been in Madison County. Her first year as a teacher was spent in Jackson Public Schools. She recalls that she paid out of her own pockets for pencils and paper for students. Madison Avenue Upper Elementary provides everything she needs to teach, she stated. “All the way down to Clorox, Germ-X,” she explained. She also works closely with other teachers and feels supported by her principal. The district will send curriculum specialists to help teachers who are having difficulty with lessons or curriculum. She says that most of her students are at the right educational level to enter her classroom. Principal Hurst stated that the school closely collaborates with Madison Avenue Lower Elementary, which analyzes data about each student to determine who needs extra support. The wall of the conference room is covered with posters that divide the names of students from each grade into three different tiers. The posters clearly indicate which students are failing, passing, proficient or advanced in each subject. Although the goal is to move every child up to the next level, Hurst notes that it’s equally important to move those in the “passing” category to “proficient or advanced”. Schools and districts don’t get credit for students who score pass or level 3 on the state’s accountability ratings. The emphasis is also placed on moving students who are not performing well to higher achievement levels. This approach works: Nearly 70% of students were proficient reading last year. The same was true for math, and a remarkable 93% proficiency rate in science. Hurst attributes Madison Avenue Upper’s high science scores to its overall emphasis on science. Science is integrated into all subjects. All science and math teachers were provided with a week of professional development in teaching the subject. Two science labs are also available at the school, one in the third grade hall and one in the fifth grade hall. “The key was to start in 3rd grade. Hurst explained that we just sort of integrate it with math and reading so it’s not always taught separately. Hurst, other staff members, and members of the community, organize a big night for students each year. Mission Possible was the theme of last year’s event. Students used scientific methods in solving the crime of a stolen chandelier. The school also excels in its discipline and behavior practices. University of Southern Mississippi designated it the first site to implement Positive Behavioral Intervention & Support. This method encourages consistency and rules and reinforces good behavior among other tactics. Hurst stated that some of these strategies reduced the number of bus and office referrals for discipline to almost zero. Madison Avenue Upper Elementary students who remain in the district end up at Madison Central High School, which is rated A in the 10th Grade. Nearly 20 Advanced Placement (AP), as well as many electives, are offered at the high school. According to the Mississippi Department of Education, high schools should offer at least four AP courses in each core subject. Jean Cook, education department spokesperson, said that not all high schools can offer this many courses. The high school continues to offer technology access for students. In 2014, the district was the first to offer each high school student a MacBook Air laptop. Students use the laptops at school and home. Holmes Community College offers college-level English or algebra courses for high school students. High school students can receive both high school credit and college credit. Madison Central offers two academic academies, an Academy of Engineering and one Academy of Multimedia and Communications. Austin Brown, Principal of Madison Central, says that the school’s success goes beyond technology and gadgets. It also has something deeper. Austin Brown sees the variety of choices available to students as the key ingredient to their success: relationships. It is important that children have some type of relationship with a program. He said that no matter their interests, they can find something that interests them and find a place where they belong. There are over 50 clubs available for students, including the minority student association and the cooking club. This approach seems to be working: The school reported a graduation ratio of 92% last year, which is well above the national and state averages. Four guidance counselors at the school regularly invite recruiters to help them with after-highschool experiences. These include military and workforce development, as well as college recruiters. Brown stated that there are rarely days when no one is outside of the school cafeteria discussing options with students. Michelle Robinson, an AP Chemistry teacher and engineer, founded the school’s engineering academy. Robinson, a National Board Certified teacher and AP Chemistry teacher, is now in her fourth year. Robinson said that she has had former students share their experiences about how prepared they were for college. “We searched for the curriculum that our kids would need to complete a four-year engineering degree, and we adapted the program to our students’ needs. Robinson stated that after our children have graduated, we are seeing the benefits from them in college. Robinson said, “They’re all coming home to me to tell you how prepared they are and how easy it is to do everything, and how grateful they are that they have experience using Excel and the computers.” Robinson, who holds a bachelor’s in chemical engineering and a master’s in science education, was forced to take a $9,000 salary cut to move from Atlanta to Madison County in order to teach. Robinson said that she has never had a problem getting the resources she needs to teach her classes. However, she also notes that teachers often apply for grants. We have all the science lab supplies that we need. She said that teachers can get specimens or strains of any kind of material if they need them. “We have money for replacement and repair. Funds set aside specifically to repair microscopes so there’s plenty of thought ahead for even repairing or maintaining what we have.” Students at the high school got close to a deer heart in biology class. This central Mississippi district has just over 1,000 students. It is divided into two schools: an elementary school and a highschool. The elementary campus is home to pre-kindergarteners through sixth graders. Superintendent Lisa Hull stated that she would love to see this change, but it is too small to allow sixth graders to be moved to the high school. The high school, which serves grades 7-12, is located approximately one mile from the center of town. Hull stated that funding would not be an issue and she would hire more teachers to decrease class sizes and add tutors so that students can receive individual attention. She stated that ability levels are all around the classroom and that a district with high poverty will need extra resources to provide individual attention to its students. Philadelphia, like many other districts in the state is experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers. Hull stated that one teacher left before the start of the school year, while another was forced to leave due to family reasons. Hull also said that neighboring districts are also looking for teachers and she is reaching out to her district’s teachers. She said that she had interviewed several applicants. “That’s a real struggle, because not only are not there that many teachers out there, but then other school districts raid your school district to staff its school district.” Despite a 34.6 percent student poverty rate, the district decided to offer free lunch and breakfast to all students. This was due to the fact that a large percentage of the student population is eligible for food stamps according to federal guidelines. Sarah Hardy, the district’s food service coordinator, said that the program was a great thing. Hardy stated that it is important to avoid any overt identification. “We don’t want to single out anyone for something like that.” Philadelphia Public Schools District retained its C accountability rating for 2016-17 school year. Hull stated that the high school received a rating of B-, while the elementary school was rated C. This was two points less than the B- rating. However, Hull is proud of the hard work her teachers do. Hull recalled a time when her teachers first saw data from the new state test a few years back. Hull explained that they “cried and cried and wept because they took it personally” that their children didn’t do as well as they should. Teachers review students’ data to help them identify areas where they might need support. Hull stated that “our success is 100 percent due to the effort that our teachers, and our administrators put into these school levels.” “Our teachers are always calling parents to help them, and they’re constantly analysing their data and saying, “Okay, this kid can do that, this and that, but why are they not getting there?” (be )?'” Parents for Public Schools Philadelphia) Several projects are being worked on by Hull, including a “parent university,” which would link parents with retired teachers and staff and teach them how to help their children at school, and how to approach problems. Hull stated that the group also aims to develop new STEM (science technology, engineering, and math) projects. Hull stated that while we have great community support and people who want to help, when you go to school and try to teach every subject, you realize that we need more human resources. Hull stated that enrollment in Advanced Placement courses is down because there are fewer high school students signing up. Although she would like to expand access to dual enrollment courses, this will require additional funding. Hull stated that this is an equity issue between an affluent and poor school district. “Why should someone who lives in an affluent neighborhood have access to these classes when they don’t live in poverty?” Hull said. The brightly decorated halls and classrooms at Philadelphia Elementary School include hand-painted signs, alphabet and rainbow rugs, student projects, and colorful sheets of paper that contain reading instructions. According to Principal Jason Gentry of Philadelphia Elementary School, a lot of the cost is covered by teachers. Gentry stated, “They do it with their own money.” He said that while teachers receive a few hundred dollars from the state’s education enhancement funds (EEF), they spend them quickly on basic supplies, so teachers stock their classrooms often on their own. “Thi
Gentry stated that this is my 24th year as an educator. The whole funding issue has really taken the life out schools because you don’t have the resources you need. Administrators called the school’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classroom wing “Happy Valley” and Gentry and Travis Creel were welcomed into a classroom by children who enthusiastically hugged them and shouted, “Hey Coach Creel!” Hull explained that the state provides a literacy coach for the district and Title I funding pays for reading interventionists. These interventionists help students in lower grades learn phonemic awareness or understand the sounds in words. Gentry wishes there were more teachers, but the funding is prohibitive. Gentry stated that “We have had to make cuts and it’s something we don’t want to do.” Third grade requires four teachers in all reality. However, with the limited funding available, you have to bring your kids in. Kayleigh Skinner reported in Philadelphia. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today.