We are strong supporters of public education.
From an academic standpoint, good schools are a pillar of their community. They provide a quality education, are a source of pride for residents and are a valuable asset when industries, businesses and families are looking for a place to put down roots.
By the same token, subpar schools can sully, or be a liability to, a community’s reputation, growth and attempts at economic development.
This week’s news from the Mississippi Department of Education that both the East and West Tallahatchie school districts received an overall performance grade of F on standardized academic and other key indicators for the 2018-19 school year raises a red flag and gives cause for concern.
If an F on a test paper is intended to be a wake-up call for a single student in a classroom, how much more of a motivating factor should it be when an entire district averages a failing grade?
Among 145 public school districts in Mississippi this year, when all determining elements were calculated, East Tallahatchie recorded the 11th-lowest point total and West Tallahatchie the 12th-lowest of all 145. Only 19 school districts in the state graded at an F, and Tallahatchie County has two of them.
For East Tallahatchie, this marks the second consecutive year of a districtwide F after a D rating in 2016-17. Charleston Elementary and Charleston Middle schools graded F while Charleston High School earned a D for 2018-19.
West Tallahatchie, which graded at a C for the 2016-17 school year, fell to a D in 2017-18 and plummeted to an F this past year. Both R.H. Bearden Elementary and West Tallahatchie High schools are rated at a D overall.
Under state law, when a district grades F for two straight years, it can be taken over by the state and its school superintendent and school board replaced. A takeover is not mandatory, but the state has the option. Let us hope we can be spared from such an ignominious distinction.
To be fair, there are some academic rays of sunshine. The percentage of students grading proficient in subject area state testing this year reflects gains for math and history in East Tallahatchie and for reading and history in West Tallahatchie. However, the percentage of students competent in reading skills fell in the ETSD, while the percentage grading competent in math skills declined in the WTSD.
A quality education is more important today than ever, and we suspect that the schoolteachers, administrators and board members of our local school systems know that as well as anyone.
That is why we are rooting for the educational professionals to succeed in making positive change.
