PPS vows to aid in search for new school board member

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
May 2, 2003
Members of Parents for Public Schools intend to help Mayor John Robert Smith fill an empty slot on the Meridian School Board.
PPS President Tommy Little said the group will begin recruiting potential candidates for the open slot in an effort to aid Smith in his search. Little also said anyone who is interested in the position should contact him.
The position has been vacant since the end of February when the term of board member Ann Stewart expired. Stewart had previously notified Smith, who appoints city school board members, that she did not wish to be re-appointed.
Officials believe having all five school board members in place will be a valuable asset as the search for a new superintendent begins. The current superintendent, Janet McLin, is retiring.
In other business at a regular monthly meeting, Kim Benton, principal of Oakland Heights Elementary, outlined successful programs at Oakland Heights Elementary, such as Carbo Reading Styles, a program that focuses on reading comprehension, the Barksdale Reading Institute, and the prekindergarten program.
Carbo Reading and Barksdale programs were high on the list of programs that work as identified by a "What Works' work group appointed by school board president Fred Wile.
Also, it was announced that Susan Rucker from the state Department of Education will address the local PPS chapter at a town meeting May 27 at 6 p.m. at Union Station. Rucker is expected to talk about the Mississippi Accountability Plan and Mississippi Curriculum Test Scores, on which all public schools in Mississippi will be scored. Parents for Public Schools will host the event in place of its regular May meeting.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Meridian chapter of Parents for Public Schools meets every fourth Monday at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of Union Station on Front Street. Membership is open to anyone. For information, call the organization's president, Tommy Little, 485-0499.