NORTH CARROLLTON — Carroll County school leaders and other public officials went to Jackson Thursday to voice their opposition to a proposed merger of the county’s school district with those in neighboring Montgomery County.
Afterward, they said that while they felt the meeting with Rep. Toby Barker, R-Hattiesburg, was productive, they are uncertain whether it will derail the legislation.
“Overall we had a good meeting,” said Chancery Clerk Sugar Mullins. “He listened to us and said he will take our information to the Education Committee.”
Barker chairs the consolidation subcommittee in the House that is now considering Senate Bill 2495, which would merge the Carroll County, Montgomery County and Winona districts. It is one of a handful of consolidation proposals the Legislature is considering this year.
Also meeting with Barker Thursday were two members of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors, two members of the Carroll County School Board and Superintendent of Education Billy Joe Ferguson.
It has been suggested by consolidation proponents, including Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, R-Winona, that a merger of the three districts would open the way for the building of a new consolidated high school.
Mullins said, however, he told Barker that closing J.Z. George High School in North Carrollton would “devastate our little town. The little businesses downtown would suffer. I just don’t think it’s in the best interest of kids having to ride buses two to 2½ hours.
“I’d like to see on paper how it would save Carroll County taxpayers money. It would take jobs out of Carroll County.”
Mullins said Barker told the group that consolidation would offer several advantages, such as more academic programs and more money to better educate students.
“He said it would aid economic development,” Mullins said.
Beat 4 Supervisor Claude Fluker said he told Barker that Carroll County wanted to be left alone.
“Leave the taxpayers of Carroll County to foot our own bills. I asked him to exclude us,” Fluker said.
Meanwhile, a report from the Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review has been released that estimates the merger could save $930,000 annually on administrative costs alone, based on data from the 2013-2014 school year.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, who authored SB 2495, had requested the PEER analysis.
“I think that’s a realistic estimate as long as they are looking at ways they can have savings in administrative costs,” Tollison said. “It’s a rough estimate, but I think that’s achievable.”
He said he also thinks there can be payroll savings achieved elsewhere with consolidation, such as in transportation and teacher staffing.
“You are able to reduce redundancy in personnel,” he said.
Ferguson, however, claimed during a regular school board meeting Thursday night that the PEER analysis used outdated information. For example, it showed almost $471,000 in administrative costs for the Carroll County district two years ago, but Ferguson said this year’s budget for administration is $369,000.
Tollison said the merger, particularly if the proposed two-county district builds a centralized high school, will allow for more course offerings and other enhancements for students.
“There will be opportunities that the students don’t now have with three separate school districts.”
However, there is no mandate in the legislation that a central high school be established. Local officials might decide to have one high school in Winona and continue with a second high school in North Carrollton, Tollison said.
“If they want to do that, it can remain the way that it is,” he said.
The consolidation proposal originally included only the Montgomery County and Winona districts. Carroll County was added after Chassaniol said she had received a commitment from Selim Bassoul, CEO of Middleby Corp., parent company of Viking Range, to raise money for a new high school to serve students from the two counties.
Opponents have voiced skepticism about such a pledge, pointing to the significant layoffs at Viking and other cost-cutting measures Middleby has implemented since acquiring the Greenwood-based manufacturer of upscale kitchen appliances three years ago.
Repeated efforts by the Commonwealth to reach Bassoul to discuss his reported commitment have not been successful.
Chassaniol, though, was still saying Thursday that she believes Bassoul’s willingness to help is solid.
“He has given a lot of money to improve schools in other states and around the world. I’ll have a written commitment from him if the consolidation goes through,” she said in a text message.
Chassaniol offered as evidence of Bassoul’s backing a text message she received from him that reads, “Lydia, I read the bill. Very exciting. I stand fully behind you on this project. You have my full support.”
Chassaniol remains so far the lone area lawmaker supporting the merger, however. Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, voted against the proposal, and a trio of House members — Reps. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, Kevin Horan, D-Grenada, and Willie Perkins, D-Greenwood — have expressed either opposition or serious reservations.
• Commonwealth Editor Tim Kalich contributed to this report.
PEER analysis
