Jackson Free Press

Mercedes Montgomery, a parent at Watkins Elementary School in northwest Jackson, said children from the school needed to transition into a safe space. She was part of a Zoom meeting Tuesday to discuss the Jackson Public School District's decision to close the facility by the end of the school year.

The JPS board of trustees approved an emergency measure on March 2 to close the school and move the students to nearby Walton Elementary School.

"Thank you all for accommodating us all even in the midst of the hardship of Watkins and your hard work continually teaching our children in the middle of a pandemic as well. Again, you all are highly appreciated," Montgomery posted in the Zoom chat.

JPS Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools Kathleen Grigsby showed pictures of the building's structural challenges necessitating the closure.

"Due to the budget that was set aside for improvement in comparison to the existing conditions, the proposed improvements are going to exceed the bond budget," she shared at the stakeholders' meeting. "The school repairs will fall under the guidelines of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (as a Mississippi landmark), which means that in order for us to do certain repairs, they'll cost more to do them."

With 193 students enrolled at Watkins and 260 at Walton, the 770-student capacity of Walton will readily accommodate combining the two sets of students, she explained, noting that the student population at Watkins has been shrinking since the 2016-2017 session from 363 students in the 420-student capacity school to the current figure.

Grigsby explained that on March 29, after spring break and following a week of quarantining, Watkins students who chose in-person learning will join Walton while those opting for virtual will continue doing so. Watkins Elementary School will continue to exist as a legal entity until the end of the school year.

"The Board approved closing the school during the upcoming Spring Break because of continuing issues with water drainage into the lower level of the building which poses potential health issues for students," Executive Director of Public Engagement Sherwin Johnson said in a statement. "With the usual increase in the rain that comes with the onset of spring, more flooding in the lower level is to be expected. For that reason, utilities have already been disconnected in the kitchen area."

JPS Superintendent Errick Greene said safety was the priority for the school closure.

"For those who've been working in the building for some years, they've been working through this and just dealing with all of the issues, the flooding, and then eventually we took the kitchen offline because that was an issue," he said. "I understand, perhaps before I got here a couple of years ago, there were some issues with the auditorium, our cafeteria, or something, one of the larger common spaces that was compromised."

Grisby explained that the human resources team is consulting with Watkins' staff about their future. "Certified educators were given first priority to (roll into) the newly consolidated school," she said. "And then our classified staff are being notified of vacancy within their department. And so all of our classified staff had first priority for roles based on favorable job performance."

JPS has closed seven schools in the last few years after weighing repair costs and declining enrollment—George, Brown, French, Barr and Woodville Heights Elementary Schools; and Siwell and Hardy Middle Schools.

Email story tips to city/county reporter Kayode Crown at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @kayodecrown.