By Jason C. Mattox

May 5 will mark the one-year anniversary of conservatorship in the North Panola School District, and its state-appointed leader, Bob Strebeck, said he has seen positive improvement to build upon going into year two.

Strebeck, who was appointed as conservator for North Panola by State Department of Education Superintendent Dr. Hank Bounds, said prior to his arrival, the district was mired in mediocrity.

“There was an acceptance of mediocrity,” he said. “But there have been strides made to improve upon that.”

One of the biggest changes Strebeck notices in the district is teamwork.

“Every person in the district now understands the importance of working together to educate our kids the very best we can,” he said. “There was a lacking of expectation previously and we have moved on beyond that with higher expectations.

“Changing the culture has been an ongoing process,” Strebeck continued. “It’s not something you just start and finish, it’s an evolving thing of learning what the community really wants from its school system.”

The conservator said that the community has embraced the state’s presence in the district since day one.

“Usually the communities have schools that they deserve,” Strebeck said. “If a community is not involved in their school and the children who are enrolled there and have expectations for the education, they will have a school that might accept that.

We have moved beyond that mediocrity to a point where we have an expectance from our teachers, students and the community.

“From the onset, the people of this community have acknowledged that something needed to be done with their school system,” he continued. “And thy have been totally on board with the conservatorship, and I can’t think of any negative impact conservatorship has made on the district.”

Strebeck credited public relations officer Mack Dandridge with keeping the community up-to-date on the goings on in the district.

“He’s out there, keeping himself busy meeting with the people in the community at churches and other places to tell them of what is taking place in this district,” he said.

Strebeck, who admitted he had no guarantee of when the district will come out of conservatorship, but added that he expected at least two more years with North Panola.

“There is no plan for coming out of conservatorship right now because of the academic issues,” he said. “I cannot even speculate how long they will be under conservatorship.”

Strebeck said that his relationship with the board of trustees is good, and added that he hears from members of the board regularly despite only holding one meeting in six months.

“At this time, it is better to function under conservatorship as we try to move the district along,” he said. “The board knows all they have to do is communicate any concerns they may have, and they do.

“I just feel very strongly that the conservator needs to take control and make sure that we are moving in the right direction,” Strebeck said.

The conservator said the morale of teachers and students under conservatorship has been positive.

“I think the biggest improvement is that we now have administrators that understand what needs to be done,” Strebeck said. “Those administrators are going to make sure that the teachers know they have their support and provide a positive environment.”

The conservator also added that the district has seen an improvement in student behavior during the year, but added there could be improvement.

“School is going to be school,” he said. “But we have come a long way with our discipline as a district overall. The students know that we cannot have school unless we have order, and it is something the students have embraced it.

“We do not have perfect students, but I don’t know of anyone that does,” he said.

During Strebeck’s first year, he said the school district has improved academically but still has a ways to go to get to an acceptable level.

“You have to start somewhere, and our kids were very low academically,” he said. “We have moved them up to a certain point, but not to a point where we are happy with it.

“That is a process within itself and we are constantly working very hard in the elementary schools, the junior high and at the high school to make sure that the students are prepared for state testing.

“We are anxious for them to take those tests and to see just how well they do,” Strebeck added.

One way Strebeck hopes to see continued academic improvement is by having all of the district’s administrators back for the upcoming school year, something the district has not had happen in a number of years.

“We have some vacancies in the teacher positions, but we are pleased with our administrators and are working as a team and understand the importance of what we are trying to do academically,” he said.

As for the upcoming year, Strebeck said the district will see more of the same.

“We have to be very diligent in making sure that our teachers are teaching from bell to bell and that our students are learning,” he said. “We have that expectation of our teachers and we now expect our teachers to perform. It will just take some time for all of that to evolve.”