November 13, 2023 | Meridian, MS

The Meridian Public School District Board of Trustees met for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, November 13, 2023, on the campus of Poplar Springs Elementary School.

The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by MPSD Board President Sally Gray. After that, members of the Poplar Springs Elementary Student Council led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 During monthly recognitions, Poplar Springs leaders of the month were recognized, as well as, teacher Ashley Yudt for having outstanding teaching practices and having three students with perfect scores on the MAAP math assessment for the 2022-2023 school year.

MHS Senior Daniel Hill was also recognized for being selected as the SBN Live Mississippi High School Athlete of the Week for the week of October 30, 2023. Hill amassed over 352 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries in a 27-8 win over Petal on October 20, 2023. His performance garnered more than 40,000 votes from fans across the Magnolia State, representing 51.66 percent of the nearly 78,000 total votes cast. Hill was also recently invited to play in the All-American Bowl on Saturday, January 6, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Bowl will be nationally televised, live on NBC at Noon on Saturday, January 6, 2024, and will feature the nation’s top 100 high school football players.

The Superintendent’s Report featured a student update from the Poplar Springs Elementary School  Student Council and a school update from Poplar Springs’ Principal Yolanda Davis and Assistant Principal Corey Boykin. Federal Programs Director Kelli Speed, Curriculum Director Janet Fortner, and Director of Assessment Steven Shadwick closed out the Superintendent’s Report with updates from their respective departments.

Other items of note are:

• The board approved change order #1 & 2 for the reroofing work at Ross Collins. Change order #1 requests the use of $3,12.80 of the $10,000.00 contingency funds for the project to adjust roof drain levels. Change order #2 addresses significant areas of excessive moisture retention that were discovered during the demolition of the existing roof system. The cost to remove and replace wet insulation is $23,800.00. The total contract price will increase to $752,821.80. Funding Source: ESSER (Goal 2)*     
• The board accepted the bid by J & J Contractors, Inc. for additional renovations to Carver Elementary School. Total Cost: $2,341,000.00. Funding Source: Bond (Goal 2)*

The MPSD Board of Trustees will meet for their next Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees on Monday, December 11, 2023, at the Little Wildcat Pre-K Academy located at 3930 14th Street. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m.