LIBERTY — The Amite County school district, which narrowly escaped state takeover a year ago, received its third F rating in four years when the Mississippi Department of Education recently released school districts’ accountability ratings.
But the district did see some overall improvement compared to the prior year.
The elementary school received an F rating but the high school improved to a D.
There are 18 other districts that received an F rating statewide. That figure is down from 22 one year ago.
The district scored 448 total points, down from 456 last year and about 40 points short of a D rating. The lowest-rated F, Yazoo County, received 409 points. The highest-rated F, Laurel School District, received 486 points. The lowest-rated D, South Delta School District, received 490 points.
Overall, Amite County is ranked 136th out of 145 school districts.
District and site-specific accountability ratings are based on indicators including scores on standardized tests, career and college readiness, ACT scores, student proficiency and improvement among the lowest-performing students.
Amite County scored near the bottom on most state tests, scores released by the Mississippi Department of Education earlier this summer revealed.
Amite County ranked in the bottom 10 districts statewide for student proficiency in both English and mathematics.
Just 14.5% of students tested proficient in math, compared to the state average of 47%. The district did see growth of 43.6% in that subject area, however.
Also, 19.5% of students tested proficient in English, compared to the state average of 41.8%. The district saw growth of 44.4% in that subject.
“We need to get to work and get the grades up,” Superintendent Scotty Whittington said.
The district report card indicates that it saw a rate of chronic absenteeism over 25% last year. Whittington routinely grouses about absenteeism at monthly school board meetings.
Those figures have certainly improved this year, with principals at each school regularly reporting improved attendance statistics. The high school is at 3.6%, down from 5.8% last year. The elementary school is at 2.4%, down from 4.2% this year.
Despite the recurring F rating, the district has taken clear steps toward improving that rating, with new principals in place at the high school and elementary school.
Both new principals have expressed their positivity toward change in the district and have reported findings indicative of progress including a reduced rate of absenteeism this year with a simultaneous increase in enrollment.
In addition to the recent hiring of new campus leaders, the school district is actively looking to replace Whittington, who will step down at the end of 2019.
Whittington is the last elected superintendent of Amite County public schools as the state Legislature recently required that superintendents be appointed.
The school board has a list of 13 applicants to the position and is working with the Mississippi School Boards Association to select the best person for the job. That list includes current school administrators, a counselor and a retired military officer. The school board will likely appoint one of them before the end of 2019.
