Nonprofit Mississippi News Rebuilding the Jackson Public Schools District, which was at the edge of being taken over by the state last fall, will take a lot of effort. However, district leaders insist that they have the support to make it happen. Jeanne Hairston, the board president, said Thursday that the district was in an emergency situation but she wasn’t afraid. “Emergencies do happen but the adults in this room, they’re all confident, competent, and we can move forward to be a model.” Hairston added. The 18-month-long investigative audit that found that the district was in violation of 75 per cent of state accreditation violations, was released by the State Department of Education in August 2017. The state took over the district after the extreme emergency situation was declared by both the Commission on School Accreditation (State Board of Education) and the Commission on School Accreditation (Commission on School Accreditation). The district received its second consecutive “F” accountability rating in October. This made it eligible for state-run Achievement Schools District. The question of whether the second-largest school district in the state would be put under state control hung over the district for weeks. But Oct. Gov. Phil Bryant declared “a better path forward for the 27,000 students of JPS.” Instead, he revealed a partnership between his city, Jackson and the W.K. The Better Together Commission is also known as the Kellogg Foundation. In response to the governor’s announcement, the previous school board members resigned in October. The six-member current board met for the first time in November. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba still needs to fill one spot before the board is fully staffed. Hairston stated that “when we accepted this job we knew it wouldn’t be an overnight fix.” The group has been running since then, using board meetings to closely examine contracts and services. She said that although it might seem like board members are picking on vendors, they just want to ensure the district gets the best possible services. Although board members have continued to perform their duties well since they took office, there have been some hiccups. The corrective action program (CAP) that the district had to submit as a response to the investigation audit was not approved by the State Department of Education earlier this month. Officials from the State Department of Education said that the plan still needs to be refined before it can get approved at the March meeting. Hairston stated that she is confident that the district will be able to meet all accreditation standards. Ed Sivak, vice president of the board, stated that the district is in “obviously a state of transition”, but that there are many opportunities for success with the assistance of the commission and other partners. Sivak stated that members are cautious about changing the district’s organizational chart. The previous school board had divided the feeder patterns into four regions in May. This was until a new superintendent is appointed. Sivak, who also serves on the Better Together Commission, said that “we want to be cautious of making many changes before that person gets in place so they can work with that board to build an structure where our students will succeed.” Sivak repeatedly referred to the “culture of cooperation” that the board is striving to establish with the help of the Better Together Commission and the state Department of Education. Recently, the commission announced that Insight Education Group, a California-based consultant, was being hired to study the district and present its findings in November. The board plans to have a permanent superintendent in place by July 1. Members narrowed their choices to two possible search firms earlier this month. Both of these candidates will be interviewed by the board on March 1. The Better Together Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for March 1.