Marion County School District board honors PREPS award winners, approves personnel, pay scales and program updates

At a board meeting at East Marion High School, the Marion County School District Board recognized school and teacher achievement through PREPS awards and approved a slate of personnel, pay-scale and program items, including a state-approved driver's education program and several timber and lease actions. Vote tallies were not specified in the meeting transcript.

The meeting opened with adoption of the agenda, including an added recommendation to item 10.8. The board then approved the Feb. 9 work-session and regular-meeting minutes before moving into a presentation of PREPS awards. A presenter said, "Preps is an organization that's in South Mississippi that we're a member of," and described two PREPS honors: an achievement award (for a scale-score increase at least twice the state average) and a growth award (top 10% growth in reading/ELA and math). Principals and teachers from East Marion Elementary, East Marion Middle, East Marion High, West Marion High, Westman Middle and Westman Primary were called up to receive certificates.

In his superintendent's report, Mr. Foster addressed monthly data including average daily attendance around 91 percent and elevated absenteeism in February and March. He reported federal monitoring clearance for ESSER II and said the district is…