JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Jackson Public School District (JPS) reviewed the final optimization plan on Tuesday, December 5 during the Board of Trustees meeting.
The Board was originally scheduled to vote on the district’s optimization plan on Tuesday, but the vote was pushed back to December 19.
Community members want to see a definite plan of action that will bring purpose to the students in communities where schools are closing or consolidating. Some residents said they were frustrated with Tuesday’s presentation.
“I’m very disappointed in just the way that this was presented. I have expressed my feelings prior to today that there was just not a lot of opportunity for community to really provide their dialog and to really engage in a conversation with the ones who are making this decision or proposing this plan,” said Courtney Warner, a Jackson resident.
The JPS Board of Trustees considered closing or consolidating 16 schools in the district. They want to see those buildings used for community development.
On Tuesday, the Board announced Clausell Elementary, Green Elementary and Key Elementary were no longer on the recommended closure list.
Nathan Bryant, the lead pastor at Grace City Church, has plans to use the buildings at Chastain Middle School to enrich the community if the school closes.
“Our church exists to be a blessing to our community. And so, we love that North Fondren area, and we’d love to see that building be used for everything from afterschool programs to a club in select sports adult education. We know that the precinct for the Jackson Police Department is looking for a location on our side of 55. So, we thought that might be a great home for them as well. Just a place that, you know, brings pride and a place for the families of North Fondren to really come together,” Bryant said.
JPS Superintendent Dr. Errick Greene has said the proposed closures are not performance-based but are due to a decline in enrollment, facility infrastructure issues and staffing issues.
The superintendent said JPS has lost more than 9,500 students since the 2015-16 school year, and there are more than 400 staffing vacancies. He added that closing or consolidating those schools could save more than $17 million per year and more than $174 million in renovation costs.