A trip to Hawaii led to dissension among the Vicksburg Warren School District Board of Trustees at its latest meeting.

At the May 29 meeting, Board President Jim Stirgus requested approval to travel to Honolulu to participate in the National Career Academy Conference (NCAC). Stirgus would be there to accept awards that the NCAC will present to the Vicksburg Warren School District.

Trustee Linda Patterson expressed her opinion that the school district should not pay for school board members’ travel to conferences, noting that continuing education credits can be obtained within the state.

The NCAC determines the location of conferences. It was held in Tucson, Arizona in 2023 and Chicago in 2024.

“My recommendation is that we would not include ourselves, as board members attending this conference, since this is not something we would normally do,” Patterson said. “Board members …  have to have at least six hours of continuing training, and that’s usually provided by the Mississippi State School Board Association.

“We are not involved in the day-to-day stuff,” she continued. “We have to maintain oversight of what’s going on in the district, provide strategic leadership to the district and the Mississippi State Board Association provides that type of leadership training for us to help us identify the things we need to do from a strategic standpoint, not in the day-to-day activities of the district.”

Patterson made a motion to approve teachers and VWSD Superintendent Dr. Tori Holloway for attendance at the conference and not Stirgus. The motion died in the session for lack of a second.

Trustee Bryan Pratt said it wasn’t uncommon for board members to attend conferences.

“It’s not like we’re sending every board member to represent the district. I think it’s appropriate. When we receive awards, it’s appropriate for us to be recognized and board members to represent us at those functions,” Pratt said.

Patterson asked Holloway if Stirgus had attended last year’s conference in Chicago, and he replied, “No.”

After discussion, the motion to approve travel for staff, Holloway and Stirgus was passed, with Patterson the only “nay” vote.

“It’s great to see what other people are doing in the state of Mississippi, celebrate those things and learn from other districts, but I’m just going to tell you, there’s other things other people are doing out there,” Pratt said. “I’ve learned more going out of state, networking with other districts. It has been invaluable.”

Holloway added that it isn’t uncommon in other districts for school board members to attend conferences. He also said Hawaii is a leader in the academy programs and has been trying to host the conference there for several years.

The board approved $4,808.78 for Holloway and Stirgus to attend the conference in Hawaii. An additional $9,325.96 was approved to provide travel and conference fees for four teachers. Several of the teachers also attended last year’s conference in Chicago.

Holloway said the district has participated in the NCAC for at least the past three years. The NCAC determines the location of conferences. Travel for those trips is summarized as follows:

• NCAC in Tuscon, Arizona: $2,208 per participant (2023)
• NCAC in Chicago: $2,474 per participant (2024)
• NCAC in Honolulu, Hawaii: $2,404 per participant (2025)

Costs for the conference in Hawaii come in at slightly less than last year’s trip to Chicago. No school board members attended the Chicago conference.

“This is a conference that we normally go to. It is nothing unusual, what we’re doing,” Stirgus said. “We have a budget which is included, with the superintendent, to go to conferences. That is set by law.”

Stirgus said continuing education credits are usually made available at these types of conferences, and that conference attendance and travel is allowed by law. He said the number of conferences attended is left to each district’s discretion.

Both Vicksburg High School and Warren Central High School participate in the academy program. The programs offered are ACME — Architecture, Construction, Mechatronics and Engineering; CAB —Communication, Arts and Business; and HHS — Health and Human Services.

VWSD’s description of the academies on its website says, “Academies kind of operate as specialized schools within schools. Each of these smaller schools provide the required core classes that students must complete as well as learning opportunities that match students’ interests and strengths so they graduate college and career ready and prepared for life.”

The academy programs at Warren Central High School and Vicksburg High School were instituted during the term of former VWSD Superintendent Chad Shealy.

Alonzo Stevens and Joe Loviza also requested approval to attend the 2025 Southern Regional Leadership Conference, a three-day conference in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A total of $4,164.76 was approved for them to attend the conference, approximately $644 less than the request for Stirgus and Holloway to travel to Hawaii.

Stirgus also received approval from the school board to attend a conference in Nashville, Tenn., entitled “District Alternatives to Suspension Workshop” at a cost of $1,998.19. Patterson dissented on this vote.