Ticket prices for athletic events for the Picayune Separate Municipal School District will be the same as last year, but there have been some adjustments to the prices for general admission football season packages and reserved football season ticket passes.
The change for football games was due to the fact that one additional home game was added to this year’s schedule. Athletic Director Walt Esslinger said this year there will be six home games instead of five. This year will also be the start of a new discount program for senior citizens who would like to attend home games; citizens 65 and older can attend home games for free, Esslinger said.
Package prices for the coming year will be; $55 for the all sports athletic pass, $25 for the all sports student pass, $10 for the all sports student athlete pass, $42 for the reserved football season pass, $15 for the student season football ticket and $32 for general admission season football ticket.
The district’s Board of Trustees approved the pricing schedule during Tuesday’s meeting.
In a separate matter, the Board approved a motion to apply for the Early Head Start childcare partnership and Early Head Start expansion. It will add 72 more children to the Early Head Start program by building additions to the facility near Nicholson Elementary and at the Pearl River Community College. Work at the facility near Nicholson Elementary will provide space for 16 additional students, while the addition at PRCC will provide space for 40 additional students. The grant will provide funding for eight additional students each at two child care facilities in town, Assistant Superintendent Brent Harrell said.
Curriculum Director Mary Williams gave the Board an update on third grade summative reading assessment scores. Overall, 280 students were tested, with 98 percent of them passing. Of that total, 259 passed on the first time, of the 21 that failed 14 were passed for good cause. The remaining seven will be held back. Williams said the good cause reasons used at Picayune’s school district include having a limited grasp of English because they are from another country and have only been in the area for less than two years and if they have a learning disability but have an individual education plan.
Board member Edward Stubbs asked how many of the third grade students who attended Early Head Start passed the test. Williams said 100 percent of those students passed.
She also spoke about the district receiving a “C” grade from the Mississippi State Board of Education. Williams said these grades are determined by attendance, graduation rates and the results of subject area testing. She said that while Picayune’s school district did receive a “C”, they were able to maintain the score from the year before even though new testing criteria was implemented.
“To maintain our grade is a good accomplishment,” Williams said.
Other districts in the area however, fell a letter grade. Next year Williams said she is working towards an increase in the district’s grade.
This year the district implemented online registration in an effort to make the process easier on families. Williams said it was a tremendous success. As of Tuesday, only 60 families did not use the online registration option.