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State board votes to begin reconstitution of Tunica County School District, citing restored protocols and no debt
Summary
The Mississippi State Board of Education voted June 20 to initiate the process to return Tunica County School District to local control, following testimony that the district met statutory requirements and that 'everything is in place.' The move asks the governor to declare the emergency over.
The Mississippi State Board of Education voted on June 20 to initiate the process to reconstitute the Tunica County School District and request that the governor declare the state of emergency no longer exists in the district.
State officials and district leadership told the board that Tunica has met required benchmarks after nearly a decade of state oversight. Presenter Speaker 17 reviewed the history of state intervention, praised district leadership and said the state board had previously directed the Department of Education to begin work to return the district to local control. The presenter noted the district had met the statutory requirement for consecutive years of improvement and credited school staff and principals for steady progress.
Dr. Margie Pooley, who the board said led work in Tunica since 2015, summarized the district’s readiness: “Everything is in place. We put everything in place. The protocols are there. The people are there,” she said, urging the board to approve the reconstitution resolution.
Board members who spoke in support called the outcome a ‘‘fantastic success story’’ and noted that Tunica left state oversight with no outstanding lawsuits and no debt, comments Pooley confirmed. Following discussion, a motion to initiate the process to reconstitute the Tunica County School District was moved, seconded and approved by the board.
The action as taken today begins the formal administrative steps to request gubernatorial action; the motion did not itself transfer governance immediately but authorized staff to pursue the reconstitution pathway and to send the board’s resolution and supporting documentation to the governor.
What’s next: the board asked staff to forward the approved resolution and the legal package prepared by counsel to the governor’s office so the governor can act on the declaration that the emergency no longer exists. The board did not announce a specific timetable for the governor’s decision at the meeting.
