Winona Parents Weigh In On Consolidation

WINONA, Miss. (WCBI)- One week ago parents of students in the Montgomery County School District voiced their frustrations and concerns about the impending consolidation with the Winona School District to representatives of the Justice Department.

On Wednesday, Winona parents had the ear of the administration.

“There should be fairness that’s what we should see, and right now it looks a little one sided,” said Nora Dunn, a concerned parent who came out to Wednesday night’s meeting.

Dunn has two children in the Winona School District and said she still has a lot of concerns about the consolidation between the Montgomery County and Winona School Districts.

“It seems less like a merge and more like a takeover,” Dunn expressed. “I know with that some people are going to lose out and it looks like the staff has already lost out and it looks like the children too may lose out.”

Dunn was one of the many parents who came out to voice their concerns and questions to the district’s superintendent Wednesday night.

Some raised questions about the safety and security of transportation on the bus routes,  while others asked about what will happen with sports and other activities.

However, their biggest concern was making sure those coming from the Montgomery County School District would have some representation in the consolidation.

“I just want to do my part to ensure that there’s something in it for Montgomery County because they’re giving up a lot,” said Dunn. “When you have a merge it should be that everybody is getting something, and I just don’t see that they’re getting their fair shake right now.”

Last week WCBI reported that teachers in Montgomery County received pink slips and have not been hired to work in the new consolidated school district.

“The Montgomery County School District in the law is abolished and so that is kind of the procedure that comes about with that,” said Dr. Teresa Jackson, Winona-Superintendent of the Montgomery County Consolidated School District. “We’ve talked about it that Winona School District is a “B” district and Montgomery County is a “D” district and so that probably played some in the legislators decision to write the bill in that fashion.”

The current consolidated school board is made up of five board members who are all from the Winona School District, which is something else that concerns parents from both districts.

However, Jackson said despite the board’s make-up, all members will still be accessible and committed to serving all members in the newly consolidated district.

“Currently the board members are all appointed,” the superintendent explained. “In November there will be an election and there will be three that continue to be appointed by the board of alderman from Winona and then two will be elected from the rest of the county, there are two election districts that excludes the city of Winona.”

Another concern parents raised Wednesday night was about the football team.

With the schools consolidating, there’s a chance they may have to play in an Independent League which means they won’t have a chance to play in the playoffs next year.

However, Jackson said they’re working and hoping to get that changed before the start of the school year.