Mississippi Administrator of the Year: Dr. Marsha Peoples, principal of East Flora Elementary School
JANS – Dr. Marsha Peoples, principal of East Flora Elementary School, is your 2025 Mississippi Administrator of the Year! This highest honor in the state for a school administrator was presented by the Mississippi Department of Education.
In an address to the crowd of school administrators from across the state, Dr. Peoples thanked her family, her mentors, and the people of the East Flora Elementary community for coming together for the success of the school. Dr. Peoples was named principal of East Flora Elementary in 2022, and under her leadership the school earned its first ever A-rating in 2024.
“East Flora! We did it!” she said. “This achievement would not be possible without the support of the dynamic staff of East Flora Elementary School. We knew that our goal of achieving a legendary A-rating was attainable and we did just that. Teachers, support staff, students, and parents locked into our goal and went to work. And guess what? Our work worked! From our bus drivers, maintenance and cafeteria staff to our front office, specialists, and teachers: you all deserve a seat at this table. To my East Flora students: thank you for showing up willing to learn and give your best effort each day.”
During her 18-year career in education, Dr. Peoples has served as a teacher, literacy specialist, and assistant principal. While a teacher in JPS at John Hopkins Elementary School she was selected as the 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year. Dr. Peoples is a lifelong learner, having most recently earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Mississippi College in 2020.
At the awards ceremony, Dr. Peoples spoke on her Administrator of the Year platform: the importance of funding. “The promise that we, as educators, make to every child is that no matter where they live, what their background is, or what challenges they face, they will have access to opportunity, growth, and to success. That promise is only as strong as the willingness to invest in it,” said Peoples. “As an educator, I have had the distinct pleasure of serving in Title I schools for 18 years. While funding impacts Title I schools most, advocacy for full funding makes a difference for all schools. I am proud to be Mississippi’s Administrator of the Year, and I am more committed than ever to using my voice, and this platform, to advocate for the resources all our students deserve.”
