Simpson County School District proceeds with consolidation and details of bond issue presented over YouTube video as well as district website.
This despite what was reported in the newspaper and over the objection of at least one board member, Stacey Herring. Herring recounted the issue as the newspaper reported; that the board agreed to continue to pursue the process of consolidation of the high schools in the county.
The minutes of the meeting however reflected that consolidation not the proceeding with options was approved. The board voted and approved the minutes and it not discussed until later in the meeting. However, at the passage of the minutes board chairman, Danny Cowart, expressed his pleasure at the passage of the minutes without discussion.
Dr. Toriano Holloway is giving details of the proposed plan to the community. This is the first discussion of the project that has been done publicly that provided any detail.
In the video it says that consolidation of Magee and Mendenhall High School was voted on and approved by the board earlier in this academic year. The decision came on the heels of a three year facilities study that was completed by the board. The consulting group was Bailey Consulting from Jackson.
Holloway promotes this as being a generational opportunity to have a profound impact on Simpson County School System. Holloway and along with board chairman, Danny Cowart had made a presentation for members of the Simpson County Development Foundation, SCDF, in earlier in the academic year at Copiah Lincoln Community College.
Holloway projects the cost of the consolidation proposal to be $61 million. The site of the location has not been made public. However, at the meeting held by the SCDF it was announced by Cowart that it would be on Highway 49 between CoLin and Mendenhall.
Following the meeting it was reported that the property that was being discussed had been sold and was no longer an option to the district. Plans now include a special election slated for the end of March. However, the district refuses to identify where and there have been very little details other that what has been reported in the newspaper discussed during public forum. Until this all meetings have been in executive session under the guise of discussion of land acquisition .
Apparently there has been a lot of information that has not been discussed because the project cost is now $61 million which until this point has not been made public. Holloway stated that $39 million would be used for the construction of the four-year, state-of-the-art quality high school facility. It was not specified but that would leave $22 million of which athletic facilities would be a part. This would include football as well as baseball and other programs. According to the Holloway this would be funded by district funds and not through bond proceeds.
However, should the bond issue fail to pass by the voters the district will proceed to build a new high school and athletics will be held on the existing Magee and Mendenhall facilities.
Holloway concluded by saying the community would be updated through public meetings for input and through the school district web-site.
