“One district, one community, one family” will be the theme displayed across the halls of Poplarville schools starting this fall after the Poplarville School District approved a new logo and advertising campaign during Monday’s School Board meeting.
Poplarville Technology Coordinator Stephen Seal presented the new logo to the Board, which included a new website, district-wide letterhead, ID tags, email signatures and other materials.
Seal said the new slogan aims to incorporate the District into the community and create a unified school system.
The new logo will appear on banners and new school T-shirts to be produced by a screen printer in the Career Development Center, Seal said.
It will also be used for staff recruiting efforts at career fairs and other events, Superintendent Carl Merritt said.
In other news, the Board approved the District’s budget for the 2017-2018 school year.
The $20.8 million budget was approved exactly as Finance Director Samantha Sandifer presented it last month.
Part of that budget will be offset through a $25,000 grant from the Lower Pearl River Valley foundation, Merritt said.
In a separate matter, Special Education Director Shannon Anderson also presented the annual report on the gifted education program.
Anderson said the program provides a number of resources for academically and intellectually gifted children throughout the district in 2nd through 6th grades.
The Board also approved a new dropout prevention plan, which includes many items similar to previous years including attendance, health and safety and staff and parent involvement.
Assistant Superintendent Konya Miller said the policy was updated to reflect the District’s new slogan.
Miller also said the 2016 graduation rate was 90 percent and the dropout rate was 5 percent. She said the five percent difference was the result of students who completed courses but did not graduate.
The Board also approved a series of student service contracts under Anderson’s department, including psychological services, Early Head Start and Head Start collaborative agreements, physical therapy, mental health therapy and other special needs programs.
The Board also approved holding a special meeting July 28 at 7:30 a.m. to approve new hires before classes resume the next week.