The last year has been a rough one for the Natchez-Adams School District. Lagging test scores and a nasty federal lawsuit that prompted the ouster of the district’s top leadership have dominated the district’s image.

But last week, the district saw a bright spot — two of the district’s three elementary schools reached the state’s benchmark for kindergarten literacy scores on a statewide test.

That’s impressive news since we all know that learning to read is the cornerstone upon which a lifetime of education can be built.

We’re proud of the students, parents, educators and administrators of the district. We view the work needed in the district to be a little bit like turning a barge 180-degrees in the Mississippi River. It’s possible, but it will not happen overnight and requires a number of key steps to accomplish.

Improving the reading skills of the youngest learners in the district is a fundamental key to improving educational results district-wide.

We also applaud the logical steps the school board, under the recommendation of interim superintendent Fred Butcher have made in consolidating some of the various academies created by the previous administration.

The consolidation work makes sense and reduces financial overhead and solves some of the district’s staff shortages simultaneously.

Things in the district seem to be looking up and some bright news from the district is long overdue.