Baxterville School vote set for Feb. 1

The future of Baxterville School's grades 6-8 will be decided during the Lamar County School Board's next meeting.

The school board has announced it will vote on a proposal to transfer Baxterville sixth- through eighth-graders to Purvis Middle School during its Feb. 1 meeting. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at Jefferson Todd Education Center in Purvis.

Baxterville School currently houses grades pre-K through eighth grade.  When students finish eighth grade, they go to ninth grade at Purvis High.  There is a proposal to transfer Baxterville students to Purvis Middle School in sixth grade in order to improve the graduation rate and help them acclimate to the change to Purvis.

The issue has been discussed at several of the past school board meetings, with both sides presenting their findings.

Superintendent Tess Smith found, last year, 21 Baxterville students entered the ninth grade, but only 12 graduated from the high school.  She surmised if the students entered at the middle school level they would be better able to acclimate to the Purvis school system and would remain to graduate.

Smith organized a presentation at last month's school board meeting that looked at what might support a move to the middle school. Surveys showed more Purvis students participated in extracurricular activities and there were more options for such activities in Purvis.

It was found no staff additions would be needed in the Purvis child nutrition, custodial or maintenance departments, but a minimum of seven teachers and one assistant principal would have to be transferred to Purvis if a middle school move was made.

In addition, there would be little room at Purvis Middle School for more students. That school is the district's most in need of additional square footage.

Earlier this month, Baxterville teacher Melissa Saucier addressed the school board about why her school's students should stay right where they are.

Saucier called into question many of the facts presented by Smith and staff last month. She said state test scores actually showed Baxterville students performing better than Purvis students.

Saucier also found fault with a survey done of Purvis faculty, arguing that Baxterville faculty should have been surveyed as well.

Another of Saucier's concerns had to do with busing Baxterville students to Purvis.

Smith has previously said there are four options for the sixth- through eighth-graders at Baxterville: 1.) transition to Purvis Middle School, 2.) keep things status quo with annual reports to the board, 3.) build a high school in Baxterville at a cost of $4 million or 4.) separate Baxterville into an elementary and middle school, spending about $77,000 a year for an administrator for the middle school.