Lumumba Alleges 'Nefarious Intent' in JPS Audit, Says City Will Fight
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba rallied with advocates on Tuesday ahead of this morning's Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation meeting, during which members will determine whether or not to put Jackson Public Schools is in an "emergency" situation.
JPS Faces ‘Emergency’ Decision: What’s Next?
The future of Jackson Public Schools is uncertain after a recent audit investigation found the district has hundreds of unfilled and uncertified teacher slots; inconsistent board-to-district policies; and did not teach graduating seniors enough days to qualify for graduation.
JPS Audit Released: District at Risk for 'Emergency' Declaration
The fate of Jackson Public Schools is in the hands of a few statewide commission and board members.
JPS Enrollment Numbers Down as Registration Deadline Approaches
Jackson Public Schools has 25,135 students registered or in process of registering, but the district has 27,707 students eligible to register for the 2017-2018 school year, interim Superintendent Freddrick Murray told the JPS Board of Trustees last night.
Forest Hill Students Get APAC Program
Forest Hill High School students have an opportunity to be a part of the Academic and Performing Arts Complex, known as APAC, this year.
UPDATED: JPS Board Forced to Halt Work After Fourth Member Leaves Board
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees needs new members, and quickly. Richard Lind, the newly elected president of the school board, resigned yesterday, meaning only three members remain.
JPS School Board Approves Tight Budget
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees approved a slim budget for the 2017-2018 school year on Monday night. The budget, which is about a 4.5 percent reduction from last school year, takes effect July 1.
New Mayor-elect Lumumba Will Get to Appoint 3 JPS Board Members
The Jackson Public School District will be down three Board of Trustees members by the end of June, meaning Mayor-elect Chokwe Antar Lumumba will be responsible for filling the board once he takes office July 3.
JPS Hires Consultant, Facing Corrective Deadlines
The Jackson Public School District has a lot of work to do ahead of the June 30 deadline set for some improvements outlined in its Corrective Action Plan, which the district needs to complete to keep its accreditation and avoid a state takeover.
JPS Shrinks as Charters Pull Students, Money
In Dr. Freddrick Murray's view, Jackson Public Schools has to be proactive to get in front of the myriad problems the district faces, from decreasing enrollment and funding at most levels to maintaining the district's 60 schools and buildings with enough teachers, staff and maintenance.
JPS Board Delays New Superintendent Search
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees halted plans to find a firm to conduct a national search for a new superintendent on Tuesday night. Instead, the board voted to delay the search to would begin in the 2018-2019 school year, involve the community in the process and keep Dr. Freddrick Murray as the interim superintendent for the upcoming school year.
UPDATED: JPS Audit Will Take Time; Board Votes for National Supe Search
The way out of an investigative audit and into compliance for Jackson Public Schools will not be easy—or quick.
Beyond Blame: JPS Works to Avoid State Takeover of Local Schools
At the last Jackson Public Schools board meeting of the year, parents and community members crowded the board room in downtown Jackson, accidentally brushing knees together as they filled the seats. More people, smushed together in bulky coats, stood against the walls.
Facing Takeover, JPS Corrective Action Gains Urgency
After a first failed attempt at submitting a corrective action plan to get the district off probation, Jackson Public Schools made good on its second attempt.
Takeover of JPS Looms as District Addresses Probation, Audit
Jackson Public Schools is one step closer to getting off probation—but if the district doesn't correct classroom management and behavior problems soon, the State could take it over.
JPS Board President Talks Transparency, JPS Future
Though Jackson Public Schools is just a month shy of the Christmas holidays, Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray's resignation is effective Nov. 14.
JPS Superintendent Officially Resigns, Board Names Interim
Dr. Cedrick Gray formally submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday, Nov. 1, which was effective immediately. After two consecutive executive sessions, the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Freddrick Murray has agreed to serve as interim superintendent.
JPS Supe Intends to Resign
Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Cedrick Gray gave the school board his verbal intent to resign on Friday at a special school-board meeting.
JPS Board, Supe Under Fire Over Scores
When Cedrick Gray took the reins as superintendent of Jackson Public Schools in 2012, he had three preliminary goals attached to his three-year, $200,000 contract.
JPS Improves, Stays Stable in Language Arts, Math; Average ACT 15.6
Jackson Public Schools remained stable or saw improvement across the third- through eighth-grade English language arts and math assessments in 2015-2016 Mississippi Assessment Program, or MAP, results that the Mississippi Department of Education released Aug. 16.
JPS On Probation, Full Audit Ahead
Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Cedrick Gray says that the district plans to install GPS systems on buses to track their routes, ensure that each school has working fire extinguishers and has "beefed up" the presence of law enforcement in its schools to ensure a "safe and orderly" environment.
JPS Superintendent Defends District, Award
Serving nearly 4,000 employees and more than 28,000 students, 78 percent of whom receive free or reduced lunch in the state's largest city, Jackson Public Schools often faces loud internal and external criticism from those who lament the district's perceived failures on behalf of its students.
