Sunday, July 3, 2016

JPS has been here before.

JJ will publish its next post about the dismal JPS audit Tuesday.  JPS faces the real possibility of losing its accreditation.  Readers may remember that JPS narrowly avoided losing its accreditation back in 2012.  The district cut a deal with the Mississippi Department of Education that kept JPS off of probation.  However, some school board members threw tantrums as this video shows.





Mr. Collins beat his chest mightily over things such as due process, his rights, and turf, while never mentioning leadership, keeping JPS off of probation, or improving the education for the children.  It's all about turf with these people, results be damned. Read the rest of the comments for yourself. 

Keep in mind JPS spends approximately $60 million more per year than does DeSoto, despite having fewer students (including IEP students).   Then there is the matter of the School Board itself.  JJ compared the vocations of local school board members back in 2014.  Refresh your memory when you read the posts about the JPS audit and its findings:

Jackson (D)
Dr. Otha Burton: Former CAO for Jackson. Chairs Institute of Government at JSU (Government)
Timothy Collins: Executive director of the Mississippi Housing Partnership (Non-profit)
Linda Rush: Director of undergraduate recruitment at JSU (Government)
Monica Gilmore-Love: Works for an environmental consulting firm (Consultant)
Kisiah W. Nolan: Former principal (Government)
Beneta D. Burt: Executive Director of Ms. Roadmap to Health Equity. Funded by Kellog & USDA (Non-profit)
Jed H. Oppenheim: Advocacy Coordinator at ACLU. Former teacher. Former advocate at SPLC. (Lumumba appointee) (Non-profit)

Clinton(A)
Kenny Lewis: Criminal Investigator Hinds SO and DA
Sheila Grogan: Executive Director of Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation. CPA (oversees a budget over $3 million)
Ingrid Williams: Licensed attorney, part time hearing officer
Chip Wilbanks: Licensed attorney
Derek Holmes: Worked at Ikon Office Solutions (Family owned it as Unitech and then Ikon, owns specialty advertising business with brother)

Rankin County (A)
Cecil McCrory: Owns GT Enterprises (Telecomm co.)(yeah, I know)
Grumpy Farmer: President of Performance Drilling
Ann Sturdivant: Bookkeeper at Lace Bridal Boutique (Family business)
Debbie Tolleson: Co-owns Hwy 49 Tire and Auto
Dr. Ruth Burgess: Physical Therapist

Pearl  (B)
Dr. Brad Hayes: DMD
Sondra Odom: Partner in Odom Properties
Andy Eaton: Owns Insurance Agency
Jill Havard:
James Morris: Driver for Cisco, has lawn care business. Working guy.

Madison County (A)
Philip Huskey: Attorney
Ken McCoy: Manager in Pharmaceutical sales
Sam Kelly: Attorney at Brunini
Shirley Simmons: social work
Bill Gissett: Retired police officer, now tech support at Computer Co-op

Canton (D)
Hosea Anderson:
Walter Jones:
Rev. Moses Thompson:
Rev. Ronald Middleton
Johnny Brown:

Hinds (C)
Linda Laws:
Bill Elkins: President of Elkins Wholesale (sells respirators)
Carolyn Samuels:
Ivan Smith:
Carolyn Jacobs:

The worst performing board is stuffed with current and retired government employees, non-profit employees, and so-called consultants.  Compare that board to the others and see if there is a difference.  The difference might have something to do with how each school board runs their respective districts.  Oh, JPS also spends much more per student than do the others.  See for yourself in this 2014 post:



Such facts rarely enter any public discussion about education in Jackson, as we are constantly told JPS is broke.  The district needs more money.  The burbs are richer, whiter, and have more money to spend.  Blah, blah, blah.  The fact is JPS spends more money, wastes more money, and gets the worst results.

Keep that in mind when Dr. Gray makes excuses for what was published in the audit.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...


Like Jackson itself, JPS is a complete and utter failure. There is a common thread involved. I was born and raised in Jackson, fwiw. I am not a Jackson basher, but a realist. Lying about it or being a sanctimonious p/c twit only perpetuates the situation. It will only get worse.

Anonymous said...

It seems only fair that the JPS be taken over by the state. They have certainly taken over other districts in the past for lesser things. The JPS board wants to quote rights... Well they have the right and the state has an obligation, to treat them the same. They had ;4 years to clean up their act.... Time to let someone else fix it.

Nothing worth having is free said...

Garbage in. Garbage out. This is why we have Prep, JA and St A

Anonymous said...

The people in Jackson are not interested in educating their children. It is more about spreading the wealth. Parents in Jackson are satisfied, the JPS admin is satisfied, and the children are satisfied.
JPS does what is wanted by the people they serve, a day care for the kids they do not want to have to take care of.

Anonymous said...

These guys are all clowns. They try to use big words and talk about "the children" but the fact is that they are all in over their head and incompetent. He's more worried about keeping "control" rather then getting things right. But, he fits the bill, which is being black, so everything must be OK.

How that working out for you JPS?

Anonymous said...

The board and Gray administration's primary concern is not educating children. It must be something else.

Restin' Easy said...

"The board and Gray administration's primary concern is not educating children. It must be something else."

Follow the money, as always. It's all about employment and PERS retirement. Gray is already vested and, upon retirement, will draw over a hundred thousand a year for the rest of his life. Similarly, all the department heads, principals and ancillary staff will be fixed for life.

The teachers are the grunts in this scenario. Many of them are dedicated but too many are not. Again, in those cases, follow the same trail.

Anonymous said...

@9:40

Stop it with the generalizations. I am a JPS parent. Yes, I am tremendously interested in educating my child. I am an actively involved parent, at home and at my child's school. Instead of spouting nonsense, offer a real and practical solution. Yes, I could secure additional employment in addition to my full time job for private school, but who would raise my child? The streets, perhaps? And don't start with the "where's the father" routine. He's deceased. Shame on you.

Anonymous said...

11:36, the solution is not something the people of Jackson or JPS wants to hear. Any sane person could explain how it is incompetence and greed that is the problem. What good would it do? They already know that and are satisfied with it.
The answer to your problem is to get the hell out of Jackson.

Anonymous said...

11:36, it may not be everyone's solution but your solution is charter schools.

Anonymous said...

JPS is definitely in a death spiral that will take much more than business as usual to reverse. The problem is that their so-called leadership cannot stomach drastic changes which will put their job security at risk. Believe it or not, some are really intelligent and qualified people, but they want those retirements and pensions and they just hope that the inevitable collapse comes after they have left. (Like our federal economic policy) They cannot face the reality that business as usual ceased being an option for JPS several years ago. In the meantime the schools have no chance because like the rest of the city, the most talented and active parents get their children out leaving only the dregs.

Anonymous said...

11:36

Must be an awful feeling knowing you're perhaps .01 of 01%...

If what you say if true, most of us truly feel sorry for you. Work on a way to get out.

Anonymous said...

You mentioned that JPS spends and is allowed to spend 60 million dollars more than Desoto. I keep crying foul play because as a business owner in Jackson who cannot sell my property because it's in Jackson and because the amount of taxes that goes to a defunct school system produces "scholars" ( and I say that with hatred) that cannot drive properly because they cannot read and write, you cannot hire these scholars because they don't work and we have to provide transportation to their schools when I sent my children to private schools.

If you are a business owner in the metro it is very advisable to not place your company logo or advertising on your vehicle due to the amount of insurance fraud committed by the scholars because they can't pass driving school. Therefore they have to be involved in accidents to ovarian financial gain. Business owners in Jackson along with all good citizens have been scammed by JPS!

Anonymous said...

By and large the parents of the kids at JPS never saw a direct correlation from JPS to degree to success. Yes, there are exceptions...but generally...JPS is a very expensive day care center.

You could appoint NASA scientists, Cleveland Clinic doctors, and the next 6 Nobel Peace prize winners and all you are going to get failure.

Our societies exist in parallel capacities. Just look at the DA's office. Who in their right mind would do what RSS has done? Nobody. But...in his world its acceptable to act like that. Look at schools....look at their iives in general. There is very little overlap in white and black communities. In light of this...it is not surprising at all to see how JPS is doing.

And by the way....the drug trade, pimping, and such businesses are what JPS students see....and where they go immediately after being "passed" because they get too old.

Drink up

Anonymous said...

9:59 actually said enough for all of us. It's 2 different societies in which they have their form of government, their form of govt loan assistsance, their own type of schools that fail but still exist to benefit them but not the taxpayer, their own laws that protect them .

Anonymous said...

9:59 says what a lot of people want to pretend isn't the case, but it is dead on. A JPS diploma means very little for most people. A number of bus boys, custodians, yard workers, etc. have high school diplomas from Callaway, Murrah, or Jim Hill.

Have a conversation with a JPS graduate and see if you can detect an educated person. Some are indeed, but many are indistinguishable from those who never attended a day of formal schooling. JPS, to many, is a breakfast and lunch program. It feeds and takes care of their kids 5 days a week.

Then there are those at the top who have questionable academic credentials and are pulling in six figures for reigning over a failed system. They enrich themselves while maintaining the status quo. JPS is top heavy with such people who are barely qualified as educators, but are embedded in the system and living large while doing little.

The next time you see a 19-year-old murderer's mug shot, think about how JPS just passed him through the system and look at what they produced.

Anonymous said...

10:09, you must have missed something. JPS has a summer program to provide meals to those kids that parents do not provide for. Also saw a while back that they pack a sack lunch for the kids to take home. The parents need a snack also.
Lets recap a few things. First, the majority of Jackson parents do not pay any taxes. Many receive quite a bit back each year for not paying any taxes. JPS is only a day care system set up for those non tax paying people so they will have some place to send the kids. JPS has extended the free meals to provide meals when the day care is not is session. Even snacks for the free loading parents.

Anonymous said...

10:50, why isn't anyone listening to you??!!! You are right!!! I'm sick and tired of paying taxes to support a defunct system that rewards laziness and perpetuates actions like this generation after generation. We are tired of this. 6 figure salaries for people who cannot speak proper English while us 5 figure private sectors who work ourselves to the bone have to sacrifice!!!!

Anonymous said...

First off, Mississippi overall is a piss poor state as we talk about achievements/rankings/quality of life. Number one in all things bad, number 50 in all things good. So the thought of the state taking over JPS is not a comfort. I struggle mightily with the fact that my child is being educated in this State.

Secondly, you all sure love to paint Jackson and Jacksonians with a wide brush. To suggest that the majority of anyone anywhere is a monolith is ignorance at its best. If someone were to come in here and call you all a bunch of ignorant, uneducated, backwards hillbillies because that's what they heard about Mississippians, or saw on a news report, you'd be mad. And justifiably so.

There are teachers, administrators and students in JPS doing great things. Maybe just sometimes, on occasion, you all could pause to see what those great things are. I really do not understand this constant need to denigrate all things Jackson. Who hurt y'all?

Anonymous said...

12:55, the meaning of "great " must have been changed to fair. I have been hurt by someone taking my hard earned money by over taxing me for a something I have never used. At the same time I pay thousands of dollars for my children to be educated. And I am just one but this was done to an entire City. Hurt is a very nice word for what was done to this City.

Anonymous said...

12:55, Yes, Ms. is a piss poor state. It doesn't help that our capital city is much like a city in some 3rd world country. Most of us are just trying to show people what is going on in our capital. There has been so much cover up and calling everyone racist that any signs of intelligence would be a very nice surprise.
Every where you go the people know Ms. is full of the things you mentioned. It is very hard to change the way people think, especially when it is true. We need to start somewhere. How about we start with out capital city? How are we going to convince anyone when they can see the city streets, see the water running down the streets, have to dodge the pot holes, all the while being on the look out for car jackers and stray bullets?
Education is the key. JPS is about as bad as you can get and still have teachers.
In answer, Jackson has hurt us. Our capital a slum. JPS a bad joke. Police dept a crime ridden protector of criminals. Elected officials stealing every cent they can get their hands on.

Anonymous said...

@1:37 No...there's been no change of the definition of great. Well, at least not that I'm aware of. I meant what I said when I used the word great.

I pay plenty for things I don't believe in or agree with. We all do. 'Murica!

Seventeen Blues Clubs!!!!! said...

@12:55 Your argument about a few individuals who are doing good things is fallacious. Yes, there are students who are fighting the odds and teachers who care, but the overall system is badly broken. You can't ignore the miserable job JPS does nor obviate criticism of same because a handful of people in the system are swimming against the stream.

Your notion of pausing to see the individual good things is Polyanna BS. It's a feint to distract from the disservice JPS is doing to the children of the city.

It's like finding a steaming pile of human feces on your front porch and celebrating that there are nuggets of corn within.

That's your brilliantly stated analogy for the day. You're welcome!!

Brush This said...

12:55 bemoans the fact that some have painted JPS with a broad brush. Then she goes on (with her own broad brush) to say this: "Mississippi overall is a piss poor state as we talk about achievements/rankings/quality of life. Number one in all things bad, number 50 in all things good."

I wonder if she even sees the parallel.



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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