Dear Editor,
Thank you for printing my prior letter. I am writing this letter because, even long time Clarksdalians, do not understand the school districts in Coahoma County.
We actually have three public school districts in Coahoma County. (I am not referring to the recently added Charter School). Clarksdale Municipal, Coahoma County and Coahoma Early College, AKA, Coahoma Agricultural( Aggie), which comes under Coahoma Community College.
Coahoma Agricultural High School was established in 1924 and the college was added in 1949. Students from Jonestown and Friars Point attend Coahoma County Schools through the 8th grade and then transfer to Aggie in the 9th. Students from Lyon and Sherard stay in the Coahoma County Schools all the way through the 12th grade at Coahoma County High School. Students from the city schools may choose to attend Aggie.
So, when I suggest merging the city and county districts, I am not referring to doing away with Aggie. Aggie has a long and storied history in this community. It operates under the auspices of Coahoma Community College and is irreplaceable. The early college program it offers is truly incredible. One can graduate from high school and with an AA degree all at the same time. What an opportunity for students in this community!
My proposal is the elementary students in the county and the high school students that attend CCHS from Sherard and Lyon be merged into the city schools. The students from Jonestown and Friars Point would still continue on to Aggie in the 9th grade.
The thing that concerns Aggie that I would like to see considered, is to let students from Jonestown and Friars Point go to Aggie in the 7th and 8th grades. In the past, all county schools were grades one through eighth. When the kindergarten law was passed, the county schools built a junior high and taking the 7&8 grades out of the elementaries made room for the kindergardeners. Thus, the elementary schools are now K-6. Many parents and administrators were upset at the time and expressed fears and concerns about the students being taken from their communities at this vulnerable time, bused to the county for two years and then switched to Aggie. Rationally, I understood the reasoning of the board, at the time. Looking back, I wish another option had been explored.
Would CCC and Coahoma Early College be willing or interested in taking the 7th and 8th grade from Friars Point and Jonestown? Would they be interested in taking over the two elementaries, too? What would stakeholders think?
Privately, friends, teachers and administrators from Aggie, would tell me frankly, that they wished they had the students in the 7th and 8th grades at their school. They felt that they were being held accountable over students that came to them without enough time to make a difference. I would like these ideas openly and thoroughly discussed by all stake holders. We need to make decisions based on the best interest of the students, the students, not the adults. We stand at a crossroads. Let’s make sure we take the right road for the right reasons.
Thank you,
Gussie Farris
Retired Special Services and Gifted Director for Coahoma County Schools.
