Sheila Wesson

This document outlines OSSD's proposed $52 million no-tax-increase bond referendum. The bond aims to fund critical repairs and improvements to schools, ensuring a safe and enhanced learning environment. Key initiatives include restructuring elementary schools to K-4, constructing a new middle school, upgrading infrastructure across three elementary schools and the current middle school, and renovating the existing middle school to serve grades 5-6. A primary objective is to achieve these improvements without increasing the current tax rate.

The strategic direction for Ocean Springs School District centers on a mission to teach students essential content and strategies, enabling them to apply knowledge beyond school and positively impact society. Key beliefs include valuing each student, prioritizing their best interests in decision-making, fostering active engagement through differentiated learning, and promoting physically and emotionally safe environments. The district envisions educating and inspiring all students to achieve their highest levels, emphasizing collaborative responsibility among students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community.

This document outlines the Ocean Springs School District's Local School Wellness Plan, aiming to ensure students possess the knowledge and skills for healthy choices and lifestyles, while encouraging staff to model healthy behaviors. The plan commits to a coordinated approach to school health across several key areas: Nutrition Environment and Services, Health Education, Food Safe Schools, Health Services, Physical Education/Physical Activity, Physical Environment, Counseling, Psychological and Social Services/Social and Emotional Climate, Family Engagement and Community Involvement, Marketing a Healthy School Environment, and Employee Wellness. The goal is to improve student health and their capacity to learn by integrating healthy practices throughout the school day and fostering a supportive community.

The 2024-2025 Dropout Prevention Plan for the Ocean Springs School District outlines strategies to ensure student graduation and reduce the district's dropout rate. The plan emphasizes early intervention through academic support, personal/social counseling, and coordination with community agencies. It is structured around strategic priorities including meeting the personal needs of each student, elevating the importance of teaching and learning, improving public education, and accelerating innovation to meet global demands. The plan aims to decrease the district's current 8.5% dropout rate and improve its ranking among Mississippi public school districts.

The public hearing presented the district budget to the community, discussing prior year events, upcoming challenges, and the potential impact on local taxpayers. Major items added in 2022 included additional teacher units, a one-time loyalty supplement, a Science Curriculum Coordinator, interventionists, digital textbooks, Promethean boards, HVAC project, visitor management system, Wi-Fi bus cameras, an instructional computer lab refresh, band equipment, and a phone system upgrade. Looking ahead to 2023, planned additions include MTSS Coordinators, teacher units, IDEA assistants, increased supplements for Department/Grade Level Chairs and Athletic Supplements, a Kindergarten & 1st Grade Reading Curriculum, ACT and ACT Workkeys test fees, IB student incentives, a Piano Lab, safety gates, baseball field house improvements, a tractor, HS gutters, drainage at Central Office, and HVAC improvements. The hearing also covered enrollment trends, ADA trends, IDEA December 1 Child Count, a comparison of per-pupil expenditure, MS Adequate Education Program (MAEP) funding, ad valorem requests and history, and summarized budget components, percentages, revenues, and expenditures.