By Rupert Howell

Meeting together for the first time, South Panola school principals, the district’s board of trustees and newly hired Superintendent Tim Wilder spent last Saturday getting to know one another and getting on the same page.

Although not available to the press or general public, school rankings based on last year’s test scores have been revealed to school officials with mixed results within the district.
Buzzwords for the weekend work day included: growth, rigor, accountability, uniformity and transparency.

Superintendent Wilder told educators and board members, “We can’t control where they start, (student’s level of proficiency), but we can control growth. All we can look at is growth. Growth is our number one objective.”

A change coming not only in the district but throughout the state includes students not leaving the third grade if they are not reading on grade level.

Trustees were reminded that comprehension is part of reading—reading is not just “calling words.”

Wilder also said that high school advance placement courses will be increased, another way to promote growth and rigor within individual students.

An estimate was given that 66% of students were not reading on grade level at second grade which began a discussion on additional pre-kindergarten classes being added.

Trustee Lygunnah Bean asked how many more classes would be needed to accommodate all students. Elementary School Principal LaSherry Irby  said approximately 120 students are not selected for the four classes of approximately 15. Irby and other principals have wished aloud at trustee board meetings for additional pre-k classes.

Trustee Buddy Gray asked why more pre-kindergarten classes have been added and students are still not able to read at grade level. Educators replied that the ones not reading at grade level may well be the ones that didn’t attend the pre-k program.

Julia Bainer told trustees that Batesville Middle School was, “pleased, but not satisfied,” with recent test scores promising to put her focus on instruction in the coming year while delegating other responsibilities.

Dr. Deana Pittman sat in for Junior High School principal Lorenzo Grimes and told trustees that BJH was, “ecstatic with growth,” at that school indicating improvement. But Pittman was quick to acknowledge their score was, “…not good enough.”

New high school principal Roy Balentine indicated scores were not so good for South Panola’s subject area testing (SAT) test, mentioning a “dark cloud,” currently over the school.

“It will not continue,” he promised and told trustees that consultants were in place and the staff was, “Ready to meet the challenge and move forward.”

Balentine said, “There are too many schools with similar demographics where students are highly successful,” mentioning that just a few years ago South Panola was rated high successful.

“We will be back there and be back quickly,” he said adding, “Our goal is a quick turn-around and with everybody working together, it is not unreasonable to go from a ‘D’ to a ‘B’”.

Trustee board president Sandra Darby pledged, “Full support to all of y’all. If you follow board policy, we’ll back you.”