The Mississippi Board of Education voted in January to take over the Wilkinson County School District after reviews and interviews found years of poor academic performance and dysfunctional leadership, Mississippi Today reported.
State assessments have shown some of the district’s lowest math and reading scores since the 2018-19 school year, and state reviews and local interviews cited continuing governance problems, Mississippi Today reported. As of January, district officials had not submitted a financial audit since fiscal year 2023 and had projected a $1.7 million deficit for the current school year, the report said.
The State Auditor’s Office found that in fiscal 2023 the school board approved financial statements and paid vendors without presenting the purchases at meetings, accepted consulting bids without reviewing cheaper alternatives and could not account for expenditures ranging from $5,000 to $72,000, Mississippi Today reported. The Mississippi Department of Education sent a letter in October alleging board interference in daily operations and noted that board president Fred Anderson and member Elease Sullivan — both later removed as part of the takeover — had not followed required procedures, the news outlet reported.
School closings and declining enrollment have heightened tensions in the county. The district closed an elementary school after a 2019 fire and shuttered William Winan Middle School in 2024, forcing students from Centreville and Woodville to attend school together and, residents said, contributing to fights and longer commutes. The student population fell from 1,210 to 648 over six years, and about 30% of county residents live in poverty, Mississippi Today reported.
Former and current district officials described deep challenges in hiring and classroom instruction. Former chief of campus police L.C. Clark told Mississippi Today the children of Wilkinson County “haven’t yet had the opportunity to succeed.” Former Superintendent Shemekia Rankin, who started in July 2023, said she faced staff resistance and difficulty filling principal and teacher vacancies. A 2023 analysis by the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review found signs of grade inflation, with roughly 90% of fourth- and fifth-graders receiving A’s and B’s while fewer than 25% scored proficient on state tests, the committee reported and Mississippi Today cited.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
