Oktibbeha County’s old Moor High School could become a museum for local public education efforts and a home for educational support services if a lease or purchase agreement can be reached between the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors and the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
As part of a possible partnership with the county, the Education Association of East Oktibbeha County Schools wants supervisors to help it obtain space at the abandoned high school as a way to preserve the historical landmark and make it serviceable to the community again.
“That institution stood for 55 years in our community. It’s becoming an eyesore,” said Jacqueline Ellis, an association representative. “We have the resources. We have the tools to create a lasting institution for educational purposes.”
Ellis laid out for supervisors on Monday her vision for what services the nonprofit could provide at the campus. The plan includes bringing in community members as part of a teacher support team, community health services and enrichment classes that focus on academics and skills learned outside the classroom.
The organization could also attempt to develop a Head Start early childhood program through federal and state funding sources, she said.
“Creating a multipurpose complex on this side of the county will certainly enhance the lives of citizens, youth and the community as a whole,” Ellis said. “We don’t propose to take over the entire site, but we are advocating for other organizations to come along with us.”
Community Counseling Services has also expressed interest in obtaining space at the former West Oktibbeha County High School in Maben.
District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said such an arrangement could save travel time and costs to facilities in Meridian for people in need of its services and their loved ones.
Ellis did not say how much the proposed programs would cost, and Trainer acknowledged the county may be asked to provide financial support for the initiative or in its effort to obtain and maintain the school in any property transfer arrangement.
“In a perfect world, you’d hope we could secure all of this without having to invest much into it. There may be things we have to do with funding, though,” Trainer said. “If it takes dollars to make these facilities functional for the community, I’ll be supportive. You’d hope future tenants could bear the brunt without county support, but that’s sometimes wishful thinking.”
No deal yet
Trainer first said last month he was interested in the county either acquiring the two high schools or assuming their leases since both campuses were not included in the district’s original consolidation plans.
He and school Superintendent Lewis Holloway have had at least one brief conversation about a potential lease for the facilities, both men confirmed, but negotiations have not yet formally begun.
The school district and East Mississippi Community College explored a $1 lease in 2015 for the West Oktibbeha school, but a deal never materialized.
A deal similar to the college’s proposal — a small fee associated with the county’s pledge to maintain the property and pay its associated utility bills — could emerge for the West Oktibbeha school, but East Oktibbeha County High School sits on land held in lieu of 16th section parcel rules and must go through an appraisal process to determine a minimum annual lease amount.
The county is seeking an attorney general’s opinion that asks if it is permissible to obtain the schools via a quid-pro-quo agreement, in which the county would construct a parking lot for the school district.
“We’re certainly interested in what the county has to offer, but we’re bound by what the law says we have to do,” Holloway said.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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