The Simpson County School Board held a town meeting on April 25 to discuss options for removing students from Mendenhall Junior High School.
Earlier, School Superintendent Dr. Paul Lawrence had presented the school board with two options for solving the problem of the deteriorating junior high campus.
Option one was to make the 7th and 8th grade classes a part of Mendenhall High School and move 6th grade to Mendenhall Elementary School. Dr. Lawrence said this option would save the district approximately $128,000.
Option two was to move the entire MJH campus to existing space at the high school campus. This option would keep Mendenhall Junior High as a separate school but would require installing metal buildings on the campus for classrooms, which Dr. Lawrence estimated to cost $110,000 each.
Each option came with pros and cons to consider.
Dr. Lawrence said no decisions would be made without first having a town hall meeting, and getting input from the public.
That meeting was held last Thursday, after the board had held a walkthrough of Mendenhall Jr. High and conducted a workshop.
The meeting was well attended and featured a question and answer session in which attendees submitted questions they had for the board. The questions were read aloud and then answered.
Dr. Lawrence opened the meeting stating that the building at MJH has outlived its functionality. He highlighted the ongoing flooding issues and the inoperable gym. He explained that storm damage destroyed the gym and the district received insufficient funds from their insurance claim to restore the facility.
Dr. Lawrence said that the district believes that option one—moving the 7th and 8th grades to Mendenhall High School and the 6th grade to Mendenhall Elementary School— is best. He explained that one two- classroom metal building would be constructed, and grade bands would be changed for a K-6 elementary and 7-12 high school. If approved the change is expected to take place in the next school year, 2024-2025.
Dr. Lawrence said the old band hall at the high school would be retrofitted for archery and PE, and the existing furniture at MJH will be used. He emphasized that buses will not have to cross railroad tracks or pull onto a busy Highway 13 leaving MJH, and will save time on routes. Lawrence also said the district will have a school resource officer (SRO) on one campus in Mendenhall.
He cited numerous savings associated with the move including the reduction in administrative cost with two schools instead of three and a reduction in utility cost. Dr. Lawrence said both cafeterias can accommodate the increase in students, and the workload on the maintenance staff will cecrease with the elimination of a campus. He estimated the cost of operate MJH at over $200,000 a year as a separate campus, which can now be saved.
Board member Stan Bulger addressed the crowd saying, “This is not a permanent decision.” He said he expected the Supreme Court to rule in favor of the school district to allow a consolidated high school to be build that would help provide a permanent solution for these students.
Bulger said he worked in construction during his earlier career and said the condition of MJH is not from a lack of maintenance but instead of construction. He questioned the materials used to build the school and said there were drainage issues “and the kids need to be out of there.”
Bulger estimated a cost of $25 million to replace MJH. However the foundation of the current location is bad, and it is next to the city lagoon in Mendenhall.
Bulger said, “We have to look long term for the safety and health of every kid.”
He said he believes this is a wise decision for use of taxpayer dollars instead of “spending good money after bad.” Bulger referenced the study done by the Bailey Group recommending that no money be spent on the MJH campus. Bulger reiterated that the current fix is temporary in order to remove MJH students from a bad situation.
Board Secretary Danny Cowart explained that another study was done over a dozen years ago that also recommended MJH’s campus not be renovated. The Bailey study reinforced this data.
Cowart said the Economic Development Foundation asked him if he supported a consolidated high school when he announced he would be running for the school board. Cowart said, “Not without the data to back it up,” before referencing the two studies again.
Cowart said several of the walls at MJH have been damaged by termites with fake walls now being put in place. He said, “The district is paying way more money keeping up a substandard building versus building an adequate building. Every year more and more money goes into the repair and maintenance of these buildings. Renovating the old buildings will also cost more than building new buildings.”
Cowart said he still believes the bond issue is the best for Simpson County, joined with ESSER funds to build a consolidated high school which will fix all the issues at once.
Cowart said he will accept the recommendations of the superintendent on the educational benefits of this move.
The crowd-submitted questions covered several topics, such as, why the district waited so long before addressing the issues, and why a new gym can’t be built. Maintenance Director Jefferey Walker explained that a new gym would cost nearly $4 million dollars and would be put on a bad campus.
Another question was, “How many SRO’s will be at each campus?” Walker explained that there will be one SRO at the Mendenhall High School campus and Magee High School campus, but these officers will be able to go wherever they are needed. Walker said the officers will be placed at the high schools because that is where the more serious incidents occur. A volunteer from the Sheriff’s Office is stationed at Simpson Central.
Security questions concerning the safety of Mendenhall High School Campus were discussed. Walker said a lot of security upgrades have been done the last two years. He said control access doors that require a card have been installed, security teams have been established on each campus, updated surveillance cameras, and computer systems have been installed so that all building can be locked at the click of a button. He said this move will allow more money to be spent on securing one campus. Walker also revealed that metal detectors will be installed at the schools.
Someone asked, “How will you handle the influx of school traffic?” Dr. Lawrence said all the traffic patterns will be examined along with the schedules. He said the way everything flows on campus will be analyzed and made more efficient.
Social questions concerning 7th and 8th grade students being exposed to high school students and how students transferring from Simpson Central can be kept from feel like outsiders were asked. Dr. Lawrence said Simpson Central students will still be able to merge in and this will be addressed by the high school having an inviting and good culture.
Asst. Superintendent Dr. Deidre Randall said that areas will be designated for the different age groups throughout the campus, and the students will not be thrown into an area all together.
A complete video of the question-and-answer session is available on the Magee Courier-Simpson County News Facebook page under the title “Mendenhall Jr. High public discussion.”
The board will vote to accept the proposed plan during the next regularly scheduled meeting on May 8 at 4 p.m.
