New Vicksburg Warren School Board member Jerry Boland with member Zelmarine Murphy, left, and new member Tommy Shelton. (Jon Giffin The Vicksburg Post)

[1/28/05] Bovina Elementary will remain closed for at least one more year because of state budget uncertainty.

The Vicksburg Warren School District board briefly debated reopening the school as part of the district’s transition back to community-oriented elementaries, but did not take a vote on the matter at its monthly meeting Thursday night.

The meeting started with installation of two new board members, Tommy Shelton from District 5 and Jerry Boland from District 1, both elected in November.

District 2 Trustee Zelmarine Murphy said public hearings should be held to gauge community opinion. District 3 Trustee Betty Tolliver concurred.

Boland said, based on research he had done and conversations with constituents, he supported opening the school about six miles east of the city.

Superintendent James Price said not knowing whether the Mississippi Adequate Education Program would be fully funded by the Legislature means the district’s funding may be short $2.3 million to $2.5 million.

While opening the school would not require hiring new teachers, paying for utilities and maintenance would be new costs for the district.

“We’re pretty much frozen financially,” Price said after the meeting.

Six years ago, the school board initiated a choice-based plan for K-4 schools that resulted in closing Bovina and three other schools. All fifth- and sixth-graders have been attending the district’s newest schools, on Dana Road and Sherman Avenue.

Under the change back to zoned elementaries in August, all district elementaries will become K-6, and most students will be assigned to attend schools nearest their homes.

The Legislature, in session through March, has not agreed on a funding package for education. The allocation for the 9,200-student district here was more than $2 million short of expectations for this year. Reserves have been used that will not be available for 2005-06 if there’s another shortfall.

Price will be in Jackson today speaking to legislators about the allocation to the overarching Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

“At all costs, it’s imperative that the (program) is fully funded,” Price said.

Bovina is one of the fastest-growing areas in Warren County. Since the school closed in 1999, 106 more students moved into the zone that a reopened Bovina would serve.

In other matters, the board evaluated Price’s performance and contract, but took no action on an extension. The superintendent’s contract expires July 1, 2006. Price, who was hired in May 2003, is paid $104,000 annually.