Meridian public school district

“We do a lot of talk about what we want to see happening in our community. We talk about better jobs, we talk about all the stuff that we want, but if Meridian Public School District fails, then we all fail.”

-Kim Houstin, Councilwoman Ward 4

Of most importance of any community is its children and the education of those children. The yearly testing results of the Meridian Public School District came back, and though they have been on the rise, they are still not where they need to be.

“I had a meeting with a group of teachers not long ago, and one phrase that was shared: embracing our past, but more importantly, educating our future. It’s going to take all of us to be a part of that, and our children deserve it and so does our city.”

-Dr. Amy Carter, Superintendent of Meridian Public School District

Dr. Carter is encouraging the community to get involved with students in a way that not only brings a stronger bond between these children and the rest of the community, but also for their education and future.

“We have to as a community promote a love for reading. Everything starts with literacy. It goes back to when we were growing up, we had a love for reading. Some of us did, some of us didn’t, but at some point, an educator, a parent, someone may of found a way to connect us to a book,” says Carter.

The Meridian Public School District is in the planning stages of a new program that will allow for volunteers to come into the classroom and read with students.

Carter states, “so, ultimately, the catalyst of this is, the more children read, the more they will expand their vocabulary, and ultimately no matter the state test or the task, that student will be able to perform later.”