By David Howell

The State Department of Education has taken the first steps to  return North Panola School District to local control.    

That report came June 27 from NP Conservator Robert King during a public  hearing on the 2012-13  budget.

King explained that a corrective action plan to address  accreditation deficiencies has been sent to the Mississippi  Department of Education.

“They will be sending an audit team back in the fall to review the progress we have made toward those accreditation deficiencies,” King  explained.

Once those accreditation deficiencies are cleared, then the  recommendation will be made to the State Department of Education to  begin the process to bring this district out of Conservatorship.

As part of the process, an interim school board and superintendent will be appointed.

“After that, the recommendation will be made to come out from under  the state of emergency. It could be at least a year, it could be  longer depending on where we are with the accreditation violations,”  King added.

In May the previous school board, based on SB  2737, was abolished,  King explained, action that was taken in all conservator districts  across the state.

The entire process to return the district to local control could  take a year or longer, depending on where the district stands with  the accreditation violations.

Poor academic achievement at two North Panola schools triggered the  state takeover, when the schools failed to show improvement among  their students.

King also said preliminary data from state testing last year looks  very positive. Although the official data remains under embargo until  the results are finalized,  King reported he was pleased with the  preliminary results.

King’s appointment in April, 2011 marked the fourth state-appointed  leader since the Department of Education took over the school in 2008.

North Panola is one of eight school districts across the state under  control by the Mississippi Department of Education. The other  districts include Drew, Hazlehurst, Indianola, Okolona, Sunflower County, Tate County and Aberdeen.

However, the Mississippi Board of Education voted to return Okolona schools to local control May 18.

•    May 2007. Miss. Department of Education Superintendent Hank Bounds delivers a terse message in person to North Panola leaders after an audit shows the district failed to meet 32 of 37 standards that ensure the district remains accredited by the state.
    Bounds also chides school trustees for rehiring a school employee — which is illegal under state law — after the employee was terminated by a school principal.  
•    March 2008. Bounds emerges from executive session in Sardis to state that he will recommend state takeover of North Panola after the district fails to improve its state accreditation.  
•    May 2009. Conservator Bob Strebeck says North Panola was plagued by an “acceptance of mediocrity,” but adds that teamwork is moving the district forward.
•    August 2011. Conservator Robert King says student test scores made him “want to shout” when he learned they had improved.
•    February 2012. North Panola trustees are recognized as a “Board of Merit” for accumulating 102 hours of training during the 2010-2011 school year.