Video: Administrative Changes Coming To One North MS School District

CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)-The future of the of the Chickasaw Consolidated School District became a little more clearer on Wednesday.

The Chickasaw Consolidated School District Commission met to discuss merging the administrations of Houston schools, Houlka schools, and Chickasaw County School District.

Schools play an important role in a community, so it’s no surprise there were a host of ideas on the table when superintendents from all three Chickasaw County School Districts made proposals on how they’d like to see the upcoming consolidation occur.

“The real issue for them is governance, because they’re going from three districts, three superintendents, three board members down to one district and one board,” said Mike Kent, interim deputy superintendent for the Mississippi Department of Education.

“We all want to be represented,” said Kathy Austin, former Houlka superintendent. “So, I felt like having one person elected from each of the three existing school districts was a good choice.

It was Austin’s proposal that was eventually chosen.

“They eventually reached a consensus and voted unanimously on a plan that would elect one board member from the former Houston district, one board member from the former Okolona school district, one board member from the former Chickasaw, Houlka school district, and then two board members would be elected county wide,” said Kent.

The plan also allows people living in certain parts of Monroe County to be apart of the process as well.

“These people certainly need to be represented,” said Austin. “If the legislature continue to let these students attend the Okolona schools, then they’ll vote for the person or trustees from the Okolona School District, and they’ll also participate in the vote for the at large.”

Staff that currently work at the three separate school district offices will be notified five months before the consolidation process is complete that they will lose their job.

If those employees choose to do so, they can reapply to work in the new school district office.

“Yes they’ll still be eligible it’s up to the board of they select them or not,” said Kent.

The commission is recommending July 1st, 2020 is the day when the school district offices should be consolidated, then once the new school board is in place it will select a new superintendent.

No schools will close as a result of the district offices being consolidated.