Friday, August 12, 2016

Is JA buying up the neighborhood? (UPDATED)


 A controversy is brewing over by Jackson Academy as the Northeast Jackson private school recently purchased two homes on Sheffield Place and wants to purchase the rest of the homes on the street.





The homes at 8 and 11 Sheffield Place were sold recently.  Jackson Academy purchased the homes for approximately $500,000 each.    8 Sheffield Place was on the market for 264 days and 11 Sheffield Place spent 166 days on the market.  The deeds have not yet been recorded at the Chancery Clerk's office.


JA's property is currently divided into two sections by Sheffield Place.  The baseball fields and other facilities are cut off from the rest of the campus.  JA  wants to purchase the parcels on the street so it can connect the two sections of the campus as part of its long-range plan.  However, two homeowners own four parcels on the street.  No agreements have been made between the school and the remaining neighbors.   JA ironically plans to rent the two houses until it can buy the rest of the street. 


A meeting was held at Jackson Academy in the lobby of the auditorium last week between the school and its neighbors.   Sources say the meeting grew rather contentious at times.

UPDATE: JA Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees Ashley Wilson sent out the following email today: 

 One of the primary charges and responsibilities of the board of trustees is to ensure that Jackson Academy is thriving not only today and this school year but that it will continue to do so 25 years from now and beyond.  With the long-term sustainability of the school in mind, the board has consistently evaluated opportunities to add land to our campus when those opportunities arise.  The most notable addition came in 2005 when Jackson Academy doubled the size of its main campus by purchasing the Oaks Apartments.  This purchase brought the school's total land area to approximately 45 acres, with 20 acres on the main campus and 25 acres at Raider Park.  Compared to similar sized schools in the Southeast, Jackson Academy's 45 acres is still well below the average land area.

Last year, the school engaged our architects to update the 2003 master plan that was done in anticipation of acquiring the Oaks.  The school hired local architects Canizaro Cawthon Davis along with the Baltimore firm, Hord Coplan Macht, a national firm specializing in the planning and design of independent schools.  The master plan developed from the input of our entire school community clearly demonstrated the need for additional land.  Because of the proximity to the central hub of campus, the current practice field north of the gym has been identified as the site of a future building creating the need for an additional practice field and green space.  Also, the recently completed tennis courts were built on the site of a practice field.  The strong recommendation of our architects was to acquire additional land when it is available.

As far back as 2005 when Jackson Academy first acquired the Oaks property, an aerial view of our then newly expanded main campus and Raider Park showed that it would be possible to connect our two campuses by purchasing four houses on Sheffield Place (click the image below to view).  At that time, members of the board discussed the idea of one day purchasing these houses to add land area to the campus and, more importantly, connect our two campuses.  Even without a master plan and our architects' recommendation to do so, the strategic value of connecting our two campuses is clear.  Connecting the campuses will give our students a safer and more convenient way to move back and forth between our main campus and Raider Park. Incorporating Raider Park into the regular security patrols and security measures of our main campus will further secure the facility both when our students are using it and when it is unoccupied.

As the new master plan was being completed, the board took note in May that two of the four houses on Sheffield Place were for sale and had in fact been on the market for quite some time. Pat Bassett, former President of the National Association of Independent Schools was on campus to lead a board workshop.  After seeing Raider Park and the master plan and learning that two of the four houses were currently for sale, he strongly recommended to the board that the school purchase the houses.  He explained that schools like Jackson Academy routinely purchase houses bordering their school to expand their campuses, particularly when there is a strategic connection to be gained as in our case.

Based on our architects' recommendation and Pat Bassett's, along with the many obvious benefits previously discussed by the board over the years, the board voted unanimously in late May to purchase the two houses for sale on Sheffield Place.  Jackson Academy now owns 8 Sheffield Place and 11 Sheffield Place.  We do not expect the purchase of these houses to impact tuition or the operating budget as capital expenditures are budgeted and accounted for separately. Capital improvements are funded largely from donations thanks to the generosity of our donors.  While this property is not inexpensive, the cost of acquiring it pales in comparison to the over $25,000,000 Jackson Academy has invested in just the last 11 years in land acquisition and capital improvements of our main campus and Raider Park.   The board believes the money spent connecting our two campuses further leverages the sizeable investment the school has already made in our facilities.

The strategic value of a permanent connection of our two campuses, making  them one contiguous and cohesive campus, is both desirable and necessary for Jackson Academy's future growth and sustainability and our ability to serve students at the highest level.  The board is pleased that the first steps toward realizing this vision have been taken and looks forward to the day when the vision can be fully implemented.   Jackson Academy is an anchor for Northeast Jackson and this commitment to invest in and expand our campus further strengthens our role as a source of economic stability for our area.


The email includes maps that are similar to those published in this post. 

Kingfish note: Can't resist.  Remember this?


90 comments:

Anonymous said...

Every nickel JA spends in Jackson is another nickel down a broken sewer.

Anonymous said...

That sounds like a mighty expensive connector for the school's property.

Anonymous said...

IRONY! The only reason those houses (I refer to the whole neighborhood) are still worth much, is the fact that they're adjacent Jackson Academy. And JA wants to demolish some of them. The school wants to remove part of the neighborhood whose value it bolsters.

But in any event, if there are only six properties, and they're worth 500k apiece, then that's only three million Dollars. Even if the school will be going under soon (maybe, maybe not...), that kind of outlay is minor. But truly: the price-gougers holding the desired parcels had better act fast. Soon, there will not be enough prosperous people (of any color) left within Jackson, to support a school like JA. At that point, those properties will be worth vastly less than what they're now worth.

Anonymous said...

@10:45 - "The school will be going under soon..." What??? There is ZERO information,evidence, whatever that JA is in any financial difficulty or problem.

As a parent of two kids there, the school is thriving and has numbers just like all the other private schools in town. Keep your lies to yourself. Just because you hate Jackson doesn't mean it is right for you to make up stuff.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why any JA parent wouldn't support this. They need to connect the campuses to make the entire campus safer.

The only reason any house over there is worth anything is because of JA. Homeowners that are bitching about this need to be thanking JA for being the only thing holding their property values up.

Anonymous said...

Looks like some JA board members are on line (looking at you 11.19). They voted for this in someone else's NE Jackson neighborhood while being protected by strict covenant's in their Madison neighborhoods....but this is red meat for the Jackson bashers so type on and enjoy.

Anonymous said...

As a long-time parent of JA students, I can say, without a doubt, that this has always been a consideration. It's a good thing and is growth, so there is always growing pains.

This though, like several things recently at JA, has been mishandled from the beginning.

With all of the money spent on a "new direction", new mottos, new branding, etc the school has a feeling of no direction like never before.

Anonymous said...

@10:45 - Why assume the unwilling homeowners are "price-gouging"? It is entirely possible they are happy and comfortable in their homes and do no wish to move.

Anonymous said...

My guess is: someone who wants to go to the expense of moving a house could get a really nice buy. JA is centrally located by remaining in Jackson. St. Joe is definitely out of a central location. St. Andrew's and Prep are increasingly hard to access in the mornings for many. Prep is even in the afternoon. The "anything Jackson" rock thrower is just a broken record.

Fourteen Foot Fence said...

"Controversy"? Whose business is it if a buyer and a seller decide to get together and make a deal happen? Screw the speculators, the nosey neighbors, the press and this blog.

Zoning rules will apply. If a property owner (including J.A.) doesn't like the zoning, he/she/it can go through the process of changing it. If you don't like the zoning, attend Council meetings. If you don't like your neighbors move.

Anonymous said...

As a comparison, the owners of the apts next to JA (across creek) are asking 15-17 million for that tract of land. If JA wasn't there, it would probably list for 3-4. That land could be developed long range for building expansion, parking, sports facilities, etc. and could rid JA of the problem of current apt residents breaking into cars at JA.
As a parent of 3 kids that go to JA, the cost of tuition keeps rising, teachers keep getting annual raises, and more parents seek tuition assistance. NOT 1 year since 2002 ( when my first kid enrolled) has tuition not gone up. Probably has never not gone up. They are pricing it out of reach, especially for parents with multiple kids there. Oh wait there is a $100 discount if you have a three kids there at the same time. 30k+/ yr. with three kids there but have never considered myself part of the JA family. Too much NE JXN BS for me...and others....except all the moms wearing matching white jeans to every event at school...and dressing like there daughters!!! too funny.

But being private, its not really anyone's business what JA does except the school and parents as they definitely have the cash to do it. Sure beats JPS BS!

Anonymous said...

If JA wants to have a long range plan they need to move. It won't be long before enrollment starts to drop simply because parents don't want their children going to the ghetto.

The Urban Farmer said...

That's a pair of swanky Oxford Houses in the making. That'll show those that don't want to sell!

Anonymous said...

More power to them.

Call me if they move out to Highland Colony while lecturing about inclusion and diversity, then ask the Hinds County BOS to give them an award. Because that would take some kind of balls.

Anonymous said...

The City Part of Town

Anonymous said...

@ 1:07pm

Now we know why JA fired that landlord coach. They were trying to eliminate the competition for Oxford Rental Houses.

Anonymous said...

I wonder which new xfers will be livin n those newly acquired rental homes

someone must been talking to MRA bout how to skirt the transfer roolz

Anonymous said...

I can tell you that the student population has never been more diverse and shows no sign of slowing down. Some of it obviously for athletics, but way more that don't play sports at all.

Been to a JA varsity bball game lately? I thought I was at Murrah...and the PREP folks looked down their noses at the diversity the whole time.

Anonymous said...

Are we supposed to have sympathy for an academy, good, that was founded so white kids wouldn't have to suffer the harm of attending schools with non-Caucasians? Let them blow their money and stay in Jackistan until there are no more bars and serpentine wire to steal.

Anonymous said...

Ok, it's Friday and I was bored, so I looked up the 990s for Jackson Academy.

Looks like the school has about $32M in total assets.

Nearly 2% of the $16M in revenue is paid to president Clifton Leslie Kling. The highest amount I saw in the past few 990s. Curious thing was that some compensations for other officers are no longer present as the president of the school's salary has increased dramatically.

Most recent "tuition discount" totals over $500k and has risen about $25k per year over the past few years. If the average is 50% discount, then about 71 students are getting a tuition discount. Doesn't seem like a whole lot considering I'm sure they have over 1000 students

990 also shows about $80k in rental income. Wonder what other property JA owns that they are getting rental money from?

Anonymous said...

2:19 JA was founded in the 1950s but I am glad that is not my money that being wasted in Jackson by JA.

Anonymous said...

Nobody asking for sympathy chief. Just providing you with the facts and not here-say.
Sounds like you enjoy the Lanier experience...good for you.

Anonymous said...

JA was founded as an elementary only school in 1959.

JA was never a Council school

Not everything is racial

Anonymous said...

Funny how JA Board releases a lengthy statement 30 minutes after story broke on Jackson Jambalaya. Obviously statement had been written but they were only going to release if they were forced to. Way to keep everyone in the loop board. Pretty consistent behavior for this group.

Logistics.. said...

I'm amazed that with that much money and ability to raise more, they don't get the hell out of the ghetto instead of planning for expansion sixteen years down the road. Imagine that area in sixteen years.

Prep as well. They're land locked and in a terrible traffic conundrum. MRA is in the same fix. No way to expand without killing off athletic fields and the traffic is horrible day and night, taking some folks fifteen minutes just to exit the parking lots into traffic.

I suppose all of these schools were 'neighborhood' schools forty years ago, easily accessible by parents and students and staff. Maybe they'll all start doing what Shuckers (and others) does when they have the annual crawfish cookouts. Everybody parks way the hell off and they bus people in or bring 'em in on a hay-wagon.

Anonymous said...

Y'all are thinking about this all wrong. Stop viewing JA's plans through the lens of business strategic planning and start thinking about it like a military strategic planner. As their board chair said, they are looking at their location in Jackson "25 years from now and beyond."

Would you want to divide your forces to set up two separate perimeters? The last thing poor Cliff needs to worry about while he's trying to blow the bridge on Ridgewood or set the tires on fire for the vehicle checkpoint on Sheffield is setting up a defensive perimeter in the trees to connect his two campuses. Are YOU going to climb your fat ass up on the roof of the Performing Arts Center and provide overwatch? I didn't think so, sweetcakes. And don't even get me started on riverine ops. Direct access from downtown Jackson OR Jackson Prep via the Pearl River to anywhere on the northern border of JA's campus. (Coincidentally, I hear Prep's engineering class just 3D printed an airboat and they're starting the state's first high school SEAL team this fall - so if the Sunnis don't get you, the Shia might.)

Buying these houses is a no brainer and a complete bargain at $500K! Wait until you see how many hot dogs and hamburgers you have to sell to mine the east practice field (which should have been done, like, yesterday).

Anonymous said...

There are some pitiful, jealous people on here. Why do you concern yourself with commenting about JA if you are content with your kids going to high school in a grade with 500 plus students run by the disfunctional MS Department of Education. Don't you have your own issues to worry about? Also, 2:04pm, JA is about 15% minority. So comparing it's demographics to that of Murrah is completely false. Lastly, you made the comment about having minority students like it was an avoidable, bad thing, so I ask where exactly are your other alternatives if that's is what bothers you? FYI, Prep has hired a Head of DIVERSITY at the school. What do you think his job is?

Anonymous said...

Tyrone's kids are there

Anonymous said...

There is nothing wrong with price gouging.

Anonymous said...

3:57 Don't forget they will need an amphibious fleet when center field stays flooded for weeks at a time during baseball season.

Anonymous said...

The old sheriffs kids WERE there.

Anonymous said...

This is funny...you folks who are mad because your kids aren't getting the education in your madison public schools that the kids at Prep/JA/St Andrews are getting just need to work a little harder!

Anonymous said...

Ok let's address the real issue hear..... LEADERSHIP!!!

A true leader is someone that's serve others rather than himself!
A true leader practices humility!
A true leader proactively brings people together rather than divide! It's called Consensus!(not just BOD consensus)
A true leader proactively communicates decisions that need to made rather than going behind people and making executive decisions that impact the lives of others!

If all these points were practiced would the outcome be different? I guess we will never know! Maybe some good will come out of this as each BOD and Admin at JA or regular Joe/Jane reads these thoughts!

I highly suspect that self reflecting has taken place but how much awareness has been noted?
Is this the JA Way? Is this the true meaning of All for One?? If so, who is the One? I'll make one last point, if you focus on yourself and don't focus on the ones who got,you there you will be soon left standing alone ! The true JA way is the families that support the school will make new meaning of the JA way and hold all decisions makers reposnible and accountable for their actions! JA , it's time to change your tone or suffer the consequences !


Anonymous said...

What in the world are you talking about 535?

Anonymous said...

A "true leader" is someone who knows the difference between 'hear' and 'here' (also, between 'self reflecting' and 'self-reflection').

Anonymous said...

5:20 -- I always chuckle when JA/JP parents lump themselves in with SA. JP and JA would be the 3rd and 4th best schools on Highland Colony Drive, respectively. St. Joe would give them a run to stay out of 5th.

And FYI, I have no dog in the hunt. I'm in higher ed and my kids didn't grow up in Jackson.

Anonymous said...

Jesus H Christ - JA should spend that money educating the parents of their students - your grammar is amazingly bad!! And you don't compare to SA or even Prep, frankly - I removed my kids from that redneck environment before they reached 6th grade.What a bunch of wannabes and trailer trash.

Anonymous said...

Cliff Cling and the board needs to resign asap. They have been called out for their lies
And the 39211 parents are sick of them. There is a group
Of 39211 that will over throw this ridiculous board who does not represent the majority of JA!

Anonymous said...

9:08pm

I posted earlier and have had kids at JA for quite some time now and I also have lived a stone's throw from JA for all of that time.

I certainly believe that Cliff Kling was not a good choice and am not happy with the direction the school has taken. But, your comment does not represent me or anyone else that I know, so please don't be so general. I will note that several JA high school students have left to attend other schools and 3 different parents that I personally have spoken to, cited the direction of the school and specific negative interactions with Cliff Kling.

I have known most of the members of the Board of Trustees for many, many years. While recent decisions are questionable, in my mind, they are not to the level of requiring the kind of rhetoric in your post.

I pray that the Board of Trustees re-evaluates the administration, that patrons will nominate others to the Board of Trustees and the sense of community and family that was so prevalent at JA can creep back into school.

Anonymous said...

656. It shows that you aren't from here. Comparing Madison Central and St Joe to JA and prep is truly hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Kling must go! #ALLFORONE

Anonymous said...

As a parent with three at JA, I truly believe that we can do better than Cliff Cling.
He is not an educator, has never been a teacher and JA deserves better.
He does not live in Jackson he is building a million dollar house in Bridgewater.
Why in the world would the board approve someone with no education background to run
A school of this significance? Preps enrollment is up tremendously because of their leadership
of Jason Walton who I personally believe is amazing. We can do better, and everyone knows it.
JA is a laughing stock because of him, and the board needs to do their job to get rid of him.
It doesn't help his bff is on the board who he plays video games with every night Greg Johnston.
Just ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

What exactly is the "direction" that the school has taken that you disagree with 938? Please state specifics. Do yall have a personal issue with Kling or can you list some examples of what you don't like about what he has done? i don't have an opinion towards him one way or the other. Pulling kids out bc there was a negative interaction with the headmaster is cutting your nose off to spite your face by the way. The kids must have not had too many friends.

Anonymous said...

I have grown children; therefore, I do not have children at JA. However, I do have many friends whose children attend. It appears to an innocent bystander that the main problem is with the leadership to include inappropriate decisions made by the board in a shaddy nature. Many have noted that Mr. Kling is not well thought of. I do find it unbelievable that you have a leader making approximately $266,000 a year but yet building what appears to be the makings of a mansion in Bridgewater which is not even located in Jackson.......Madison County. You can see the progress of the project on Brighton Builders website. He must be living high on the hog with the Jackson Country Club status. How many academic leaders hold this kind of top heavy weight?

For sale said...

The irony is one of the hold outs is a realtor. She got her panties in a wad when JA didn't inform her. So her revenge was pulling her child out of JA. Now that should teach JA a lesson

Anonymous said...

Can someone please give a few specific examples of some of the decisions that Kling has made regarding the school that they disagree with? I don't give a crap what his house looks like.

Anonymous said...

I've always had positive interactions with Cliff. He's not an educator but he's not in a classroom either.

Curious as to what decisions people on here are unhappy about? In all seriousness. I'm a JA parent but I'm not in the know on all the workings of the board and what not.

Why don't people like cliff? Just bc he's building a big house in ridgeland? Or has he done something detrimental to the school?

The way I understood it was that he had very little decision making authority and just kind of implemented what the board decided on. Is this not the case?

Anonymous said...

The pride in JA is lost. Thousands spent on new mottos, the mhsaa debacle, removal of Anna Stephens and the nature of how that was handled, tennis courts, the Brannings, Bill Bunch, Bobby West, David Sykes is not administrative material, the direction is lost based on the one big family feel that's turned into an All For Cliff one

Kling rushed in and recreated the face of JA with no established need except to help bolster his status as president

The sad part of how I realized things, is that I no longer brag about JA or encourage others to send their kids there anymore

Anonymous said...

Wasn't it the Sheffield area parents who raised hell about Anna Stephens? I thought cliff let her go to appease the furious 39211 crowd who demanded she be gone?

They sent an email to every parent with a questionnaire about the mhsaa thing and they read the results and acted in accordance with what the parents said in response to the questions asked.

The new motto stuff did seem kinda strange and I think the money spent on that could have been spent on something more important. But that's not something I'm ready to get rid of Kling over.

Maybe the old Jackson crowd doesn't like that there's more and more people outside of 39211 who are now getting involved at JA......

Anonymous said...

All of the private schools offer a good education to their students . How well the students do is entirely dependent in any year on how bright and well adjusted the students are.
Jackson ,like many cities ,has problems . But,there are good reasons you are seeing new construction and new businesses coming to Jackson despite those problems . What has happened and is happening in Jackson is neither scary nor unfamiliar to those investing. They are able to make long term decisions because they have the money to do so. They know the future will bring the kind of gentrification and non native leadership to make any property inside the city limits valuable. They know some suburbs will decline from poor planning and poor construction and provincial thinking.
Look at Richmond. Look at Raleigh. Look at Nashville. Look at Atlanta. Even Detroit is coming back and it is not the Capitol of Michigan.There are predictable reasons if you are able to think in decades not minutes.
Some of you need to actually drive through the better neighborhoods of Jackson and see the new builds and remodels going on.

My BMW Has More Armorall said...

4:24 - You are an imbecile. The State Department of Education does not 'run' the schools in Clinton, Rankin County or in the Madison District. We all understand your prissy belief that parents/children of these private academies have body systems that produce unstinkables (shit don't stink); however, let's not make up lies about the good public schools in the area.

You and others of your ilk do your children NO favors when you raise them to think they're several notches 'better than' other kids. They take that notion into life beyond school and it causes them some significant problems.

Anonymous said...

Uh canning Anna Stephens was an absolute no brainier. What's wrong with building tennis courts? Didn't Bobby wear retire years ago? Like 5 plus years ago? The mhsaa decision appeared to be thought out and took the advice of all parents. Hasn't Sykes been the AD for almost 8 years? Way before things weren't going in the right "direction" according to you? Now you decide he isn't AD material? I'm not saying Kling hasn't messed up because I have no idea but your reasons aren't really reasons at all. If anything they are weak opinions. Again, will someone please give some specific things Kling has done to make you feel this way? Not just list names of people who used to work there. Many of whom left on their own accord and at least one who needed to definitely go. I'm beginning to think most people commenting are people who just like stirring the pot and don't have any connection to JA, or a couple parents with an agenda, bc maybe their kid didn't get enough playing time.

Anonymous said...

Please do not try and rewrite history. Jackson Academy was founded so white children would not mix with black children. Same as Jackson Prep. It sikens me that they try to rewrite history and hide the ugly rotten racist core that they were founded on and that ugly rotten racist core that still lives on Jackson Academy Campus today.


1954
In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court rules that the federal government is under the same duty as the states and must desegregate the Washington, D.C., schools. (Bolling v. Sharpe)

1955
In Brown II, the Supreme Court orders the lower federal courts to require desegregation "with all deliberate speed."

1955
Between 1955 and 1960, federal judges will hold more than 200 school desegregation hearings.

1956
49% of Americans — 61% of Northerners and 15% of Southerners — believe that Whites and Blacks should attend the same schools.

Tennessee Governor Frank Clement calls in the National Guard after white mobs attempt to block the desegregation of a high school.

1957
More than 1,000 paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division and a federalized Arkansas National Guard protect nine black students integrating Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.

1958
The Supreme Court rules that fear of social unrest or violence, whether real or constructed by those wishing to oppose integration, does not excuse state governments from complying with Brown. (Cooper v. Aaron)

1959

Jackson, MS. Jackson Academy Established.

Prince Edward County, Va., officials close their public schools rather than integrate them. White students attend private academies; black students do not go back to class until 1963.

Anonymous said...

850 with the massive chip on the shoulder. Has never stepped foot on JA campus and seen the many black children attending school there. Just go away you boob.

Anonymous said...

9:38 -- May not be from here, but I work with objective data. MC has more national merit finalists, debate champs, etc. than 2A schools have seniors. JP is comparable to MC for its size, but not to SA. JA is in the next tier with St. Joe and Clinton. Sorry if facts don't match the word among housewives of northeast Jackson.

Anonymous said...

943. You can't even get basic facts correct. Prep has about 140 students per grade. MC almost 500. How in the world are those 2 comparable in size. If you are in higher education in even more worried now. There's also a stat called per capita. You should learn about it and use it. There is a zero percent chance MC has more national merit finalist per capita than JA. If they do have more debate champs (who cares by the way) it's because they have 4x as many students. JA had an average ACT score of 26 last year. What was MCs? And no, you can't add them all together and get a higher number because MC has more students.

Anonymous said...

7:54, please tell me that you are not a Jackson Academy grad. Did you even FINISH high school? Your post was so badly written, I had to struggle to decipher it. Frankly, I'm not sure that I was able to correctly guess whatever it is that you were attempting to say.

Anonymous said...

When people start knocking others grammar and writing form on a blog post they are just grasping at straws in the actual debate.

10:04 From The Non-Stink Club Just Opined.. said...

10:04; Have you factored the dynamic of demographics into your prissy numbers claims? Is it coincidental that MC has an average ACT score of 21 with 46% minority students while your exclusive school averages (you say)26 with 17% (you say) minorities?

Are you claiming minority students are less bright or are you merely interjecting that through insinuation? Otherwise, how are you accounting for the disparity?

Are the children of lawyers and women who play tennis twice a week simply born with higher intelligence or does the manicured lawn of a private school raise their scores through some sort of osmosis?

It's more than interesting that you throw out the suggestion that the public school cited might have more 'debate champs' and then you immediately conclude that's of no importance anyway.

When you're in the club pool, do you have to backstroke or do all turds just automatically float?

Anonymous said...

The true debate should be whether or not the purchase of real estate was handled correctly and pit falls could've been avoided! I believe they could've been avoided if Cliff and the Board would just communicate with the community and Patrons at JA. All points being made are great by all and are just opinions of individuals that see the face of JA changing. Oh by the way, Bobby West indeed retired from the position of AD but was given a parachute and became assistant AD. many feel this is just another example of over spending and fiscall irresponsibility!

Anonymous said...

August 13, 2016 at 8:50 AM
Jackson Academy was formed mainly for special needs children.
Race had nothing to do with it as JPS didn't address those needs back then.

Anonymous said...

Special needs? Like kids that were too special to sit in a classroom with black kids?

Anonymous said...

No, like kids who couldn't learn in a traditional classroom. JA was not created bc of segregation.

There are plenty of criticisms you can say about JA but this isn't one of them.

Anonymous said...

JA can buy up all the land it wants, but it will never be anything more than a third-rate private school that only serves as a feeder to Ole Miss and State.

Anonymous said...

10:04: MC has a higher percentage of students as National Merit finalists than Prep, despite having a higher percentage of students with no intention of attending college. MC with 500 students per grade?! Wow. The student population must have exploded in the past year since my kid graduated from MC.

Anonymous said...

I remember when Kling mouthed off to one of the janitors. The janitor wasn't going to take his lip and knocked the hell out of Kling. Kling laid on the ground and cried for thirty minutes like the little bitch that he is. That was by far the funniest thing I've ever seen. Those janitors (who were loved by all) were the first of many good people to get run off by that douche.

Anonymous said...

The problem at JA is the families who send their kids there. I was started in 1959 to teach phonetic reading skills primarily. What was a decent school morphed into a third rate school peopled by third rate families. I took my kids out for just that reason - I'v never met a bigger bunch of redneck racists. They need to spend money on academics, BTW. They are sorely lacking. But unfortunately, the parents are largely ignorant so this can be expected to be a larger problem as time goes on.Cretins beget cretins.

Anonymous said...

"Peopled" is a verb?

Actually you 'took your kids out' because nobody liked you and you were butt-hurt.

Anonymous said...

'People' IS (on occasion) a verb. 'Peopled' is the past tense. That this should surprise you reveals a level of ignorance beyond my comprehension. 7:27, if you are a Jackson Academy parent or graduate, then you have just offered yourself up, as a glowing example of what 9:10 was describing.

Anonymous said...

I smoked cigarettes with Betty and James behind the dumpster, the only two nice people at the whole place.

Anonymous said...

JA will never purchase the remaining homes and lot on Sheffield Place. Their 20-25 year plan is comical.

Anonymous said...

I love the ratchet comments between the haves (like me) and have nots (like them).

Anonymous said...

Touché' 3:42. Let them eat cake.....

Anonymous said...

Where in the hell did all of the English teachers come from? Tis is a blog, not some test. If you can understand what the poster is trying to say it is good enough.

Anonymous said...

What does Tis mean?

The Blog Is Oddly Peopled.. said...

'Peopled' is never used as a verb in common, ordinary discussion by common, ordinary people. I would challenge the one who thinks differently to give an example of it's usage in common, ordinary conversation or the media. It's cute though.

But, it's quite understandable that a prissy BMW driver wearing silk underwear would go out on the thin limb of oddity and use it as a verb. I guess it's sort of like he would say he is 'officed in an area with other rich folk and we all have lunch catered."

Goes to prove the point being made here multiple times; that being these people think not only that their shit don't stink....they think they can walk with their nose tilted upward at a sixty degree angle. They people an unbelievably small but growing group of similarly afflicted clowns.

Anonymous said...

As a graduate of JA, I cannot begin to explain how much JA's direction has changed since Cliff Kling became the headmaster. The school has done nothing but go downhill and fast. Why spend thousands of dollars on a new motto and crest when you could spend money on much needed improvements such as a new cafeteria or high school building? The only thing JA knows how to do is waste money. All I know is I will not be sending my children to JA. The family atmosphere at JA is completely gone. I do not know who came up with the All For One motto, because it could not be further from the truth.

Anonymous said...

Memo To Metro Private Schools:

STOP drinking the Frascogna kool-aid.

Manufactured media hype won't stop your enrollment from declining and won't magically turn your football team into one good enough to beat Madison Central.

Anonymous said...

Here we go again !!!! First Cliff tries to,pull a fast one on the patrons of JA regarding public verses private! The people spoke and I have to say he did listen after getting hammered via comments in a survey! Now this !!! Another shell game being played by Cliff! When will he learn? I guess when his house gets foreclosed on due to being let go eventually! Know your audience Sir!

Anonymous said...

Dang I was hoping this argument would continue!

Anonymous said...

August 13, 2016 at 8:50 AM pastes up what she thinks is a history of racial disharmony in the South. Then golf-claps to celebrate her non-accomplishment.

I'm willing to bet she was at Graceland last night when the BLM crowd attempted to disrupt the memorial event for E. Presley.

Anything to shit on the sanctity of others and clamor for reparations.

Anonymous said...

Everyone seems upset with Cliff Kling. Why is no one upset with the Board? Kling can't do anything without Board approval. Seems to me there is plenty of questions to be asked of the Board, as well of Kling.

Anonymous said...

11:29am,

A Board of Trustees does not make day-to-day decisions. They do make the decision of who the President is.

So, when individuals complain about Cliff Kling, they are also, by default, complaining about the board.

Anonymous said...

Cliff is a total narcissist. Many of these comments are correct sadly. Poor leadership is the reason students don't to come to JA. The all for one motto is an embarrassment. I am sad to say that I won't recommend JA to anyone amymore.

Anonymous said...

A practice field for however many millions they spend !!!!!!! Wow! Negligent spending!!! Comments????

Anonymous said...

August 22, 2016 at 8:57 PM,

JA has desired, openly, to acquire extra land for quite some time. Those homes are in a flood zone and the area connects the two, currently separate, campuses.

It is not simply a place for a "practice field"

Anonymous said...

What do the homes being in a flood zone have todo with practice???? I mean practice man??!!! A practice field for 3 mil???? Practice??? I guess openly means openly going behind the Sheff Homeowners backs !!! Like your awesome open forum you had 2 weeks ago!!! Heard that went well!!

Anonymous said...

What do the homes being in a flood zone have todo with practice???? I mean practice man??!!! A practice field for 3 mil???? Practice??? I guess openly means openly going behind the Sheff Homeowners backs !!! Like your awesome open forum you had 2 weeks ago!!! Heard that went well!!

August 23, 2016 at 6:24 PM


You must be trying to be some kind of special ignorant. Homes in a flood zone are not as desirable. In fact, it's straight stupid to buy or build a home in that area and pay market for it. It's in Jackson AND it's in a flood zone. JA is the only reason for the homes' values.

"a practice field for 3mil???" Where did "3mil" come from? The desire for the property is to connect both campuses, it is not simply to make a practice field. It might end up being nothing but a parking lot.

JA landlocked itself and therefore will have to deal with the consequences.

It so dealt with it when it purchased the Apartments just to tear them down. At that time, it was very well known that JA also desired the properties between the newly acquired apartment land and Raider Park.

JA owed the "property owners" no notice on purchase of the houses. There is no reason to notify because nothing the property owners could do or say would positively impact the situation. Only something negative would arise from prior notification.

The kneejerks and the administration's immediate responses to the kneejerks is why they are making bad decisions

Anonymous said...

JA was founded in 1959 by Mr. Loyal Bearss and a group of parents who were concerned that the public school system was moving away from the teaching of phonics and the old educational standards of reading, writing, and arithmetic. So it was in operation as a private school about 12 years prior to the initial exodus (when JP was built) of many parents who did not want their children to be bussed away from neighborhood schools. Yes, enrollment did increase as a result of that exodus, but it was several years later that it added a junior high school, and then a high school. The phonics program that Mr. Bearss had created was used at the school until just a couple of years ago.

Anonymous said...

Common sense tells you that at some point in time, JA would purchase (if a wealthy donor would fund it) at least some of the properties that stood its main campus and the athletic fields.



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Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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