The Webster Progress-Times

The Webster County School District has established a 12-member Local Dropout Prevention Team as required by the Mississippi Department of Education.

Comprising the team are:

€ Jimmy Pittman, superintendent

€ David Faulkenbery, team leader/special services director

€ Henry Flowers, team sponsor/Eupora alderman

€ Aimee Bradley, team parent

€ Frances Baker, team associate/Webster County Library assistant

€ Tommy Lott, team member/Eupora mayor

€ Theresa Dumas, team member/East Webster High School counselor

€ Monica Cummings, team member/Eupora High School counselor

€ Joe Hays, team member/Webster County Career and Technology Center counselor

€ Stephanie Walker, team member/school attendance officer

€ Dorothy McCorkle, team member, Webster County Library director

€ Michael Adkins, Webster County Alternative School director

The team was appointed in response to the MDE's goal to reduce the state's dropout rate by 50 percent in the next five to seven years.

The Local Dropout Prevention Team will be expected to meet to assess the situation and to then come up with a dropout prevention plan that would then be implemented beginning with the 2008-09 school year. The team has not yet met but Faulkenbery said the MDE is scheduled to provide it with training next fall.

The MDE's other goals include increasing the graduation rate statewide to 85 percent by the 2018-19 school year. It also plans to cut the truancy rates in half in five years.