Administrators from the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District were in Jackson last week in support of Senate Bill 2677.
The legislation would partly authorize construction of a new high school on 16th section land, according to an email sent by Dr. Teresa Jackson, district superintendent.
School administrators attended the legislative session to testify along with Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, if needed, before the Senate Education Committee in support of SB 2677, according to Jackson.
“The delegates from WMCSD were there for support of the bill and to answer any questions as needed. School district administrators were not given the opportunity to speak at the Senate
Education Committee meeting,” said Jackson.
The bill was voted out of the committee and will “advance to the Senate Appropriation Committee before moving to the full Senate for consideration,” stated Jackson.
“This was a step in the right direction; however, there are many steps in the process for a bill to
become law,” said Jackson. “Senate Bill 2677 was double referred to the Education and Finance committees.”
The school district has not had a new school building since 1973, according to the email.
“It would be an outstanding accomplishment to be able to build a new high school with all athletic and activity facilities in one location for the students of Montgomery County,” said Jackson. “A new high school would be a great asset to our community and may encourage people to live and work in our county. This is especially important with the new businesses and industries that have chosen or are looking to locate in our county.”
The idea for requesting funds from the legislature, she said, stemmed from discussions with legislators during the consolidation of the former Montgomery County and Winona school districts.
“No funding was provided for renovations or construction at that time, so we thought it would be
appropriate to request assistance now that we have consolidated not only the districts, but also
the schools,” said Jackson.
With the age of the current building and the need for repair, a new building would benefit the district.
“Many improvements need to be made to the current high school building. The oldest areas of
the building were constructed in the early 1900s,” said Jackson. “Some of the main areas that need to be addressed are roofs, plaster walls in many classrooms, the elevator, interior and exterior doors, flooring in several areas and restrooms. The gymnasium is in dire need of repair to the roof, floors and walls. It also needs to be air conditioned.”
