COLUMBUS – It is very rare for an event in the Columbus Municipal School District to occur without seeing Josie Shumake.
She has been on the CMSD Board of Trustees for nearly a decade. Her goal has always been to support students, staff, and administrators.
“The absolute best thing about having been on the board since 2016 is getting to know so many wonderful people – colleagues, students, faculty, staff, and (of course) administrators,” Shumake said. “These CMSD connections led to many other connections in the wider community, which I’m convinced would not have happened otherwise.”
The Columbus native, and proud product of public schools, is seen all over town volunteering her time and talents to various organizations. From serving on organizations that helped the city heal in the aftermath of a deadly tornado, which also heavily damaged R.E. Hunt Intermediate School, to being appointed to the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service by former Gov. Haley Barbour.
She returned to her hometown after retiring from the U.S. diplomatic service. Shumake served 25 years helping promote U.S. foreign policy internationally with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Information Agency. She’s the recipient of four Superior Honor Awards for her work in Colombia, Washington, Mexico and Peru.
Back in Columbus, public education is Shumake’s passion.
“When I joined the board, I said that by working together with the CMSD administration, faculty, students, parents and community, the board has the ability to make this district one of the best in the state,” she said. “That belief has been my guiding light and has informed every decision I’ve made.”
State law requires one of the board’s appointed seats to convert to an elected one due to changes in student population enrollment. Shumake attended her last regular board meeting Dec. 8.
While her time as a trustee is coming to a close, Shumake hopes people understand the importance schools and the board has in a community.
“Any school district in Mississippi has an enormous impact on the future of that town or city,” she said. “The economic and growth data is clear on those points. Our district has demonstrated it can move forward, and it’s incumbent on our board to continue supporting the school administration in that endeavor.”
The longtime board member says it also takes work to make the impactful decisions on the board.
“The hardest thing about being an active participant on the board is figuring out how to be “active” without breaking the cardinal rule of getting involved in day-to-day operations,” she said. “The temptation to “fix problems” is enormous. Board members have talents, and they want to help. I know I do. However, in some cases the misguided help can end up damaging a district by violating (Mississippi Department of Education’s) Process Standard 1 and causing an immediate downgrade of the district’s accreditation status. Nobody wants that.”
As for her future, Shumake says CMSD will be front and center of her activities. Former CMSD Interim Superintendent Dennis Dupree will be sworn in to fill Shumake’s seat on Jan. 12.
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