Two Noxubee County Schools are closing next month.
Virgil Jones Elementary and B.F. Liddell Elementary will close their doors on October 5th due to financial troubles. Students from the schools will be transferred to other schools in the Macon area, while it’s unclear how the closures will affect teachers.
Governor Bryant signed off on a state takeover of the Noxubee County School District back in July after an investigative audit of the school district found them to be in violation of 26 of the 32 accreditation standards.
Reports from the MDE show that district, which has less than 1,500 students, currently has an “F” rating.
“After careful review, I have granted the request from the State Board of Education to declare a state of emergency within Noxubee County School District,” Governor Bryant said at the time of the decision. “I believe this to be in the best interest of students, and the most effective way to set the District on a path toward academic and financial health.”
The MDE initiated the audit after the district reported severe financial issues amid worries that they may not be able to meet their payroll back in July.
The state takeover of the school district would implement the following measures.
- The district’s accreditation could be withdrawn
- The SBE would appoint an interim superintendent
- The local school board would be temporarily disbanded
- The SBE would become the governing body until the district is returned to local board leadership
- An interim superintendent would remain in NCSD until the district has sustained a grade of C or higher for five years.
- An interim superintendent would work with district staff to correct all accreditation violations while making raising student achievement the primary focus
