The Lamar County School Board voted to consider adding a pre-kindergarten program to the district at its monthly meeting Tuesday night in Purvis.

The board will vote to approve the program at their Nov. 3 meeting.

Jane Siders, vice president for research at the University of Southern Mississippi, told the board the pre-kindergarten program would be a collaboration between the university, Lamar County schools and various community agencies.

"I think everyone is now aware of the importance of brain development in a child," Siders told the board. "Mississippi is a state that is absolutely last in looking at early childhood education. We need to change that."

If approved, the three-year pilot program would be housed in Lamar County. A specific location has not been approved, though it would not be held on school property.

The program would serve 20 to 30 children and be funded through program fees.

The key component, officials said, would be integrating children from middle to high incomes with children from low-income families as well as delayed development children from birth to 5 years old.

The school board rejected a similar proposal last year.

Board members said they will consider the proposal but some are concerned about program funding.

"I'm not negative," said board member Mike Pruitt. "But I'm skeptical. The funding is my concern."

Board member Kyle Hill said with the county's changing student demographic, such a program could help raise state test scores.

"If we don't think a changing demographic is affecting our scores, just sit back and watch them," Hill said. "This is our chance to get on the upside."

Full text available at Hattiesburg American.