Nonprofit Mississippi News CLARKSDALE — Dennis Dupree was used to climbing the educational ladder. The Jackson native, who has been teaching for more than 40 years, wanted to do more. He wanted to be the head of a school district. Dupree said that he felt he had the skills, knowledge, and experience to be a superintendent after serving as the interim superintendent of the Columbus schools. In 2007, Dupree applied for the school chief position but was rejected. Dupree was then contacted by a search committee to inquire about his interest in leading a Delta school district. In April, he was hired. Dupree stated, “I cannot tell you how many friends I have who tried to convince me not to take this job in Delta.” He said, “I knew it would be difficult but I was ready for the challenge.” Dupree expressed excitement about Clarksdale’s future. He could not have anticipated the magnitude of the challenges that he and Clarksdale faced in 2007, which included poverty, a lack of parental engagement, and a teacher shortage. Dupree’s administration made great strides during his tenure. * They passed an $8.5million bond issue to construct a new Clarksdale High School athletic stadium and to repair schools. * Constructed new softball and baseball fields on the campus. * Built a central office. * Provided technology to teachers and iPads for every student. * Adopted “school option” for elementary schools. “It has just been wonderful (working with Dupree),” Etta Turner, the administrative secretary, said. Dupree is a great teacher. He’s laid back and doesn’t crowd you. And he will do his best to help. He also saw Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School, the state’s first rural charter school open. This allowed him to transfer some funds and students out of his district. Dupree announced that he will be retiring on June 28, after 12 years of hard work to improve the academic performance of the district. Destruction of teachers, students, and accountability ratings. Dupree arrived in the 2007-2008 schoolyear to find that 82 teachers had not been certified. The number of teachers certified in the district has dropped to 30 after five years. In the 2014-2015 school year, it was at its lowest point, with nine uncertified teachers. The district is still considered low performing and has fluctuated between D to F each year since 2013, when it was given the Every Student Succeeds Plan school rating system. The model has evolved from one year to the next. The state has also had multiple state exams in the last three years: the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT2) and PARCC, as well as the Mississippi Assessment Program. “Every year, it’s fewer students. Kenneth Gooden (school board member) said that in the Delta you have to deal with economic challenges and people moving. “You hear the guidelines of the state Department of Education and you think that you understand them, but then they change (cut scores).” Dupree was under scrutiny two years after the implementation of the new accountability model. In 2015, Dupree lost more teachers to a state-teaching scandal at Heidelberg Elementary School. According to Mississippi Today, after a nearly three-year investigation, the Mississippi Department of Education had suspended Lowanda Tyler Jones’s educator license for 20 years. She was accused of encouraging and directing cheating in the 2013 MCT2 exam. Three other teachers were also accused of cheating. In 2014, the Clarion-Ledger first reported on testing irregularities. The Mississippi Department of Education conducted its own investigation. Dupree said that this incident was one of the most difficult. He also noted that he had intended to retire shortly before it occurred. He stayed. “I wouldn’t leave my people to experience something like that. Dupree stated that he wasn’t going leave his people to suffer that. He wanted to ensure that he was there to help them. Administrators were again having difficulty finding certified teachers. Over three years, the number of teachers who are not certified has quadrupled from nine to 38 in 2017-2018. The district was given an F rating. Kirkpatrick Health & Medical Science Magnet School was the only school to earn an A. After the cheating scandal, we lost many teachers. Dupree said that although people don’t know this, we lost many teachers after the cheating scandal. But we got through it and moved on. It wasn’t something I talked about a lot. It was not something I wanted my people to talk about. We had to focus on the students, and that’s what they did. The teacher shortage has only increased since 1998’s Critical Teacher Shortage Act, which placed teachers in areas of high need. Dupree stated that academically, we had not been as successful as I was hoping. “And I think that we have some things in place now, which will get us to where we need to go,” Dupree said. After rebuilding the district, Dupree and other traditional public school leaders were faced with a new challenge: opening the first rural charter school in the state. Critics claim that charter schools take public school funding away from traditional public schools. Charter schools, according to proponents, are not a threat but a way to expand education opportunities in rural areas. Dupree has been vocal against charter schools. “I am a proponent of public schools and I have spoken out against charter schools. We need to work together to make public schools as good as possible. He stated that traditional public schools will have the majority of students. “We don’t have any money as it is.” The charter school has seen 143 students enroll and have received $161,114 in funding. Dupree acknowledged that the school didn’t achieve what he wanted academically, but he also highlighted other achievements such as hiring SRO officers and establishing pre-K programs “before the state began,” creating “school choice” for elementary schools, and securing $5 million grants for magnet schools. He also mentioned the $10 million Race to the Top grant, which allows all students to have computers and electronic devices. W.A. also built a performing arts centre. Higgins, a former middle school, now serves seventh- and eighth-graders. Gooden, a school board member, said that while there are many people who feel strongly about Dupree on both sides, he is probably the most proactive person I’ve ever seen. “He doesn’t hesitate to try new things, which is his strongest strength,” Gooden said. One of the recent accomplishments was passing an $8.5 school bond in 2017. “I believe that all of these things together really are what I came here to do, other than the academic side. Dupree stated that he hoped we could make progress faster towards achieving our goals of success. It wasn’t that we didn’t try. We tried.” It wasn’t like we weren’t trying. The Mississippi School Boards Association was authorized to take over the search for the next leader of the district. Gooden stated that “The district isn’t doing well” and that one school is excelling. “I believe the selection of a superintendent, whom we decide, will be crucial for this district.”_x000D