A bill that would have paved the way for more school district consolidations in Mississippi died this week.
It’s a surprising outcome for an issue that gained momentum during the months leading up to the legislative session, which has been headlined by education policy.
Senate Bill 2486 would’ve tasked a committee within the Mississippi Department of Education with recommending school district consolidations and established a framework for future mergers.
However, the legislation lacked the votes it needed to survive, said Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar, a Republican from Leakesville. Both the House and the Senate had until Thursday night to pass bills originating in their respective chambers.
“I would’ve liked to have brought it up, but I just didn’t have enough support on the floor for it,” he said.
Gov. Tate Reeves said over the summer that he wanted the Legislature to consider consolidating some of the state’s 138 school districts, and House Education Committee Chairman Rob Roberson, a Republican from Starkville, has been steadfast in his support of consolidation. Two school systems in Roberson’s district consolidated in 2015 — Starkville School District and Oktibbeha County School District.
Still, consolidation is controversial. Though the student population has been declining in Mississippi for years, generational ties to schools in some communities makes school closures difficult and emotionally fraught.
There have been 10 school district consolidations since 2014, according to the Mississippi Department of Education’s website. While school districts have the authority to consolidate schools within their own district, the consolidation of different school districts requires direction from the Legislature.
“School consolidation issues are always troublesome for some legislators,” DeBar said. “They’re all for it, but not in my district. I think that was the concern. Some were concerned their district would be consolidated.”
DeBar added that he’s still interested in seeing if there are ways he can address the issue before the session concludes in April. Even if a piece of legislation dies, lawmakers can try to insert language into similar bills.
The House’s big education bill that died in DeBar’s committee earlier this month would have immediately consolidated two Mississippi school districts and similarly provided a stronger framework for future consolidations.
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