The Yazoo City Municipal School District hit a milestone last year when it was reported that there were no failing schools within the district.
However, that rating may soon change.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Georgia Ingram said two schools within the district will be considered failing when school resumes in August. With a decrease of points in the state’s accountability system, McCoy Elementary and Woolfolk Middle schools will have an “F” report.
Ingram spoke with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen about the district’s scores and what she is doing to improve those scores; many methods have been implemented since her arrival as superintendent this month.
“In 2017 our district was no longer failing, and all of our school were successful,” she said. “We received our test scores back. They are not as successful as they were last year. Currently, we have two schools when we start in August that will labeled F.”
McCoy Elementary School’s scores decreased from 290 points to 244. Woolfolk Middle School also dropped from 269 points to 245.
With Yazoo City High School, Ingram is uncertain whether it will be graded as a C or D school.
Ingram said she was extremely disappointed in Woolfolk’s performance considering it received a School Improvement Grant.
“Suggestions were given to us for the SIG grant that were not put into place,” Ingram said. “It is not to talk about the previous administration, but it is just the facts. We will not make this error again.”
Mayor Diane Delaware said in order for the district to improve, administrators and instructors cannot remain “comfortable.”
“Yazoo City has become very comfortable with where it is,” Delaware said, to Ingram. “I am not saying that you are comfortable. We must do something to get out of our comfort zone. Sometimes that requires a shock. The lack of comfort means something has to happen.”
Ingram said she has placed her better instructors with the bottom-ranking students, particularly in English and math. She said she will also have administrators monitoring progress, and interventionists to step in when needed.
“In order for us to win at this game, we can’t do whole group instruction anymore,” she said. “We have to do individualized instruction, and we have to build relationships and know our children. If you don’t have a relationship, they are not going to take direction from you. Children can only what they are taught, and all of us can learn something.”
Ingram also said the district is recruiting teachers with its 11 vacancies.
“I know a lot of times you may hear that we don’t have enough teachers or that we always start off dealing with a lot of vacancies,” Ingram said. “Right now, we don’t have a lot of vacancies. We have found a lot of long-term substitutes with degrees.”
Alderman Sir Jonathan Rucker said he is pleased to see more local hires within the district.
“I am not going to write you off right now,” Rucker said. “I see we have a lot of hometown people in these positions now. The ball is in Yazoo City’s court. I am asking the community to give our hometown people a chance to do what they are supposed to do.”
Ingram said she doesn’t look at where an employee is from when it comes to hiring.
“We look for the best people to be able to do the job,” Ingram replied. “We have many goals, but our main goal is student achievement. Another goal is to strengthen community relations and parental involvement.”
