Thursday May 17,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 119
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • 1 section
School district sees 8 percent funding hike BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
KES first grader Travis Wilson tries milking a portable dairy cow for her agriculture experience. Related photos on Page 2.
The Corinth School District will see a state funding increase for the 2012-2013 school year. Superintendent Lee Childress said the district received information about the Mississippi Adequate Education Program appropriation for the next year indicating the district will receive $9.841 million, an 8 percent increase from the current year. “Even though the legislature did not fully fund it, we fared fairly well for this next year,” said Childress.
Part of the increase resulted from the state funding part of the increase in the retirement contribution that schools begin paying on July 1. “However, most of the increase that we got was a result of our increased enrollment,” said Childress. The district will see a slight increase in buildings and bus funds and education enhancement funds. The ad valorem reduction allocation has been phased out; it was only about $13,000 for the current year. Average daily attendance Please see FUNDING | 2
Kossuth FFA Barnyard offers Corinth moves forward students hands-on ag experience with market shed plans BY STEVE BEAVERS
sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
KOSSUTH — Young students got to handle agriculture. Kossuth Elementary students were given a tour by the high school FFA Chapter during its annual Barnyard on Wednesday. “We want everyone to appreciate agriculture more,” said FFA instructor Brad Gillmore. “I think of this as a community service and hopefully some of these kids will one day become
FFA members.” The visit -- for those in kindergarten through fourth grade -- also is beneficial to FFA members, according to chapter president-elect Keri Crum. “It helps being able to speak in front of the children,” said Crum. “We also learn from reading the things that we have to read to them.” The classes were able to get an up close feel for several animals. A beagle puppy, rabbit, miniature ponies, donkeys,
sheep and small chicks were some of the animals kids got to pet. “I like seeing their eyes light up when they see the animals,” added Crum. Students were also given the experience of milking the FFA’s portable dairy cow. “It’s important for them to get involved in FFA,” said the chapter president. “Today they got to see the fun part and maybe that hooks them on agriculture.”
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The Corinth Board of Aldermen on Tuesday gave approval for planning to move forward for construction of a covered farmer’s market shed on city property. It is planned to be on the city-owned lot at Fulton Drive and Tate Street, which has been serving as a farmer’s market location for the last few years. The board’s action
will allow those planning the project to get construction bids. “The building will be wood construction with some color to be determined later and metal siding and metal roof covering,” said Building Inspector Philip Verdung, who is working on the plans with a committee of growers representing the Fulton Drive Please see SHED | 2
Glen celebrates Main Street earns national designation with Heritage Day BY BOBBY J. SMITH
bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth is one of 42 Mississippi Main Street Communities recently designated as accredited National Main Street Programs. “This is a great honor for Main Street to get this,” said John Orman, president of Main Street Corinth. “It shows we’re doing the right thing, trying to get things in place for when the economy rebounds.” A community earns the accreditation by meeting the commercial district revitalization standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center. “Receiving National Main Street
BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
This weekend everyone is invited to celebrate the establishment of the Glen community — while raising money for a good cause. The Ninth Annual Glen Heritage Day will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Glen Volunteer Fire Department/City Hall. All proceeds will benefit the Glen Volunteer Fire Department. “It’s just a really good time for people to sit around and enjoy each others’ company, and for the kids to play in a safe environment,” said Deputy Fire Chief John Beavers. Heritage Day will feature a display of antique tractors and performances by area singers. Many activities are lined up for kids, including inflatables and the Air Evac helicopter. “The kids always really enjoy watching the helicopter,” said Beavers. Members of the Glen Volunteer Fire Department will cook hamburgers and hotdogs as a way to raise money for the fire department’s operations. T-shirts will also be available for a minimum donation of $20 to the fire department. Glen Mayor John Little said the event is a fundraiser and an opportunity for the town to come together, visit and enjoy good food and entertainment. It also gives Glen residents a chance to see some of the new developments at Town Hall, including the new tornado shelter. Heritage Day is truly a community effort. “If not for the combined efforts of the town and fire department this production would not be possible,” Beavers said. Sponsors for the Glen Heritage Day include Mississippi 811, Coca-Cola, Kingsford and more.
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
While local schools have many safeguards in place to protect children from the dangers of the Internet, they must soon do more to educate students about the hazards. The city and county school districts are both preparing to meet new requirements of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in order to continue to be eligible for funding through the E-rate program, which helps schools pay for communications technology. “It brings about a little bit more of an education requirement,” said Corinth Superintendent Lee Chil-
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formance standards. “Accredited Main Street programs are meeting the challenges of the recession head on and are successfully using a focused, comprehensive revitalization strategy to keep their communities vibrant and sustainable,” Loescher said. During the 2011 calendar year, Mississippi Main Street Communities generated 220 net new businesses, 72 business expansions to existing businesses, 1,114 net new jobs, 100 facade rehabilitations and 351 upper floor housing developments. Over 42,295 volunteer hours were Please see MAIN | 2
Schools face new Internet safeguard policy
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accreditation is a prestigious designation and we congratulate each of these communities for its achievements,” said Bob Wilson, executive director of the Mississippi Main Street Association. “Our Main Street programs in Mississippi play a strategic role in stimulating economic development in our state.” Accredited communities will be honored at the 2012 Annual Awards Luncheon at the Old Capitol Inn in Jackson. Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center, congratulated this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for meeting the center’s established per-
dress. “In addition to having the policy, we will provide them with training on things such as cyberbullying.” The new policy will be presented to the Corinth School District Board of Trustees in June. The new curriculum must be in place for the 20122013 school year. The Alcorn School District had a required public hearing regarding the Internet policy this week. Technology Coordinator Helen Isbell said the district has rigorous safeguards in place, including three levels of filtering to prevent students from viewing sites that may contain obscene or harmful material. The
district closely monitors student activity on the Internet and runs reports to check for suspicious activity, she said. CIPA, which was enacted in 2001, requires schools and libraries to have a policy addressing access by minors to inappropriate material on the Internet; the safety of minors when using e-mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communication; hacking and other unlawful activities; and unauthorized use of personal information regarding minors. The Corinth School District’s public hearing on CIPA is set for 5 p.m. May 24.
On this day in history 150 years ago
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Gen. Buell neglects to move his Army of the Ohio forward to a new position northwest of Farmington. Gen. Halleck chastises his tardiness “as it deranges my plans.” By the end of the day, Corinth is nearly within range of Buell’s artillery.
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