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Majority of CMSD students lag behind grade level
Sixty-four percent of Columbus Middle School students are two or more grade levels behind in reading and 53 percent of those students are two or more grade levels behind in math, according to the district’s mid-year assessment presented Thursday to the school board.
Those grim numbers were presented during a marathon board meeting as one by one, school principals gave status reports of their schools, painting a portrait of an already-struggling school district badly affected by COVID-19 limitations on in-person instruction.
CMSD board taps Cox as president, replacing Spears
In the closing minutes of a 6 1/2-hour Columbus Municipal School District board meeting on Thursday, members unanimously voted to change officers.
Council reappoints Shumake to school board in split vote
The city council reappointed Jo Shumake to the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees in a 3-1 decision at its regular meeting Tuesday.
Shumake, who was first appointed to the school board in March 2016, was one of four applicants for the five-year position.
CMSD board votes down year-round school
Columbus Municipal School District adopted a traditional school calendar for the 2021-22 school year after a five-hour recess board meeting held Friday at the Joe Cook Elementary School auditorium.
Shumake, two others apply for CMSD board
The Columbus City Council will appoint one of three applicants for an upcoming vacancy on Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees.
‘It was just us’: Seven students from one family tie histories of Franklin, Union academies
On Friday, the Columbus Municipal School District will hold a ceremony at Franklin Academy to celebrate the second of the city’s two landmark events in the history of public education.
At 4 p.m. former Franklin Academy students, school officials and local and state dignitaries will gather in front of the school on Third Avenue North for a program and monument unveiling to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the school, the first public school in Mississippi.
Outdoor celebration of Franklin bicentennial set for Friday
When Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent Cherie Labat was called up to provide an update on plans for Friday’s bicentennial celebration of Franklin Academy, she prefaced remarks by addressing the weather.
Teachers request more input on year-round school
Columbus Municipal School District will hold another meeting to discuss the 2021-22 school calendar after the president of the local teachers organization criticized a lack of teacher input for the plans during Monday’s regular school board meeting.
Prep basketball: New Hope boys finish undefeated district run with win over Columbus
Meanwhile, the Falcons girls beat the Trojans in a defensive struggle.
CMSD to consider year-round school calendar vote Monday
The Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees is set to vote on adopting a modified school calendar, perhaps as soon as Monday.
CMSD alumni at TVA upgrade lights at Franklin Academy
Standing outside Franklin Academy on Wednesday, almost 50 years after attending, Vince Britton felt like he had come full circle.
“Coming back to a place like this and being able to provide this service … it’s kind of hard to put words to it,” said Britton, a Tennessee Valley Authority foreman.
Britton was one of 17 TVA representatives who upgraded 60 light fixtures at Franklin Academy on Wednesday at no cost to the Columbus Municipal School District.
CMSD considering year-round school
The Columbus Municipal School District is considering two plans to adjust the school calendar, both of which would shorten the summer break and distribute those days off throughout the school year.
CMSD approves $252K in improvement projects
Kill the lights, at least for this year.
The Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees approved 10 capital improvement projects, but decided to table a project to address the lighting at the Columbus High School football stadium because of the expense of the board’s preferred option for the project.
Columbus Municipal School District board prioritizes upgrading CHS intercom system
During Monday’s meeting of the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees, district maintenance director Stephen Little provided updates on a list of capital projects — everything from concrete and wood work to playgrounds, lighting and pressure washing.
CMSD unveils new Falcon logo
For 15 years, the image of a purple falcon in flight has been a ubiquitous presence throughout the Columbus Municipal School District, adorning everything from letterheads to signage to sports uniforms.
SOCSD leads area school districts in COVID-19 cases
Public school districts in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties have witnessed a total of 110 cases of COVID-19 since school started, sending hundreds of students into quarantine, according to data from the districts.
Independent auditor finds minor ‘timing issues’ at CMSD
The Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees approved an independent audit for the year ending on June 30, 2019, during Wednesday’s meeting, a report that listed a handful of minor irregularities that have been addressed.
CMSD, MUW plan partnership at renovated Hunt campus
Columbus Municipal School District hopes to reopen the Hunt campus — destroyed by the February 2019 tornado — as Hunt Experience Center in 2022, with a focus on both technology-assisted learning and hands-on workforce development, Superintendent Cherie Labat told The Dispatch.
CMSD juggles pandemic, 200th anniversary of district
Columbus Municipal School District is ringing in its 200th anniversary in 2021 with a whole new brand, Superintendent Cherie Labat said.