Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
MSCS presents multiple school consolidation proposals, flags multimillion‑dollar facility needs and projected savings
Summary
Facilities staff presented a preliminary impact report on several proposed consolidations including Chickasaw Middle into Westwood High, Frasier Corning closures and an Ida B. Wells Academy consolidation — citing facility condition indexes, capacity utilization, and estimated fiscal impacts (savings or cost avoidance) and personnel effects; community meetings and principal briefings were scheduled.
Michelle Stewart and the facilities team presented preliminary impact reports on Oct. 21 recommending several school consolidations and a transfer under a new state law.
Key proposals presented
- Chickasaw Middle → Westwood High: Chickasaw (54% utilization) proposed to consolidate into nearby Westwood (41% utilization) and form a 6–12 model. Staff projected Westwood utilization would increase to about 75%, with roughly $954,012 in cost avoidance, a net personnel impact of minus seven positions and elimination of one bus route. Staff said students would be separated within the building by age group and that the district has other 6–12 models to study.
- Frasier Corning → Whitney & Westside: In a five‑school cluster on the west side, staff proposed closing smaller buildings (including Frasier Corning) and rezoning students to Whitney and Westside to increase utilization (projected new utilizations ~75% and 87%). Staff estimated savings and a net personnel impact of 11 positions and reported the highest facility‑condition index in the cluster at Frasier Corning.
- Georgian Hills → Whitney & Hawkins Mill: Similar consolidation rationale (small buildings, underutilized capacity); projected fiscal impact cited at about $910,267 in savings with 11 positions impacted in aggregate.
- Ida B. Wells Academy consolidation: Staff said Ida B. Wells had 84 students across K–8 (16% utilization) and a 10‑year maintenance need estimated at $5.8 million; staff proposed consolidating Ida B. Wells to increase program offerings and cited estimated savings of $2,128,378 and a net personnel impact of 21 positions.
- Lucy Elementary transfer to Millington: A 2023 state law prohibits operating a district school inside another municipal school district’s geographic boundaries; staff proposed transferring the Lucy Elementary building to Millington before the June 30, 2027 deadline and rezoning students to Woodstock K–8. Stewart said the building has near‑term needs of about $2.5 million; staff estimated a $931,000 net fiscal impact and seven positions affected, and said receiving schools would be offered specific facility improvements.
Board concerns and process
Board members asked for clearer, lay‑friendly materials for community meetings (programming comparisons and legends for performance scores), principal and faculty briefings before public announcements, and transportation and sidewalk safety reviews. Facilities staff said principals and faculties would be briefed the day after the committee meeting and that transportation staff would attend community meetings to answer routing and safety questions.
Next steps
Staff will hold community meetings at the dates and locations provided to gather feedback, provide a detailed list of proposed investments at receiving schools, and return to the board with revised plans.
