8 key questions about school district (and college) consolidation in Mississippi

By Devna Bose, Leonardo Bevilacqua, and Candice Wilder | Originally published by Mississippi Today

School consolidation, a perennial topic in Mississippi, is poised to be a top education policy debate during the 2027 legislative session.

Mississippi has 138 school districts, 15 community colleges and eight public universities. State leaders want to shrink those numbers by merging students, administrators and — in some cases — closing schools. 

School districts are set to receive $3 billion in state funding next school year. Community colleges and public universities are set to receive more than $1.26 billion.

Mississippi Today talked to legislators, educators and residents across communities that have experienced school district consolidation or may be targeted for consolidation next year. The reporting reveals fears, successes and other insights. 

Below, we address key questions about school and district consolidation. We also break down how consolidation might affect public education. 

What is school or district consolidation?

Consolidation refers to merging schools (K-12 or college) or districts under centralized management, according to the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado. 

It can involve two or more school districts merging central offices, which is an administrative consolidation, or combining multiple schools or districts into one, including staff and students. The same goes for consolidations that involve colleges.

Is consolidation the same as closure?

No. Closing a school or district means to permanently shut down a school — ending operations, closing the building and letting staff go. A consolidation combines multiple schools — its staff, students and resources — into one. 

Still, people might use the term “closure” over “consolidation” because of the loss they’ve experienced, said Carrie Hahnel, a senior associate with Bellwether, a national nonprofit that works to improve education outcomes. 

What are Mississippi lawmakers planning around consolidation?

Almost immediately after this year’s legislative session wrapped, lawmakers indicated they are interested in merging K-12 school districts in a number of counties next year, including Tallahatchie, Copiah, Bolivar and Washington, Mississippi Today confirmed. They are focusing on underperforming districts with declining student enrollment.

Legislators say they have no immediate plans to close any colleges and universities but are weighing factors like population loss, enrollment declines and concerns over whether taxpayer money is being used efficiently.

This isn’t the first time lawmakers have explored consolidating schools in Mississippi. A bill that would’ve consolidated Copiah and Hazlehurst schools died earlier this year. 

Why are lawmakers focusing on consolidation now?

Lawmakers have mentioned shrinking student enrollment, administrative costs and student performance as reasons for their consolidation talks. 

House Speaker Jason White formed a select committee in May to investigate how consolidating schools, districts and colleges in Mississippi could benefit students. 

“My number one goal is to improve academic performance,” said House Education Chairman Rob Roberson, a Republican from Starkville. “Obviously, if you have money savings and efficiency, that would be a secondary benefit of that.”

What are some pros and cons of consolidation?

Some positive outcomes could include enhanced academic and extracurricular offerings for students, better facilities and less spending. 

However, communities can lose a sense of identity when local school buildings close, and students may have to travel farther for school. There tends to be local pushback to consolidation plans because of fears of violence between students from rival communities coming together and the economic impact because of the loss of jobs. 

Also, it doesn’t always result in improved academics. In fact, merging low-performing districts can exacerbate existing dysfunctions. 

Do lawmakers have the power to consolidate K-12 schools and merge colleges in Mississippi?

Local K-12 school boards can initiate school or district consolidations, but the Legislature tends to do the initiating.

The Mississippi Legislature holds the ultimate power in determining which colleges and universities merge or close.

Do consolidated school districts save money?

In Mississippi, generally, yes. But not much.

On average, districts saved a quarter of a million dollars on administrative costs, a fraction of most school districts’ budgets, according to Mississippi Today’s analysis of school superintendents’ spending reports.

One district didn’t save any money. Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated, the product of Leflore and Greenwood school districts, ended up spending $16,070 more on administrative costs in 2020, the year after the districts merged, compared to administrative costs for the two individual districts in the year prior.

In 2012, lawmakers mentioned large savings on administrative costs as part of efforts to sell a school district consolidation to hesitant Bolivar County. Then-state Sen. Gray Tollison, a Republican who represented Oxford, told the Clarion Ledger that the county’s school districts could save $1.6 million if they consolidated their six districts into two. The consolidated districts saved $718,000, according to an analysis of the districts’ administrative spending reports. 

But to make these big savings, school districts have to make tough decisions, former Winona-Montgomery Superintendent Teresa Jackson told state representatives in August at one of the school consolidation select committee’s meetings. 

“If we had not closed schools, we would have saved very little,” she said. 

How strong is consolidated districts’ academic performance?

It varies. 

In Mississippi, most of the mandated consolidations since 2014 involved low-performing districts. 

The Starkville-Oktibbeha district merger in 2015 is considered a bright spot. The consolidated district’s enrollment grew. Community members now say students have access to more academic and extracurricular opportunities. The combined district is now rated an A.

This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Source: Original Article