JMCSS back to Level 5 district; board approves MOU for CO building

The November meeting of the Jackson-Madison County School Board neared its end when Superintendent Marlon King gave his report.

The main item he wanted to discuss was announced on JMCSS social media channels earlier in the day.

JMCSS is a Level 5 school district again.

In addition to the entire district being a Level 5 district, eight schools were classified by the state's education department's assessment system as Level 5 schools.

Three of those schools were Level 5 a year ago - Madison Academic, JCM Early College High and South Elementary. The other five Level 5 schools this year are Northeast Middle, Pope Elementary, Jackson Careers & Technology Middle, Community Montessori and Denmark Elementary.

 Tiffany Spight, the associate superintendent of academics and student support for JMCSS, clarified what the assessment means.

"At the elementary level, schools are graded in four areas," Spight said. "High school are graded with a different set of criteria.

"Enough students in each school that we as a district received this high at these schools and across the district that the entire district is Level 5."

King and County Commission Chair Mike Taylor handed out certificates to teachers who were awarded the STAR Grant, which is funded by the Commission.

Two JMCSS students - Charlotte Mount and Josiah Young from Northeast Middle - were honored for being named international ambassadors for the Do the Write Thing challenge that invites students in grades 6-8 to write essays on the topic of combatting youth violence.

The Board did address the issue of the memorandum of understanding between the district and the county commission.

Two people spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting. NAACP President Harrell Carter spoke against the move in which the County would occupy the current JMCSS Central Office if they vacated for a new CO at the old Madison/Jackson High building. County Commissioner Shelia Godwas was in favor of it.

The County has offered JMCSS $2 million to offset the renovation costs at old Madison to expedite the process, and the two sides entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in April in which JMCSS would get the $2 million for the move.

Glenn Gaugh said his concern when he spoke Tuesday night during work session was the district's recent track record of closing schools because they weren't needed only to decide to reopen them a couple years later.

But conversations in the past two days have made him more comfortable that space studies for the district would be done to ensure maximum use of space in JMCSS would happen.

The Board voted 7-2 with Debbie Gaugh and Marcia Moss dissenting.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news