Gerald Cross, Keesler’s School Liaison officer, and Lt. Col. Michael Schrama, Military School Advisor, met with Marcus Boudreaux, Biloxi School District superintendent, at Back Bay Elementary School, Sept. 9 to strengthen community ties and get an understanding of what the school district has to offer military families transitioning to Keesler Air Force Base.
The visit is one of many to local school districts, ensuring exceptional education for military children pre-K through grade 12 and smooth school transitions.
When families transition to Keesler, the Keesler School Liaison and Military School Advisor act as sources to help them find the best school.
The School Liaison, located on Keesler, is the primary point of contact for military families, local school systems and installation leadership for school-related matters. They use their professional experience to help address the common educational challenges military families face.
The Military School Advisor is responsible for advocating for the educational needs of military-connected children. This includes attending meetings such as the Educational Advisory Committee and the Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission State Council to address these needs effectively.
“What I try to do is bridge the gap between the military student family and the Biloxi School District on issues that pertain to either the military family or the district, and try to bring resolution for both parties,” said Schrama. “Whether it's enrollment issues, some sort of behavior, social, transportation issues, things of that nature. If the parent or possibly the school administrators can't get answers, that's where the superintendent and I can chat to figure out a solution.”
School districts local to Keesler are part of the Military School Star program, designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college, workforce, and ready for life. To qualify for the program, a school must meet specific criteria and specialized training for the staff serving as the military’s point of contact.
“Many of our families that come here are reluctant or a little apprehensive,” said Cross. “They've heard that the education isn't very good around here. The goal behind going out to the schools and talking with them is to bring up all of the great things that they're doing here and letting our inbound military families know that if they do come here and they bring school-age children, their kids are going to get a very good education.”
All school districts surrounding Keesler have an academic grade of A. The grade is a scale from A to F given by the Mississippi Department of Education to measure students’ performance in many areas. This grading system helps parents and the public understand how well a school performs and begin conversations to continually improve education.
“Across the nation, a big facet of public education is what's called careers and colleges,” said Cross. “Our kids that are coming in and graduating, they're set up to succeed whether they go off to college or start a career for themselves because of the skills they receive at our local high schools.”
The school districts offer outstanding STEM programs and Advanced Placement classes, with these opportunities available to students throughout their elementary education.
“I have so many of our families that get here, and they're a little bit reluctant,” said Cross. “Then I stay in touch with them, or run into them on the base or through the community, and they'll say, ‘Jerry, I had no idea that third grade was going to be as hard as it is for my child,’ or that they were going to have so much homework, and they're pleasantly surprised and pleased with how well they're doing here.”
For more information on local schools or to connect with Keesler’s School Liaison, email gerald.cross.1@us.af.mil
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2024 16:34 |
| Story ID: | 480859 |
| Location: | BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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