2 school districts merge into 1 in the Mississippi Delta

GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) — Two school districts in the Mississippi Delta have completed their merger.

Gov. Phil Bryant signed a law in 2016 mandating that the Greenwood city schools and the Leflore County schools combine with each other.

The first day for the new Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District was Monday, the Greenwood Commonwealth reported. The consolidated district's superintendent, Mary Brown, had already been working with the school board to hire employees.

A districtwide band, show choir and mass choir have been created. Administrators have written an instructional management plan and a districtwide literacy plan, adjusted bus routes, adopted a student handbook, analyzed test data for all schools, produced calendars for testing and professional development for the coming school year and hired a school safety coordinator. Classes begin in August.

No campuses have been closed, but two elementary schools have changed their roles.

Claudine Brown Elementary previously had kindergarten through fourth grade. It will now have pre-kindergarten through second grade. East Elementary previously had kindergarten through fifth grade. It will now have third through fifth.

Brown said any decision on whether to close schools would be made based off the findings of a facility study conducted by an architectural firm.

Margaret Dean, spokeswoman for the new district, said the central office will be in the former Greenwood district's headquarters. Brown and three assistant superintendents will work in the downtown building, along with other administrative officials, known as chiefs.

Dean said some other chiefs will work in the building on U.S. 82 that formerly housed the central office for the Leflore County district.

The 17 district chiefs will oversee various aspects of the operation, including transportation, technology, security, special education, and other fields.