Parents for Public Schools chapter plans town meeting

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
March 25, 2003
Meridian's new chapter of Parents for Public Schools plans to sponsor a town meeting on May 20 to discuss scores from the Mississippi Curriculum Test, a statewide standardized achievement test.
Susan Rucker with the Mississippi Department of Education is expected to attend and discuss the Mississippi Accountability Plan.
A location for the town meeting has not yet been selected.
If Parents for Public Schools has its way, Little said, the gap between the Meridian Public School District and the community will soon disappear.
Parents for Public Schools is a national organization designed to publicize the economic and social benefits of a strong public school system. The local chapter has the same goal.
But before it can reach that goal, organizers said they need members and support. About 35 people attended the monthly meeting of the Meridian chapter on Monday.
The Meridian chapter was organized in December, and board members were elected in February. Little encouraged everyone in the Meridian community to join the chapter.
Little said the aim of the group is not to point fingers at what is wrong in the district. He said the organization wants to strengthen ties between parents and schools.
The organization plans to elect a liaison for each of Meridian's 13 public schools. That person will be available to attend parent-teacher conferences and help make parents aware of PPS.
The chapter also plans to establish seven committees including ones designed for grant writing, fund-raising, recruiting and lobbying