Mississippi cites 14 school districts for accreditation violations
The Mississippi Department of Education has downgraded the accreditation status of 14 school districts and approved corrective action plans earlier this month, the state Board of Education said. The districts were cited for problems ranging from late financial audits and poor recordkeeping to significant debt and leadership failures, state officials said.
Officials said most violations stem from late audits, inadequate record management and fiscal mismanagement. Hazlehurst, North Bolivar and Jackson Public Schools have been on probation for nearly a decade, the department said. North Bolivar and Hazlehurst face a possible state takeover or an unannounced investigative audit of all district records if they do not clear violations by the end of the year, state education officials said.
Mississippi Department of Education inspectors found specific deficiencies at North Bolivar95including an alternative school class supervised by a paraprofessional rather than a licensed teacher, visits that showed little or no instruction, and missing progress reports and disciplinary records. Superintendent Jeremiah Burks said recruiting teachers is difficult in the district and that he is pursuing an online course contract and plans to move the alternative school to a better location. “We took to heart (MDE’s) suggestions, and we have been implementing new plans,” Burks said. “I feel good about where we are with addressing the standards. It99s just a matter of putting everything together and formalizing it, so that we can review where we are.”
State inspectors also flagged serious budgeting problems in Greenville and Natchez-Adams school districts. Greenville99s ledgers omitted certain funds, left vendors owed and overstated balances, while Natchez-Adams posted a more than $1.3 million deficit in its main operating fund in a 2022 audit and failed to file a 2024 audit on time, the department said. “The district is committed to and currently working to ensure that these deficiencies are corrected from previous years of past administrations,” district spokesperson Everett Chinn said in a statement.
The department cited other issues dating to 2025 and earlier, including governance violations by Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated School District for hiring a superintendent without properly advertising the position and testing irregularities at two Sunflower County Consolidated School District campuses. State officials said they will monitor the 12 other districts on probation for compliance with agency policies and state and federal law. Kym Wiggins, the department99s chief operating officer, said in January the agency is increasing technical assistance because of a “profound lack of skilled persons” at the district level and a “tremendous need for capable assistance.”
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