Mississippi high school merger hung up by lawsuit

SHELBY, Miss. (AP) – With a month before school starts, one Mississippi Delta school district still isn’t sure whether it will have one high school or two in the coming year.

The North Bolivar district seeks to merge Shelby’s Broad Street High School and Mound Bayou’s John F. Kennedy High School. Students would attend North Side High School in the building of the current Shelby school. District officials say enrollment is declining and they can’t afford expensive repairs needed to all school buildings.

However, supporters of the Mound Bayou school sued to block the merger. The Bolivar Commercial reports a ruling has again been delayed.

Superintendent Maurice Smith says the district is trying to plan for contingencies, but says school’s start may be delayed. The district has a large number of teaching vacancies.