Questions about how much money will actually be saved by consolidating Winona Separate School District and Montgomery County School District were finally answered on February 27 at a meeting of the Winona Montgomery Consolidated School District (WMCSD).
In a slideshow presentation created by Winona Business Manager Amanda Gray, after collaborating with Montgomery County School District’s Business Manager Lynea Watson, annual savings from consolidating the districts could range from $1.5 million per year to $3.8 million per year depending whether all four schools remain open in the 2018-2019 school year.
According to newly-appointed WMCSD Superintendent of Education Dr. Teresa Jackson, which option the district will take as it moves forward in the consolidation process is up to the school board. However, the financial snapshot of what to expect as the consolidation finalizes on July 1 is necessary in planning for next year.
Jackson said any savings will go to funding school needs such as the purchase of school buses, text books, computers, specialized instructors, facility improvements, and so on.
Projected revenues for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years are $5,922,465 in state funding for Winona Separate School District and $2,068,503 in state funding for Montgomery County School District. Winona schools receives in $1,395,750 in ad valorem tax, and Montgomery County schools receives $1,244,564 in ad valorem tax. Bringing the total revenues for the consolidated district to $9,831,282 -- $10,631,282 minus a projected $800,000 state funding cut projected for the 2020-2021 school year.
As for expenses, based on 2018 enrollment estimates by the Mississippi Department of Education, Winona Elementary School with its 640 students has a student cost of $4,931 per student, and Winona Secondary School, with its 427 students, has a student cost of $6,710 per student. Montgomery County Elementary School is projected to have 139 students next year at a cost of $8,775 per student, and Montgomery County High School, with its projected 97 students next year, has a student cost of $14,270 per student.
To keep all four schools in Montgomery County open, the district will see an annual savings of $1,509,550, mainly from the consolidation of the central office and other duplicate expenses.
To close Montgomery County High School and send all students to Winona High School, the district will see a savings of $2,755,367 a school year.
To close both Montgomery County High School and Montgomery County Elementary School, sending all county students to Winona, the district will see a savings of $3,853,078 a school year.
Since being appointed superintendent of WMCSD, Jackson said she has met with the administration, teachers, and parents of the Montgomery County School District to answer questions and gather information needed in planning.
“[Montgomery County School District’s] leadership planned to close one of their schools this year, but they ran out of time,” Jackson said. “They were going to put all students in one building. So this is actually something that had discussed [in Montgomery County] before.”
Jackson reiterated that no decisions have been made, as she continues to collect data to assist in creating the consolidated district with the WMCSD school board.
“The members of the WMCSD Board and I are working together to create an outstanding district to serve all the students of Montgomery County,” Jackson said.
View full presentation.
