At Tuesday night’s meeting, the interim board of the Winona Montgomery Consolidated School District (WMCSD) voted to hire several new faculty and staff members this year.
Some of new hires will fill vacated positions in the school district, and others are contingent on the consolidation happening on July 1, 2018, as mandated by the consolidation legislation. Currently, the status of the upcoming consolidation is unknown due to litigation in federal and state courts filed by the Montgomery County School District to stop the consolidation.
At Winona Secondary School, James Bailey was hired to be the band director. Megan Doolittle was hired to teach science, Michele Milling and Chassie Burton will both be teaching math, and Cynthia Allen will be teaching English. Dane Milling was hired as a teacher, subject not yet decided, and Swayze Hollenhead was also hired as a teacher, contingent on the schools consolidating next school year.
Michele Milling, Dane Milling, Burton, and Allen are currently employed with the Montgomery County School District.
At Winona Elementary School, Lindsie Adcock, Charlie Jones, Serena Spencer, and Toni Mims were hired as classroom teachers, and Amelia Wiltshire and Rena Hammond were hired as special education teachers. Wanda McKinney, Hanna Wilson, and Beadie Zeigler were hired as teachers and Monica Webb was hired as a special education teacher -- contingent on the consolidation proceeding. Hammond, McKinney, Zeigler, and Webb are currently employed with the Montgomery County School District.
According to Dr. Teresa Jackson, superintendent of education for the WMCSD, several positions, including principal of Winona Secondary School, have not been filled.
“We realize the importance of having the secondary school principal in place as soon as possible and have interviewed several candidates,” Jackson said. “Thus far, we have not found our next leader.”
Current Winona Secondary School Principal Charlie Parkerson has been named administrative operations officer for the 2018-2019 school year. Other open positions are Winona Secondary School assistant principal, special education teacher at Winona Secondary School, English teacher at Winona Secondary School, choir teacher at Winona Secondary School, full-time librarian, assistant band director, cafeteria manager, student transportation technician, technology technician, and nine instructional assistants contingent on the districts consolidating next school year.
In other business:
• The board selected its representatives on the Winona Montgomery Consolidated School District Advisory Board, a body forming at the recommendation of the Department of Justice. Winona School District’s appointed members are Jalen Campbell, student; Kristen Kotecki, parent; Arica Anderson, parent; Regina Kendall, teacher; Trent Holly, teacher; Nelson Forrest, community; and Nancy Parkerson, higher education.
In April, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice met with leaders from both Winona and Montgomery County School Districts and recommended the creation of an advisory board – made up of 14 members – to advise Jackson in academics, extracurricular activities, culture and community issues, and school improvements. The board will also assist in the district solving transportation problems, discipline concerns, and health issues.
Board members are
• Montgomery County School District Superintendent of Education Wendy Hubbard addressed the board about data that was presented by Jackson at the April board meeting.
“According to the 2016-2017 data, the graduation rate for Montgomery County Schools was 84.2,” Hubbard said. “Winona High School had a rate of 82.9.”
Jackson said the data she used for her presentation came from the most recent accountability results.
Hubbard said she is referring to the most recent data released in October 2017.
Hubbard also corrected a list of courses Jackson stated was not available for students at Montgomery County High School.
“The courses that were listed on slide 6 of classes at [Winona Secondary School] that do not have a similar offering at MCHS is incorrect,” Hubbard stated. “We do offer chemistry, economics, personal finance, and geography. There are also courses that [Montgomery County High School] offers that WSS does not offer including business law, AP Biology, astronomy, introduction to informational technology, physical science and web design. MCHS also has dual credit courses of Comp 1 from [Mississippi Valley State University] and psychology and World Geography from Holmes [Community College] that was not placed in the PowerPoint.”
• Jackson informed the board that about one-third of the students at Montgomery County High School attended a course selection and extracurricular activities meeting held Monday night in the Winona Secondary School’s auditorium. Jackson said the school counselor discussed course selections with students and parents, and coaches were on hand to meet students and parents regarding team schedules, athletic physical permission forms, and tryout information and dates.
