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

Tunica County schools organized in April 1846. The county seat was moved from Commerce to Austin because of flooding, and the former courthouse in Commerce was repurposed as a schoolhouse. During the Civil War, school funds were redirected to funding the Confederate Army. Public schools did not reopen until 1870. By 1988 there were 16 white and 19 black schools in operation. From 1872 through 1875, Edward Carter, a black man served as superintendent, but was not allowed to enter the property of the white schools. In 1905, $925 was appropriated for white schools, and $1,455 for black schools, although over 80% of the population was black and many of the white elite sent their children away for their education. Rosenwald Fund dollars allocated to build schools for black students were misappropriated to fund white students instead. Even after a pair of equalization programs to make funding more equitable, in 1962 the funding was $172.80 per white student and $5.99 per black student, which was the highest inequity in the state of Mississippi.[1]

After the Supreme Court holding in Brown v. Board, which declared the doctrine of "separate but equal" schools to be unconstitutional, a "freedom of choice plan" was instituted from 1964 through 1969, which was designed to give the appearance of compliance with the law but in practice maintain a segregated system. By 1967, only 12 black students were in attendance at the formerly all-white schools, and no whites at all were attending black schools. In 1969, the district attempted to use intelligence tests to further segregated education, but were disappointed that the results would have required 1/3 of the white students to attend black schools. As a result, they asked the court to invalidate their own plan, but were refused. Then the Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education decision superseded this by demanding the integration of all schools in January 1970.[1]

When all public schools were required to be integrated in 1970, white students were directed by community leaders to report to one of three local churches. When school started, there were no white students in the public schools.[1]

After the rise of the gambling industry in the county in the 1990s, an influx of tax revenue went into the school system.[2] 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".[3]

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 it was believed that "[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.[3] 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%.[3] Mehta that despite the influx of tax revenue, Rosa Fort High School in 2007 was "a stubborn underperformer."[2] 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."[3] 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."[3]

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.[4]

Schools

Demographics
School Year Enrollment Gender Makeup Racial Makeup Eligible
Female Male Asian African
American		 Hispanic Native
American		 White Free
Lunch
2006-07[13] 2,241 52% 48% 0.22% 97.32% 1.16% 0.09% 1.20% 88.7%[14]
2005-06[13] 2,323 52% 48% 0.26% 96.43% 1.20% 0.09% 2.02% –
2004-05[13] 2,307 52% 48% 0.26% 96.75% 0.91% – 2.08% –
2003-04[13] 2,243 51% 49% 0.04% 97.28% 1.16% – 1.52% –
2002-03[15] 2,106 51% 49% 0.09% 97.06% 1.00% – 1.85% –

Accountability statistics
2006-07[16] 2005-06[17] 2004-05[18] 2003-04[19] 2002-03[20]
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. Brown, Cecil. "Everything But Delibate Speed: Integration in Tunica County, Mississippi" (PDF). Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  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.
  3. Mehta, Stephanie N. "Legalized gambling saves a depressed town." Fortune at CNN/Money. March 15, 2007. p. 2. (Archive) Retrieved on June 3, 2013.
  4. Amy, Jeff (July 9, 2015). "Bryant Approves State Takeover of Tunica County Schools". Clarion Ledger.
  5. "header_156378263_.jpg." Rosa Fort High School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "1100 Rosa Fort Dr." "Tunica, MS 38676"
  6. "North Tunica CDP, Mississippi." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 11, 2011.
  7. "header_92338435_.jpg." Tunica Middle School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "2468 U.S. Hwy 61 North" "Tunica, MS 38676"
  8. "Tunica County". Mississippi Department of Education. January 22, 2000. Archived from the original on January 22, 2000. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  9. "header_1536796424_.jpg." Dundee Elementary School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "12910 Old Hwy 61 South Dundee, MS 38626"
  10. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Tunica Resorts CDP, MS." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 8, 2017. Pages: 1, 2, 3
  11. "header_6337099_.jpg." Robinsonville Elementary School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "7734 Old Hwy 61 North Robinsonville, MS 38664"
  12. "header_424937762_.jpg." Tunica Elementary School. Retrieved on August 11, 2011. "690 School Street Tunica, MS 38676"
  13. "Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System". Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007.
  14. "2006-07 State, District, and School Enrollment by Race/Gender with Poverty Data" (XLS). Mississippi Department of Education. January 16, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
  15. "Mississippi Report Card for 2002-2003". Office of Educational Accountability, Mississippi Department of Education. September 2, 2004. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
  16. "2007 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 13, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  17. "2006 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 6, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  18. "2005 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 9, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  19. "2004 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 26, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  20. "2003 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. November 21, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
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