It really does not make good sense that the school board would try to get over $21 million in their coffers and not expect the public to know what their plans are for all the money.
For years the need for a consolidated high school has been discussed in this county. The first plan was to build at the former home of Pioneer Health in the industrial call center park in Magee. That idea went over like a lead balloon with those folks from the outlying parts of the county.
Next the board discussed building a facility at the CoLin Center on Highway 49. They considered using Natchez as the model because they had built a similar size school to service a similar population. To our knowledge, that information was never presented in a public forum.
Now the board is talking about leasing property from three different sources for a county high school. The idea for the lease came from the way the county funded the new jail facility on Old Highway 49 in Mendenhall. In the end, according to how a deal can be structured, they may buy a facility for x amount.
Personally, I favor a consolidated high school. CoLin is a great option for location, but not if the community does not support the effort. Between CoLin or the Pioneer property in Magee, I think the former Pioneer facility would have been the best option. It was less than 10 minutes from Mendenhall so it is not that much longer a driving or bus riding time.
But it would have run into a snag just as it has right now with the district and their ability to change the covenants. The Pioneer deal really never got down to brass tacks, and now Covington County is looking at the property to purchase in order to expand their hospital’s healthcare options.
I grew up in a different situation in Tupelo. We had elementary through 5th grade and a separate location for 6th grade. Junior high was for 7th and 8th grades. We had what would be considered a ninth grade academy on a separate campus by itself with 10th-12th grades at one high school. The big difference is that Tupelo has a large population and could support that separation of grades while still giving the 9th graders all the electives you could imagine.
The consolidated high school issue has been on the table for quite a while in Simpson County. The idea that the school board will not release information on their plan is unreasonable. The people of our community are much smarter than the board is giving them credit for being. Just because you can figure a way to stay within the law does not necessarily make it right. Not wanting to discuss public business in a public forum is not doing business properly, and it does not matter who you are.
It may be within the board’s power to do an end run on the community but there is going to be a day of reckoning.
If the board does not listen to what the community wants and what they are willing to pay for, these board members may only be in it for the short run.
