Education Committee Minutes

Summary Report from the Education Committee, May 26, 2006
Reviving the Renaissance, City of Biloxi
Dr.  Paul A. Tisdale, Chairman
Community Education and Workforce Programs
  1. Instruction on knowledge and skills for workforce available after hours for residents
  2. Instruction on leisure activities and hobbies available after hours for residents
  3. Participate in the educational offerings th the Mississippi renaissance Horticultural center
  4. Clearly define “technology training” so public clearly understands the nature of the training
  5. Survey employers and community to determine type of instruction or classes to offer
  6. Training could occur at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC), Biloxi Public Schools (BPS), or wherever there’s a computer lab
  7. Training could be delivered, in some cases, to individuals as online courses
  8. $$ Participants charged to cover costs of offerings at MGCCC or local schools
  9. $$ Costs could be borne by industry sponsors, MGCCC Workforce Development, and/or grants
  10. $$ Seed money might be provided by BPS
  11. /  Could begin in Fall of 2007, MGCC currently offers continuing education classes

Pre-School Education and Child Care Needs

  1. Private providers should use Mississippi Department of Education’s Pre-Kindergarten curriculum
  2. Offer pre-school instruction for 3 and 4 year olds at local schools if space permits
  3. Local school districts are permitted by the state to offer Pre-K classes at local (not state) expense
  4. Would require reconfiguring of school grades to accommodate classes in elementary schools, i.e., serving grades 9-12 Biloxi High School, grades 7-8 at Biloxi Junior High School, serving grade 6 at Michel
  5. $$ Could offset costs by increase in school taxes
  6. $$ Apply for 21st Century Grant or similar grants
  7. $$ Some Title I (federal) school funds might cover a portion of the cost
  8. $$ May be other costs associated with reconfiguration of grades
  9. /  Could begin in Fall of 2008 depending on funding sources

After-School Remedial and Care Programs

  1. Planned program of remedial or extended instruction for students in after-school programs
  2. Should include some rudimentary nutrition instruction appropriate for ages served
  3. Complementary to school instruction or alternative strategy to teach skills
  4. Providers could include Boys & Girls Club in Biloxi or similar entities
  5. $$ Charge to parents on sliding scale, based on need, to defray costs
  6. $$ Apply for 21st Century Grant or similar grants
  7. $$ Private employers could assume some costs for employees’ children
  8. $$ May be a permitted expenditure of Title I (federal) school funds
  9. /  Could begin in Fall of 2006, Boys and Girls Club currently offers after school care in some BPS

General Education Diploma (GED) Program

  1. Currently offered at MGCCC
  2. Currently offered in BPS for students who are enrolled and meet eligibility requirements
  3. Need additional locations in the evening for convenience
  4. Suggest participants nearing completion of GED program visit MGCCC for orientation
  5. $$ Participants would bear cost of class
  6. $$ Grants such as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) might cover all or some of costs
  7. $$ Employers could bear some of the cost
  8. /  Could begin in Fall of 2006, MGCCC currently offers… BPS offered pre-Katrina

Child Care, 24 Hours/Day

  1. Gaming Resorts/Casinos and Keesler Air Force Base employees work non-traditional hours
  2. Shuttle service from child care provider to schools is a big advantage, but most do not provide
  3. $$ Cost to be borne by parent, perhaps with assistance from employer
  4. $$ Employer provides this service or contracts for this service
  5. /  Could begin as day care providers become operative

See Next Page

Gaming Coursework at Institutions of Higher Learning

  1. Lobby state legislature for statutory approval
  2. Gain approval/support from State Board for Community and Junior Colleges
  3. Gain approval/support from the Board of Trustees of the state Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL)
  4. $$ No additional costs if current lobbying efforts continue
  5. / Could begin immediately

 

 

 

Summary Report from the Education Committee, May 26, 2006
Reviving the Renaissance, City of Biloxi          Dr.  Paul A. Tisdale, Chairman

 

Paul A. Tisdale, Biloxi Public Schools, Chairman, Education Committee
Martha Boyce, Retired Educator
Eula Crowell, Retired Educator
Amy DeHuff, Hands On U.S.A.
Sharon Hanshaw, Coastal Women for Change
Susan Hunt, Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce
Linda Irvin, Harrison County Head Start
Wanda Lewis, Harrison County Head Start
Linda McLean, Retired Educator
Ted McLean, Retired Educator
Joy S. Mitchell, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Wendy Barthe Peavy, Businesswoman
Margaret Slater, Community Volunteer
Reginald Sykes, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Rick Stewart, Bell South, Chairman, Services Issue Committee
Clark Griffith, Chairman, Renaissance Steering Committee

 


 

To read the Education Committee minutes from the May 12 meeting, click here.


 

Biloxi Renaissance
Education Committee
Minutes for May 5, 2006

 

Attending: Boyce, Martha Crowell, Eula Irvin, Linda Lewis, Wanda McLean, Linda McLean, Ted
Mitchell, Joy Peavy, Wendy Slater, Margaret Tisdale, Paul, Chair
Agenda

Presentation of Action Plans for topics discussed at
previous meetings of this committee.

Presentation by Joy Mitchell: Technology training for workforce using schools/MGCCC/USM facilities in the evening

Presentation by Margaret Slater: After-school programs and/or care to include remedial instruction

Presentation by Wendy Peavy: Child care for single parents who work odd shifts (KAFB and casinos, primarily)

Linda Irvin, Executive Director, Head Start, Harrison County, attended with Wanda Lewis, Head Start, and briefly outlined the post-Katrina needs of Head Start. Space for programming continues to be a pressing need!

More presentations on topics discussed will occur at the next meeting.
Next meeting is Friday, May 5, 3:00 pm, Biloxi Schools Administration Building


 

Education Committee – Minutes from April 28 Meeting

 

Attending the meeting were Boyce, Martha; Crowell, Eula; Griffith, Clark, Renaissance Chair; Hanshaw, Sharon; McLean, Linda;

McLean, Ted; Mitchell, Joy; Peavy, Wendy; Slater, Margaret; and Tisdale, Paul, Chair.

 

To read the detailed minutes, click here.

 

Next meeting will be May 5 at 3 p.m.

 


 

 

Education Committee – Minutes of Friday, April 21, 2006

 

Attending:Griffith, Clark, Renaissance Chair
Holley, Carol
McLean, Linda
McLean, Ted
Mitchell, Joy
Slater, Margaret
Stewart, Rick, Services Committee Chair
Tisdale, Paul, Chair

 

Copies of the Education portion of Building Back Better Than Ever (Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal) were distributed to committee members for reference and review noting items specifically referring to Local School Districts and Community Colleges.

Education Needs of Community Discussed

  1. Community/adult education program
  2. Pre-school education
  3. After-school programs
  4. Volunteers in schools
  5. General Education Diploma (GED) programs
  6. Emerging Language Learner (ELL) instruction for 3-4 year old children
  7. Technology training for workforce using school facilities in the evening
  8. Child care for parents who work non-traditional work shifts, i.e., Keesler Air Force Base, casinos, etc.
  9. University “Center” where institutions of higher learning might offer their services cooperatively

What Anticipated Issues Will Compel Change

  1. Increased households as single and multi-family dwellings are constructed in near future
  2. Other issues to be considered?
  3. Clark Griffith to provide more information/data as it becomes available from other committees

Other Discussion/Notes

  1. Based on current and previous discussions there appear to be three broad topics: (1) Higher Education, (2) Community Outreach, and (3) Demographics associated with an increased student population
  2. Ward meetings for Renaissance Committee Updates will occur in mid-May; Paul A. Tisdale will attend
  3. Begin draft of final committee report to Mayor Holloway the week of May 22
  4. Special Leveraging Education Assistance Program (SLEAP) for graduating high school seniors
    SLEAP is an unprecedented opportunity for students to attend college with tuition and fees covered by the Federal Disaster SLEAP grant.
    Information/Application at  http://www.mgccc.edu/SLEAP.htm

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Renaissance Education Committee is Friday, April 28, 3:00 pm, Biloxi Public Schools Administrative Offices, 160 St. Peter Avenue, second floor.  Committee meetings will be held every Friday thereafter through the end of May at this location.

Paul A. Tisdale
Education Chair


Renaissance Education Committee
Minutes of Friday, April 7, 2006

Current members of the committee are:Boyce, Martha
Crowell, Eula
DeHuff, Amy
Griffith, Clark, Renaissance Chair
Hunt, Susan
McLean, Linda
McLean, Ted
Mitchell, Joy
Peavy, Wendy
Slater, Margaret
Stewart, Rick, Services Committee Chair
Sykes, Reginald
Tisdale, Paul, Chair

 

Copies of the Education portion of Building Back Better Than Ever (Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal) were distributed to committee members for reference and review noting items specifically referring to Local School Districts and Community Colleges.

Concerns/Questions raised by citizens who attended the Renaissance meeting at the Saenger Theater, March 30, were reviewed and briefly discussed:

  1. Will there be a community/adult education program?
  2. What will happen to pre-school education in the private and/or public sector?
  3. Will the school district be selling any property?
  4. The school district is not responsive to volunteers who wish to help in the schools.
  5. What will happen to after-school programs, particularly for east Biloxi?
  6. How do we get Vietnamese parents involved in their children’s education?
  7. How can the public libraries help with online learning and home schooling?

Other items noted:

  1. The Biloxi Public School District does not include the Woolmarket (Annexed) area.
  2. Thinking “out of the box” is encouraged.
  3. Any topics of interest should be e-mailed to Paul Tisdale, ptisdale1@yahoo.com, for compilation and presentation at the next scheduled committee meeting.
  4. Our task is to identify educational needs, Pre-K through Community College, of our city.
  5. Funding identified needs will be done in conjunction with the Renaissance Finance Committee.  Every item will likely have a price tag and a suggested relative timeline.
  6. Biloxi Public Schools, coincidentally, has initiated a strategic planning initiative recently that is expected to be completed by 2007.  Notes from the district’s strategic planning committee may be found at http://www.biloxischools.net/strategic_planning_initiative.htm.  The district’s website is www.biloxischools.net.

 

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Renaissance Education Committee is Friday, April 21, 3:00 pm, Biloxi Public Schools Administrative Offices, 160 St. Peter Avenue, second floor.  Committee meetings will be held every Friday thereafter through the end of May at this location.

 

Paul A. Tisdale
Education Chair