The Jackson Public School’s Board of Trustees has voted in favor of closing or consolidating over a dozen schools next year due to a decline in enrollment throughout the capital city.
The board voted 5-1 in approval of the plan on Tuesday following months of discussions involving 16 schools, with Clausell Elementary, Green Elementary, and Key Elementary being removed from the list earlier this month.
At this time, JPS officials are planning for the following schools to be consolidated or closed by the end of 2024:
- Chastain Middle
- Dawson Elementary
- G.N. Elementary
- Lake Elementary
- Lester Elementary
- Marshall Elementary
- Obama Magnet School (Consolidate)
- Raines Elementary
- Shirley Elementary
- Sykes Elementary
- Wells APAC (Consolidate)
- Whitten Middle
- Wingfield High
JPS Superintendent Dr. Errick Greene has since stated that he believes the current optimization plan will help address the district’s needs as enrollment, facility infrastructure issues, and staffing issues continue to worsen.
Over the past decade, JPS has reported a decline in enrollment totaling close to 10,000 students and over 400 staffing vacancies. At this time, Greene anticipates that the current plan will save JPS more than $17 million each year, as well as $174 million in renovation costs.
