NATCHEZ, Miss. (Feb. 28) – City aldermen today appointed an Alcorn State University administrator to the Natchez-Adams School District board.
LLJuna Grennell Weir replaces Thelma Newsome, who’s been a member of the NASD Board of Education for 15 years.
Aldermen allowed people interested to apply for the school board appointment, but Weir was the only one who did, said Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson.
As evidenced by the aldermen’s and mayor’s praises, Weir is highly qualified to be on the school board. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a strong resume,” Gibson said.
Weir is Alcorn State’s director of the university’s Office of Educational Equity & Inclusion/Diversity, a post she’s had since 2014. She previously was ASU’s associate athletics director. She has master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Lorman-based university, which has its nursing and business schools in Natchez.
Weir is a Natchez native and sister of former mayor Darryl Grennell.
Natchez Alderman Valencia Hall said Weir has a “well-rounded” record of experience. “You know what needs to happen at the administrative level as well as the classroom,” she told Weir.
The school board has five members: three appointed by the Natchez Board of Aldermen and two appointed by the Adams County Board of Supervisors.
It appoints the school superintendent, determines the local school tax levy and governs the operations of Natchez-Adams County’s eight public schools: Frazier, McLaurin and West elementary schools, Morgantown middle school, Lewis magnet school, Natchez High School, Natchez Freshman Academy and Natchez Early College at Co-Lin Community College.
The school system has struggled academically in recent years with poor student performance based on state assessment tests. Its most recent grade is D. The state Department of Education gives letter grades for schools and districts based on Mississippi’s A-F accountability system that evaluates how students perform.
As the last of Newsome’s three five-year terms officially ended today, Gibson thanked her for 15 years of service on the school board. The mayor noted the new Natchez High School’s ongoing construction is among the high points of Newsome’s stint on the board.
Natchez-Adams County voters in 2017 voted down a $45 million building proposition partially paid for by a property tax increase. After the referendum, the school board moved forward with a scaled-down plan using alternative financial sources that included higher taxes.
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