Gov. Haley Barbour will allow the Mississippi Department of Education to take over the faltering North Panola School District, his office announced this afternoon.
On Friday, the Mississippi Board of Education requested that the governor declare a state of emergency in the district. North Panola, which has more than 1,800 students, has two Level 1, low-performing, and two Level 2, under-performing, schools.
“After reviewing documentation provided by the state Department of Education, I am convinced that existing conditions in the North Panola School District jeopardize the educational interests of the children enrolled there. My declaration of an emergency will give the department the authority to take immediate steps so the district can begin to recover from serious leadership and management deficiencies,” Barbour said in a release.
Magnolia Tribune
