Newton School Superintendent Nola Bryant released projected accountability ratings and scores based on news media reports.
All three schools received grades of C, as the overall district received a C. The grade was a significant improvement for Pilate Middle School, which was a D in 2016-2017 and increased to a C for 2017-2018. Newton High School dropped from a B to a C, and Newton Elementary remained at a C.
All Newton Elementary and Pilate Middle schools saw gains in both reading and mathematics proficiency while both dipped slightly in science proficiency. Newton High saw a dip in reading, history, graduation rate and college and career readiness, but the school saw gains in math, science and acceleration.
Newton Elementary finished with 332 points, down from 365 in 16-17, while Pilate Middle had 363 points (299 in 16-17) and Newton High had 593 points (721 in 16-17). Only two years ago, Pilate Middle School only scored 275 and had a grade of F.
“We’re pleased with the growth that our school district has shown,” Bryant said. “We’re not where we want to be, but we’re moving in the right direction. I’d like to thank the teachers, administrators, students and parents for their effort in the last year.”
The Mississippi Department of Education will formally announce the scores and grades when they are approved later this month.
The Newton Municipal School District will also rebid its roofing project at Pilate Middle School after all the bids came in over budget.
Bryant said instead of doing the whole roofing project, they will only bid out the portion including the cafeteria, which was damaged and will be taken care of by an insurance claim.
In other business, the school board:
• Approved changes to the sports assistant coach supplement list, one of which included paying the track coach $15 per hour for two hours a day until the main season begins in January. They also reassigned several supplements to other employees after several teachers had resigned from the district.
• Awarded a 16th Section Bid to Jeffrey A. Pitts, who bid $2,376 per year on 297 acres of hunting land owned by the school district. The lone other bid was from Wesley L. Mattix Jr., who submitted a cash bid of $1,800 for the year.
