Special to the Item

JACKSON -— Alan Lumpkin, superintendent for Pearl River County School District, is continuing his service to the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents as president of its board of directors.

Since its founding in 1969, MASS has grown into a nationally recognized coalition that provides state-of-the-art training and mentoring programs for educators throughout Mississippi while advocating year-round for improved public schools. The association regularly evaluates the composition of its board to ensure it includes the appropriate skills, experience and perspectives necessary to improve outreach and efficacy.

Touting 25 years of experience in education, Lumpkin will work with fellow directors to provide resources and services to improve the quality of public education in Mississippi. He assumes the new position at a crucial moment for school districts in their continued efforts to provide healthy learning environments for students, address teacher shortages and keep pace with rapidly changing technology needs.

“We look forward to working with Alan to ensure that Mississippi’s public schools provide a high-quality education that prepares students for successful lives and careers,” said Phil Burchfield, executive director of MASS. “He understands the unique challenges facing school leaders today and the tools and resources they need to be effective.”

Through its focus on advocacy, MASS has helped build legislative support to improve public schools and plans to step up those efforts in the coming year. In addition, MASS has completed work on a three-year strategic plan that includes providing exceptional professional learning to all educational leaders, creating a superintendent mentoring program, and marketing professional learning opportunities for all members.

Helping support and guide public education in the wake of the pandemic is another priority for MASS. During the association’s statewide Summer Convention in July, participants engaged in a “Beyond COVID-19” conversation to explore issues, concerns and next steps for school districts. 

“MASS has always approached education from the standpoint that we can build a better future for Mississippi by improving the quality of our public schools,” said Lumpkin. “That’s a vision I believe in, and I’m dedicated to helping expand MASS’s wide-ranging package of programs and services that is creating learning opportunities for educators and students across Mississippi.”

The Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and the Alliance of Educational Leaders of Mississippi is a non-profit association whose membership is made up of 139 public school superintendents and more than 2,000 public school administrators.  Its mission is to provide resources, advocacy, leadership, policy information, training, support, renewal, and public relations services that improve the quality of public education.