Calls for a major school construction referendum are now moot after Oktibbeha County School District Conservator Margie Pulley rescinded a $13.2 million bond intent notice Monday in lieu of petitioners demanding the matter go to the polls later this year.
Pulley pulled the notice after acknowledging and accepting documents signed by more than 20 percent of Oktibbeha County School District residents seeking an election on the matter.
Historically, OCSD’s voter base has not supported school improvement bonds.
The $13.2 million-maximum financing package would have funded the construction of a demonstration school for all county sixth and seventh graders at Mississippi State University and given OCSD enough revenue to purchase laptops for teachers and SMARTboards for students.
MSU previously pledged $5 million and 43 acres of land toward the construction of the proposed 102,000 square-foot school across from the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park.
In addition to local revenues, its construction still required a $10 million funding request from the Legislature.
“The district followed the process outlined in the legislation for issuing the bonds to finance the improvement, and citizens exercised their right to file the petition calling for an election,” Pulley said. “It was in the best interest to rescind the resolution at this time. However, the district still needs to improve its facilities, and (I) will consider modifications to the project and the dollar amount proposed in the resolution of intent in an effort to provide the necessary facilities for students in this district. The partnership with MSU is critical for this community. We will exhaust all avenues possible to make this project work.”
Besides providing a one-of-a-kind partnership in education, the school would have alleviated spatial issues and eased student-teacher ratios associated with July 1’s state-mandated consolidation.
Under the school merger plan, two county schools will close. No new construction is planned.
A late-December legal notice for the proposed bonds sparked the petition process after organizers complained about its timing, saying it was issued at the 11th hour when people were not paying attention to current events.
Some also alluded to not knowing how the money would be used. However, the bond’s issuance and its primary goal of constructing a demonstration school were both public knowledge since the topics were first pitched by the Commission on Starkville Consolidated School District Structure — the merger study group created by the Legislature — during open meetings and forums in 2013.
Senate Bill 2818, the Legislature’s 2014 answer to the group’s requests and overall plan, authorized Pulley to increase OCSD’s bonding capacity to its 3-mill limit for campus improvements and tasked her with issuing the reverse referendum for new construction.
“I have mixed emotions because the purpose of (the petition effort) was to bring our voices to table. No upcoming vote means no voices are heard,” said petition organizer Denny Daniels. “This has the potential to work out well for everyone because it means (school district officials) can go back and start over with a new route. Hopefully after conducting a more-public campaign than they attempted, they can go out door to door like we did to engage the community and try to sell it.”
Backers promise renewed support
After opposition to the Pulley-initiated bond emerged, local public education stakeholders launched their own campaign to inform voters of the impact a demonstration school could afford Oktibbeha County.
Those same groups vowed Monday to continue their efforts despite Pulley’s actions nixing the bond referendum.
Two groups — The Greater Starkville Development Partnership and Parents for Public School Starkville — began a reverse petition process targeting those who signed the original form and challenging them to remove their names from the document. Their efforts yielded only 25 signatures, well shy of the almost 500 needed to defeat the original petition.
“The Partnership remains committed to public education in Starkville and Oktibbeha County. The children of our community deserve every opportunity to learn with every resource available,” said Partnership CEO Jennifer Gregory. “We’re beyond grateful that MSU has stepped up as the state’s flagship institution to provide a plan for the partnership school, but we must do our part as a community. We have an opportunity of a lifetime, and I look forward to future collaboration at all levels with all stakeholders in the community to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.”
PPS Starkville President Michelle Jones said she understood why Pulley tabled the bond — a 60 percent supermajority of OCSD residents would have been needed to authorize the debt — and pledged her organization will “roll up its sleeves … to seek the best for all” county pupils.
“Overwhelmingly, we have heard the county residents’ desire to be more involved in framing solutions,” she said. “Our resolve to ensure a successful consolidation for our children and our community is as firm as ever. Our children deserve the very best we can give them.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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