The Picayune Item

The Picayune Item

December 9, 2009

Early Head Start gets award for major expansion

WILL SULLIVAN

PICAYUNE — The Early Head Start program has received $2.65 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand the program by 72 children ages 0-3 years and pregnant teenagers.
The school board for the PicayuneMunicipalSeparateSchool District was informed officially of the approval by School Superintendent Dean Shaw, which came from DHHS on Nov. 30, at its meeting Tuesday night.
The expansion will include expanding the facility in Picayune and building a new one in the Carriere community, Shaw said. The Carriere facility will serve about 40 of the 72 children the program included in the program’s expansion. Those 40 children will come primarily from the Pearl RiverCountySchool District, though the program is funded and managed through the Picayune district, he said.
A report sent by Picayune EHS director Pam Thomas said the expansion also will include hiring about 30 more people for the program once construction of the expanded Picayune facility and the new Carriere facility are completed.
The school board told the district’s architect to go ahead with plans for the construction of a cafetorium and other improvements at the South Side Elementary School campus, which total about $4.3 million The improvements, besides the cafetorium, will convert the old cafeterias to classrooms and provide secure entrances to both the upper and lower elementary schools, improve parking facilities and landscape and improve drainage at the campus.
The board recognized Samantha Thrasher, a student at the district’s Career & TechnologyCenter, for her election to a national post with the Future Business Leaders of America. Also recognized were the PicayuneJunior High School cheerleaders who took a first place at state competition sponsored by the Mississippi High School Activities Assoc.
The board approved a new contract with the Stone Trust for Workers’ Compensation Insurance with a premium that rose by more than $31,000 a year to $217,477 because the district’s experience factor rose from 1.35 to 1.77.
In other matters, the board:
• Asked board attorney Gerald Patch to look into a contract proposal for a 16th section power easement that would reduce the amount of money the district currently receives for the easement.
• Heard parent Rebecca Hoover address the board on the district’s policy on students and cell phones. Hers had been accidentally taken to school by her daughter, she said, and she lost the use of it for nearly a month because of the district’s policy. She said the phone is the only one the family has and she was without telephone communication for the period the phone was confiscated.
• Approved consent items including donations form the Picayune Diamond Club, the Miss. Power Education Foundation, Ohiopyle Prints, Inc. and PJHS Yearbook Club.
• Approved finance matters.
• Approved the 2008 audit report.
• Approved a letter of agreement with Accelify for Medicaid billing.
Adjourned.