Jackson Jambalaya

This is what we were told yesterday. My son goes to Highland Bluff, and they're already at full capacity. Not happy about this. I've also heard that they may re-draw the district lines, which I really hope they don't do.

My daughter came home and said teachers were discussing it in school.

As I understand it from one of the teachers, it is a capacity issue. Middle and High Schools overloaded.

6th grade was elementary school a long time ago. I liked it that way.

What's the big deal? Administrations have to make decisions based on unanticipated population shifts. Might beat shoving them into rental trailers.

12:22,

They are going to be in rental trailers, just at the elementary schools instead of the middle school. The Elementary schools don't have room for them either.

Nothing that a big ass fancy spanking new football field with artificial turf can't solve. Bring on the bond issue!

When public kindergarten started, many schools moved 6th grade into middle school. This was partially because of increased enrollment in the elementary schools, but also to separate 11 and 12 year olds from 5 and 6 year olds.

When Rankin county gets a new face in the Superintendent's office, perhaps bond issues for important issues such as new classroom buildings, better athletic facilities and the like will get passed.

There are changes coming to Brandon elementary schools, also. In the near future, the elementary grades will be zoned, and put into the three different elementary schools by area, instead of by grade as they are now, in K-1, 2-3 and 4-5. The town is not in favor of splitting up the children. It's a more cohesive, tight-knit community when the kids are in one place.

As a Northshore parent, I'm loving this idea. The kids were going to be in portables regardless. Would rather have them at the elem school than middle.

Never really understood the middle school concept anyways. Grew up with 6th grade as part of elementary and it kept us sheltered for an extra year from than the jungle that was jr high.

That said, if Weathersby was half as smart as he thinks he is, he would've had a new bond out 30 seconds after the last one failed. I look forward to the day when he's booted out of office (or when NWR forms its own district, which is even better).

This move will keep students in the elementary setting for one additional year and will reduce numbers at NWR Middle School. Sixth graders will still have the opportunity to participate in the band program at the middle school.

Although this is a temporary solution to the issue of growth, The Board believes it is what is best for our students, parents, teachers and the Northwest Rankin attendance zone.

This decision makes a significant reduction in the population at the middle school with minimal additions to the number of students at the elementary schools. The Board had two goals in mind: to continue to provide a safe and productive learning environment for students and to reduce the number of portable classrooms.

I personally would rather 6th grade stay at the elementary.

If the student census dictates a shift, then they have to do what they have to do.

The Board discussed the Brandon schools and voted down changing the grades. I don't believe there has been any more discussion of changing. As a parent, I would be in favor of changing -it would save a lot of time not to have to go to 3 different schools in the mornings!

So, how does keeping the 6th graders at the elementary school, then having 7 grades at one location, reduce or not increase the elementary numbers?

Are there that many 8th graders staying back?

Complete incompetence doomed the last bond issue and the same people are still in place. We are in dire need of new leadership, the entire board and superintendent should have resigned after the last fiasco.

The administration is in a relatively new $7 mil building while students are in trailers.

The NWR football field is an embarrassment, one of the worst in 6A I am told.

39047 is likely in the top 5 income zip codes in the state and our MS and HS facilities are pathetic.

Kudos to the writer of the above comments who sums up this whole situation with the proven facts! Maybe parents and concerned citizens in the NWR school dstrict will wake up and start holding Ann Sturdivant and Lynn Weathersby and the rest of this inept school board accountable. Go look at the offices of Lynn Weathersby and his staff and then go look at the portables our children occupy and then maybe you will get involved!

There will have to be resignations from Weathersby and Sturdivant,& Maulding before the public will pass a bond issue. The supervisors tax increase has hardened the public.

How can parents expect even the minimum level of education to occur when grades are this crowded? Have you visited the middle school to see for yourselves if this is what you want for your children? Parents have choices - It's time to put priorities in place and enroll your students in schools with proven records of achievement without overcrowding.

Conventional wisdom is that Weathersby will not run again, some think he was trying to position his daughter into position to have a good shot at the job, but with the backlash now that appears unlikely.

Hopefully someone who will standup for NWR will replace Sturdivant. Fresh blood is badly needed, there is no reason that NWR can't have something like the German School in Madison County.

"The NWR football field is an embarrassment, one of the worst in 6A I am told."

The horror.

Your comment encapsulates why I constantly encourage my kids to get out of this place. Thanks for the validation.

meh, government really shouldn't be in the education business anyway

The NWR football field might be an embarrassment to the visiting teams!

Games are always sold out, and before Pete, the visitors got their asses handed to them.

@4:18, why stop with your kids? You could go, too, you know. While I do agree with you on the absurdity of @9:12's comment about NWR's football field, there's no need to put your nose in the air about it.

Sturdivant has done good some good things during her tenure, but she stuck around too long and is now becoming an example of why you always need to know when to leave. What's it been, 20-something years? She could have left and had a solid legacy, but now the failed bond proposal is the one we'll all remember.

Weathersby and his county office cronies are simply crooked. I have no idea how that bunch has avoided indictments.

Even though I feel a little bad about it (since there are kids involved, and all), there is some satisfaction in seeing NWR get screwed by the situation they created. I just wish the parents who set all this in motion with Weathersby's election years ago still had skin in the game.

Having a crappy football field does affect the students. School pride comes with good, decent facilities. Attendance at football games benefits those in the band, the cheerleaders, the pep squad, dancers, football players, trainers, etc. Without football, what do you think all those students would do? Having those activities is another incentive for the students to attend school and make their grades to participate.

I don't know why so many people are against sports. It's so much more than just football players.

It’s funny how enraged parents can get over buildings and athletic facilities while RCSD is failing abysmally with the curriculum, yet no outrage? The curriculum is why my children will never grace the doors of a RCSD school, not the facilities.

@10:01, NWR manages to graduate 84% of students despite an "embarrassment" of a football field. The Little Einsteins at Tupelo High School have a very impressive football field, yet they sport a 70.9% graduation rate.

School pride is great and all, but you can't have an entire community selling women's shoes and consoling themselves with the memory of scoring 4 touchdowns in the city championship against Andrew Johnson High School.

No one is enraged about the football field, I only cited it as one example (a very visible one) of the poor job that the administration/Sturdivant has done. I have 3 in the NWR zone, I and everyone else I know are much more concerned about the poor/overcrowded conditions at NWR MS and HS.

I would be fine if they built one football field on 471 for BHS and NWR to use. It would take some coordination in scheduling, but is doable.

This issue effects your property values if you live in 39047. Just look at the new Germantown HS and check the property values in the area. The school is certainly not the only reason their values are higher than ours, but a factor.

I love the comment about 39047 being a top 5 income area. NWR residents are delusional about their little suburb. According to IRS figures, 39047 is 34th in the state in income.

Somehow, they think they are the only school zone in the Rankin County School District that has needs. Brandon Middle is overcrowded, outdated (the main building was built in the 1940s), and falling apart. Yet, somehow, the NWR'ers think they are in worse shape than anyone else.