Video: Starkville – Oktibbeha County School Merger Dealing with Justice Department Concerns

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) -The 1970 desegregation order is having a big impact on the state mandated Starkville – Oktibbeha County schools merger.

Now, a number of issues have been brought to the forefront by the Department of Justice and Starkville schools are responding the 23 page document.

The DOJ is suggesting busing elementary students from Starkville to grade schools in the county and making sixth graders attend the same school.

It’s a process that involves administrators, teachers, lawyers and parents. Some decisions have been made but others are still up in the air…as to what steps are next.

Aundrea, when the state legislature voted in April of last year to merge the Oktibbeha County and Starkville schools, there was no plan. There wasn’t a blue print.

It was up to School Superintendent Dr. Lewis Holloway and countless community leaders, parents and teachers to make an inclusive plan in a short time frame.

Today, I sat down with Dr. Holloway with a list of questions about consolidation. We began with the District’s reaction to the Justice Department.

“The Justice Department is looking at this from a lens of desegregation. We are looking at this from a lens of consolidation and doing the best we can for these students and to improve education. Technology that we are bringing to the two elementary schools, the curricula that we are bringing to the two elementary schools are things they have never had before.”
” We really thought that by the accreditation problems that they had, this would be a slam dunk and its far from that and I know that and I know that theya re still having to fight and justify their decisions. I really hope that they could get those kinks worked out. ”

State Representative Gary Chism, who along with Dr. Holloway and other educators, has really put in time and effort to make this transition seamless.