Tunica County School District

The Tunica County School District is a public school district based in Tunica, Mississippi (USA). The district's boundaries parallel that of Tunica County.

History

After the rise of the gambling industry in the county in the 1990s, an influx of tax revenue went into the school system.[1] By 2007 the district built a new middle school between the casinos and the town of Tunica. Stephanie N. Mehta of Fortune said that because of the influx, the Tunica district pays "good teacher salaries by Mississippi standards".[2]

In 1990, according to a Fortune article about Tunica, one in three students at Tunica's high school graduated from high school. In 1991 no agency tracked graduation rates. Mehta said that therefore that while "[m]ore kids are graduating from high school - there's no way to know for sure" whether a significant improvement had been made in the year 2007.[2] In 1997 the State of Mississippi took over the school district after the district did not meet basic performance standards. As of 2007 the high school graduation rate was 87%.[2] Mehta that despite the influx of tax revenue, Rosa Fort High School in 2007 was "a stubborn underperformer."[1] That year, it was ranked a "two" or "underperforming" in the State of Mississippi's five point scale, and about 60% of Rosa Fort's graduates have further schooling. Mehta concluded that "Rosa Fort students aren't a whole lot better off academically than before the casinos arrived."[2] Ronald Love, who had been hired by the state in 1997 to supervise the Tunica school system, said "It is like Tunica suffers from a hangover from 100 years of poverty. There are vestiges of it everywhere: in education, in local politics, in the housing. And when you have been the poorest of the poor, well, an infusion of resources might lighten your load, but you still have the hangover."[2]

State takeover

In July 2015, the Mississippi Board of Education requested that Governor Phil Bryant take over the Tunica County School District. The Board stated that the school district was violating 22 of 31 state accrediting standards. The Board was critical both of Tunica County's elected superintendent, Stephen Chandler, and of the district's special education program. Bryant signed an emergency declaration enabling the Mississippi Department of Education to take over the school district.[3]

Schools

Demographics

School Year Enrollment Gender Makeup Racial Makeup Eligible
Female Male Asian African
American		 Hispanic Native
American		 White Free
Lunch
2006-07[10] 2,241 52% 48% 0.22% 97.32% 1.16% 0.09% 1.20% 88.7%[11]
2005-06[10] 2,323 52% 48% 0.26% 96.43% 1.20% 0.09% 2.02% –
2004-05[10] 2,307 52% 48% 0.26% 96.75% 0.91% – 2.08% –
2003-04[10] 2,243 51% 49% 0.04% 97.28% 1.16% – 1.52% –
2002-03[12] 2,106 51% 49% 0.09% 97.06% 1.00% – 1.85% –

Accountability statistics

2006-07[13] 2005-06[14] 2004-05[15] 2003-04[16] 2002-03[17]
District Accreditation Status Advised Accredited Accredited Accredited Accredited
School Performance Classifications
Level 5 (Superior Performing) Schools 0 0 0 0 0
Level 4 (Exemplary) Schools 0 1 1 1 0
Level 3 (Successful) Schools 3 2 2 3 2
Level 2 (Under Performing) Schools 1 2 1 1 3
Level 1 (Low Performing) Schools 1 0 1 0 0
Not Assigned 0 0 0 0 0

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Mehta, Stephanie N. "Legalized gambling saves a depressed town." Fortune at CNN/Money. March 15, 2007. p. 1. (Archive) Retrieved on June 3, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mehta, Stephanie N. "Legalized gambling saves a depressed town." Fortune at CNN/Money. March 15, 2007. p. 2. (Archive) Retrieved on June 3, 2013.
  3. ↑ Amy, Jeff (July 9, 2015). "Bryant Approves State Takeover of Tunica County Schools". Clarion Ledger.
  4. ↑ "header_156378263_.jpg." Rosa Fort High School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "1100 Rosa Fort Dr." "Tunica, MS 38676"
  5. 1 2 "North Tunica CDP, Mississippi." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 11, 2011.
  6. ↑ "header_92338435_.jpg." Tunica Middle School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "2468 U.S. Hwy 61 North" "Tunica, MS 38676"
  7. ↑ "header_1536796424_.jpg." Dundee Elementary School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "12910 Old Hwy 61 South Dundee, MS 38626"
  8. ↑ "header_6337099_.jpg." Robinsonville Elementary School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "7734 Old Hwy 61 North Robinsonville, MS 38664"
  9. ↑ "header_424937762_.jpg." Tunica Elementary School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "690 School Street Tunica, MS 38676"
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System". Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education.
  11. ↑ "2006-07 State, District, and School Enrollment by Race/Gender with Poverty Data" (XLS). Mississippi Department of Education. 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  12. ↑ "Mississippi Report Card for 2002-2003". Office of Educational Accountability, Mississippi Department of Education. 2004-09-02. Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  13. ↑ "2007 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2007-09-13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  14. ↑ "2006 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2006-09-06. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-02-17. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  15. ↑ "2005 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2005-09-09. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  16. ↑ "2004 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2004-09-26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  17. ↑ "2003 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2003-11-21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-06-24.

External links

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