Commission Report Is Significant Milestone
by Brother Rogers
This week marks a significant milestone in the life of our community – the unveiling of the final report to consolidate the city and county school districts. The report, which outlines the steps needed to have a successful consolidation, will be presented on Tuesday to the legislative leaders and the governor.
Already, officials from the Mississippi Department of Education are hailing the report as a model for other school districts. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the members of the Commission on Starkville Consolidated School District Structure for their groundbreaking work.
The commission was created uniquely for our community to provide a process through which the stakeholders – parents, educators, business leaders, elected officials and others – could work to find the best path to a successful consolidation. The final plan is the result of an inclusive process. It reflects the views of many voices, including Parents for Public Schools, Starkville Foundation for Public Education, Parent Teacher Organizations, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and others.
The plan is highlighted by groundbreaking collaboration between Mississippi State University and the new consolidated school district. MSU will be a major key to success in this consolidation effort, and also will be a major beneficiary of a successful consolidation. The Starkville Consolidated School District and MSU will construct a new school for grades 6-7 on or near the MSU campus. This new school will implement the latest technology and best practices in education for our students at the critical time when they transition from elementary school to junior high.
Perhaps even more impactful for the long term is the new pre-kindergarten program for all four-year-olds in Oktibbeha County. This pre-K program is a partnership between the consolidated school district and MSU, and will serve as a demonstration project for the state. Children who attend quality early education programs perform better in school in later grades and earn more as adults. As a result, in the future we can spend less money on welfare programs and crime reduction.
Mississippi State University will benefit in two major ways. First, their students and faculty will have a laboratory to develop best practices in education, helping MSU become an innovator in this field. Second, MSU will be in a better position to attract outstanding professors and researchers who will want to come to work at a place where their children will receive an outstanding education.
One of the most encouraging outcomes from the work by so many to craft this creative plan for a successful consolidation is the unity it has created in our community. The inclusive process used by the Commission has brought together the state Department of Education, supporters of public education in the county and city, administrators and faculty from Mississippi State University, along with the business community. In fact, never before in the quarter century I have lived here has the Greater Starkville Development Partnership been more supportive of public education.
The plan is outstanding, but now the hard work really begins – implementation. We in the entire Oktibbeha County community must use the momentum from unifying behind the commission’s plan to rally support to make the plan a reality.
The Starkville School Board and the Mississippi Department of Education have endorsed the plan. The state legislature also must approve the plan. And then everyone who cares about the future of Starkville, Oktibbeha County and Mississippi State University must stay committed.
We sit on the precipice of a momentous occasion when for the first time in our history, all children in our community will have the best educational opportunities we can provide. The more we come together, the stronger our community will be.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News.
This week marks a significant milestone in the life of our community – the unveiling of the final report to consolidate the city and county school districts. The report, which outlines the steps needed to have a successful consolidation, will be presented on Tuesday to the legislative leaders and the governor.
Already, officials from the Mississippi Department of Education are hailing the report as a model for other school districts. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the members of the Commission on Starkville Consolidated School District Structure for their groundbreaking work.
The commission was created uniquely for our community to provide a process through which the stakeholders – parents, educators, business leaders, elected officials and others – could work to find the best path to a successful consolidation. The final plan is the result of an inclusive process. It reflects the views of many voices, including Parents for Public Schools, Starkville Foundation for Public Education, Parent Teacher Organizations, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and others.
The plan is highlighted by groundbreaking collaboration between Mississippi State University and the new consolidated school district. MSU will be a major key to success in this consolidation effort, and also will be a major beneficiary of a successful consolidation. The Starkville Consolidated School District and MSU will construct a new school for grades 6-7 on or near the MSU campus. This new school will implement the latest technology and best practices in education for our students at the critical time when they transition from elementary school to junior high.
Perhaps even more impactful for the long term is the new pre-kindergarten program for all four-year-olds in Oktibbeha County. This pre-K program is a partnership between the consolidated school district and MSU, and will serve as a demonstration project for the state. Children who attend quality early education programs perform better in school in later grades and earn more as adults. As a result, in the future we can spend less money on welfare programs and crime reduction.
Mississippi State University will benefit in two major ways. First, their students and faculty will have a laboratory to develop best practices in education, helping MSU become an innovator in this field. Second, MSU will be in a better position to attract outstanding professors and researchers who will want to come to work at a place where their children will receive an outstanding education.
One of the most encouraging outcomes from the work by so many to craft this creative plan for a successful consolidation is the unity it has created in our community. The inclusive process used by the Commission has brought together the state Department of Education, supporters of public education in the county and city, administrators and faculty from Mississippi State University, along with the business community. In fact, never before in the quarter century I have lived here has the Greater Starkville Development Partnership been more supportive of public education.
The plan is outstanding, but now the hard work really begins – implementation. We in the entire Oktibbeha County community must use the momentum from unifying behind the commission’s plan to rally support to make the plan a reality.
The Starkville School Board and the Mississippi Department of Education have endorsed the plan. The state legislature also must approve the plan. And then everyone who cares about the future of Starkville, Oktibbeha County and Mississippi State University must stay committed.
We sit on the precipice of a momentous occasion when for the first time in our history, all children in our community will have the best educational opportunities we can provide. The more we come together, the stronger our community will be.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News.