P-16 Councils are mandated by the Mississippi Department of Education for any school district that is designated as less than successful.
P-16 stands for students in pre-kindergarten through the first four years of college (year 16). Parents, educators, community leaders, alumni of Charleston High School and current students are encouraged to become a part of this group.
After the Charleston schools received a state accountability rating of “F” for the second straight year in 2019, the East Tallahatchie School District had to form a P-16 Council.
The mission of the ETSD P-16 Council is 1) To review policies and practices and provide suggestions to education leaders that will enable them to better meet the needs of the entire student body; 2) To encourage engagement with parents and families and assist in creating and building a strong Parent Teacher Organization (PTO); 3) To improve the “town-gown” relationship by creating an environment that promotes active engagement between the school and the community; and 4) To ensure that the children are learning in a clean and safe environment. By focusing on this mission, we can truly help to move this school district to excellence.
The P-16 Council has been diligently working for the past several months learning the needs of the district by meeting with school administrators, talking to students, faculty, staff and parents, and in February 2022, performing a thorough “walk-though” of all three campuses: Charleston Elementary School, Charleston Middle School and Charleston High School. Issues were noted on all three campuses, including needed roof repair, improper heating and cooling systems, non-working restroom toilets and sinks, much needed clean-up of building and grounds, lack of textbooks, and a lack of teaching assistants in the lower grades, to name a few.
The latest test scores and school ratings have not been released for the 2021-2022 academic year, but we hope the district has improved from a failing status.
Now that our initial observation is complete and findings presented to the former superintendent, Mr. Johnnie Vick, the newly appointed superintendent, Mr. Marvell Hudson, the ETSD Board, and the city of Charleston mayor and Board of Aldermen, it’s time to get behind our new administration and bring our school back to one that we can be proud of and that will add value to the city of Charleston.
The P-16 Council normally meets every third Monday of the month at 5 p.m. at the East Tallahatchie School District office on Chestnut Street. However, since we are now trying to create the PTO and are expecting a larger attendance than usual for the next meeting, the next meeting will be held Monday, Aug. 22, at 5 p.m. at the Charleston High School cafeteria. All are encouraged to attend.
If you cannot attend the meeting but have a concern, you may email Lynn Byrd, the local P-16 president, at hlynnbyrd@gmail.com or call 662-719-3131. You may also contact Lavern Lake, the P-16 vice president, at lavern_lake@yahoo.com.
Let’s join together to make our schools stellar and this community a wonderful place to live.
