A rose to 6-year-old Liam Barranco of Columbus who asked guests to his birthday party on June 11 to bring items for “sick people in the hospital” instead of him. Liam got the idea after visiting his grandfather, a patient at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.
We all have ample opportunity to perform random acts of kindness throughout the day, if we would only be on the lookout for them. How much better our communities would be if we would follow the example of this admirable 6-year-old. Liam is the son of Brandi and Raymond Barranco.
A rose to Golden Triangle Early College High School as it plans for its second year. In August, the enrollment will double as its second freshman class of 60 students arrive on the Mayhew campus. This spring, 60 freshmen completed the school’s first year. A new class will be added each year until the school has all four classes. The school allows students to pursue a dual-track education. Upon graduation, students will have also earned an associates degree from EMCC, which provides a big head start for the students and reduces the cost of their college education. GTECHS is the first early college high school in Mississippi. The pilot program is the result of a partnership between EMCC, the Mississippi Department of Education and Mississippi State University.
A rose to the husband and wife team of Lee and Ashley Casey, who are meeting an important need for thousands of Mississippi children, including many here in the Golden Triangle, through their Smiles To Go dental program. Founded in 2014, Smiles To Go travels to schools throughout Mississippi to provide all preventative services: cleanings, exams, fluoride therapy, sealants and x-rays. The program never charges school districts, and parents are not billed unless, on a consent form, they indicate they have some type of general insurance. Smiles To Go hires local dentists and dental hygienists from throughout the state as the program travels. The Columbus Municipal School District, Starkville-Oktibbeha School District and Noxubee School District are among the more than 30 school districts throughout the state Smiles To Go serves.
A thorn to the Columbus Municipal School District, which seems poised to make a budget request that could mean a significant increase in taxes. Although CMSD Board of Trustees President Angela Verdell says it’s premature to discuss plans for the budget, which has not been finalized, it’s clear from the district’s preliminary budget planning that the district intends to ask for a significant increase in millage (a 6.1 mill increase is the latest figure being tossed around), which means a pretty big jump in taxes to support a district whose academic performance continues to fall below acceptable standards.
That the CMSD board and superintendent Dr. Philip Hickman could be so impossibly tone-deaf on this matter is yet another indicator of a district with no direction, no plan, no vision. The city council is howling, yet it is the council which selects the CMSD board, which in turns selects the superintendent. At some point, you would think the councilmen would recognize their own culpability here. Meanwhile, the CMSD will hold its public hearing on the budget at 5 p.m. on June 30 at Brandon Central Services. Taxpayers, if you want a say in this matter, here’s is your chance.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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