Swinford wins one, loses two in vwsd meeting

6/2/12 11:05 AMSwinford wins one, loses two in VWSD meeting Scholastic program to include more students; two top hires denied

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printSwinford wins one, loses two in VWSD meetingScholastic program to include more students; two top hiresdeniedby Pamela Hitchins06.01.12 - 12:05 pmSplit votes on three proposals considered by trustees of the Vicksburg WarrenSchool District Thursday night handed Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Swinford avictory on one request and defeat on the other two.

At their regular monthly business meeting, board members agreed to double to160 the enrollment for the Scholastic Academy pilot program for high-achievingseventh- and eighth-graders. The board in March approved the program for 80students, beginning when school resumes in August.

The school day for those students will be extended by 70 minutes, and fouradditional teachers will be hired to staff the classrooms.

Voting in favor were District 1 Trustee and board president Bryan Pratt, District2 Trustee Zelmarine Murphy and District 5 Trustee Sally Bullard, with nay votesfrom vice president and District 3 Trustee Jim Stirgus Jr. and Joe Loviza ofDistrict 4.

Then, following a nearly one-hour closed session, Swinford was denied herchoices to fill two top-level vacancies. The openings came with the retirements ofassistant superintendent Debra Hullum and transportation manager David Keen.

Swinford wanted to promote current Vicksburg Junior High School Principal Dr.Michael Winters to be her assistant, and transportation office veteran FredBarnum to manage the district’s busing.

Voting no on Winters’ promotion were Stirgus, Loviza and Pratt. Stirgus, Lovizaand Murphy opposed Barnum’s.

Swinford had no comment and trustees gave no explanation for their votes.

“They’re very important positions,” Swinford said this morning. “I willreadvertise and expand the search. That’s what I was appointed to do.”

Loviza, Bullard and Stirgus left the meeting before the decisions wereannounced, and the public meeting was not reconvened in order to announce theactions taken in executive session.

Instead, Pratt, after speaking privately for about 10 minutes with Murphy,Swinford and board attorney Briggs Hopson III, allowed observers in andreported on the closed session votes.



Earlier, when discussion about filling the positions was moved to executivesession, Loviza chastised Swinford for not involving the board in her selectionprocess.

“We have specifically asked the superintendent to let us know who is applyingfor these main administrative jobs... and we have had at least three that have beenbrought to the school board in the past year that we had no idea who evenapplied,” Loviza said. He questioned why the positions were not advertisedoutside the district and why “more people who have excellent qualificationswithin our district” were not interviewed.

Swinford rebutted that the positions were advertised as required by state law anddistrict policy, and that 17 individuals had been interviewed for the two positions.

“Everything was done in accordance with (VWSD) policy,” she said. “I amimplementing policies that you all gave me to work with.”

About a dozen parents were present for the discussion about Scholastic Academy,which referenced but did not include the specifics of complaints Loviza and otherofficials had received about the selection process.

Swinford denied attempting to expand the program simply to appease upsetparents.

“We had at least 37 students that qualified that did not make the program,” shesaid, adding a number of applications also were received after the deadline. Theymight add to the number of eligible students and could provide better data withwhich to evaluate the pilot, she said.

Bullard called the program “a huge opportunity” that should be available to everyqualified student who wants to take advantage of it.

“Why are we turning children down that need it? That want it?” she said. “Allthis is going to do is increase our AP kids at the high school.”

After the meeting, Stirgus said he supports the program and its goals but isconcerned about hiring additional teachers.

“This is a pilot program,” he said. “If it does not succeed, where are theadditional teachers going to go?”

Scholastic Academy will use project-based, nontraditional methods of teachingthe four core subject areas — math, English, social studies and science — in 75-minute classes, said Paula Johnson, assistant superintendent for curriculum andinstruction. Regular junior high periods run about 55 minutes.

Extension of the school day for those students will allow them to also take twoelectives, she said.



In other business, trustees voted without comment to increase pay scales for allemployees in the district. Swinford said salary schedules will be bumped 2 to 3percent, about the equivalent of an average step raise.

On the agenda

Meeting Thursday, the Vicksburg Warren School District Board of Trustees:

• Approved minutes from April 26.

• Accepted cash donations: for Warren Central High School, $500 from ElksLodge No. 95 for Future Teachers of America activities for the special prom; andfor the VWSD, $360 from the City of Vicksburg for career fair advertisingexpenses; and capital asset donations: one walkie-talkie set with charger andextra battery valued at $2,000 from the Vicksburg Police Department.

• Approved amendments to the 2011-12 budget through April and the accountspayable claims docket for May.

• Approved personnel matters: compensation for extra duties, April; certified staffrecommendations for 2012-13 school year; and classified staff recommendationsfor 2012-13.

• Approved out-of-state travel for: Warren Central High School Big Blue Bandmembers and parents to attend the Drum Corps International SoutheasternChampionship in Atlanta, July 27-29; WCI students scoring advanced orproficient on the 2012 MCT2 test to travel to Blue Bayou Water Park in BatonRouge in September; WCHS Madrigal and Total Sound choral groups to competein the Heritage Music Festival in Chicago, March 20-24; Warren Central JuniorHigh School Boys Club to visit the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis in July;Sherman Avenue Elementary School lead and model teachers to attend theNational Conference on School Discipline in Atlanta, June 27-30; and oneWCHS history teacher to attend AP training for certification in Monroe, La.,during the summer.

• Approved a list of surplus/no longer serviceable capital assets for disposal.

• Ratified telephone votes of board members to schedule and staff employeehearings.

• Approved district policies on Acceptable Use of Technology and InternetSafety, to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act to addresseducation of minors about online behavior and cyberbullying awareness andresponse.

• Approved beginning the bid process for diesel fuel for 2012-13.

• Approved leasing driver’s education vehicles for 2012-13 from low bidder



Blackburn Motors: midsized vehicles at $419 per month, full size, $469 permonth, plus 15 cents per mile for usage over 7,000 miles.

• Approved the annual application to the Mississippi Department of Educationoutlining use of federal funds received through the No Child Left Behind Act of2001 and its parental involvement policy.

• Initiated review of revised Guidelines for English Language Learners manual,to be voted on at the board’s June meeting.

• Approved 16th Section Land matters: renewal of right-of-way lease on a Bovinaparcel for 25 years to Southcross Energy (purchaser of former leaseholderMississippi Fuel Corp.) for a lump sum payment at fair market value determinedby a new appraisal, but not less than $17,172; permission to the Warren CountyParks and Recreation Commission to build a walking trail at Clear Creek GolfCourse (Bovina parcel); and awarding hunting and fishing rights on Rawhide,Yazoo-Warren Line, Bovina (two parcels), Oak Ridge and Blakely parcels.

• Approved job descriptions for a public relations/information officer and aneducational technology and information officer, two new positions created out ofthe former position of director of information management. The positions will bepaid at about the level of teacher salaries.

• Approved revised student handbooks for the 2012-13 school year.

• Approved contracting for an accidental medical insurance policy for athleticsand extracurricular activities from Planned Benefit Services Inc., of Montgomery,for $83,135 annually.

• Awarded the bid for construction of the Vicksburg High School field house tolow bidder Dirtworks Inc., for $784,000.

In closed session, the board:

• Discussed the character and job performance of proposed assistantsuperintendent for operations and transportation manager and a physicaleducation teacher. The board denied the recommendation of the superintendent tofill the administrative positions and took no action with regard to the teacher.

• Considered a student transfer and requested confirmation of residence from theparent.

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