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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) DeBar
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 2486
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-1001, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO TASK THE STANDING COMMISSION ON SCHOOL DISTRICT EFFICIENCY WITH 2
STUDYING NEED TO CONSOLIDATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE 3
OF MISSISSIPPI; TO SPECIFY CERTAIN DATA ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT 4
MUST BE COMPILED IN A REPORT ON THE STUDY TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE 5
LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR BY NOVEMBER 30, 2026, AND ON NOVEMBER 6
30 OF EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 37-7-1003, 7
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXPRESS THE INTENT OF THE LEGISLATURE 8
TO DETERMINE THROUGH LEGISLATION, IN THE 2027 REGULAR SESSION AND 9
SUBSEQUENT REGULAR SESSIONS, WHICH SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHALL BE 10
CONSOLIDATED, AND A SCHEDULE FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF EACH 11
DISTRICT; TO ALLOW A DISTRICT SUBJECT TO CONSOLIDATION TO PROPOSE 12
ITS OWN CONSOLIDATION PLAN; TO PROVIDE THAT, SHOULD A DISTRICT NOT 13
PROPOSE A PLAN, OR SHOULD THE COMMISSION REJECT A DISTRICT'S PLAN, 14
THE COMMISSION SHALL DEVELOP A PLAN FOR THE DISTRICT'S 15
CONSOLIDATION; TO PROVIDE THAT THE COMMISSION SHALL APPOINT A 16
TRANSITIONAL GOVERNING BOARD; TO PROVIDE THAT, DURING THE TIME IN 17
WHICH THE TRANSITIONAL BOARD IS PERFORMING THE DUTIES OF A SCHOOL 18
BOARD, BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER CONSOLIDATION, BOARD MEMBERS SHALL BE 19
ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 37-6-13; TO CREATE 20
NEW SECTION 37-7-1005, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO SPECIFY 21
CERTAIN DATA ON SCHOOLS WITHIN EACH DISTRICT NOT SUBJECT TO 22
CONSOLIDATION THAT EACH SUCH DISTRICT SHALL COMPILE AND SUBMIT TO 23
THE COMMISSION BY OCTOBER 31, 2027; TO REQUIRE THE COMMISSION TO 24
SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE STATE 25
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BY NOVEMBER 30, 2027, WITH THE COMPILED 26
DATA AND THE COMMISSION'S JUDGMENT AS TO EACH DISTRICT'S 27
CONCLUSIONS REGARDING SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION; AND FOR RELATED 28
PURPOSES. 29
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 30
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SECTION 1. Section 37-7-1001, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 31
amended as follows: 32
37-7-1001. (1) As used in this article, the following terms 33
shall have the meanings ascribed below, unless otherwise indicated 34
by the context: 35
(a) "Board" means the State Board of Education. 36
(b) "Commission" means the Standing Commission on 37
School District Efficiency authorized in this section. 38
(c) "Department" means the State Department of 39
Education. 40
(2) The State Board of Education is hereby authorized to 41
establish a Standing Commission on School District Efficiency. 42
The commission shall meet and study the operations, rules, 43
policies and regulations in school districts on an ongoing basis 44
for the purpose of identifying opportunities to increase 45
efficiencies, and to determine appropriate efficiency standards 46
that should be considered for accreditation standards. The 47
commission shall report annually its findings and recommendations 48
to the * * * board, and the * * * board may make its report and 49
recommendations annually to the Legislature seeking legislative 50
support to achieve efficiencies in school districts. In 51
establishing the * * * commission, the * * * board shall provide 52
that the membership not be less than six (6) members. The * * * 53
board shall appoint school district employees proficient in the 54
areas of fiscal management, procurement, data processing or other 55
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fields of school business, with at least one (1) member being 56
appointed from each congressional district. The commission shall 57
meet on a date designated by the State Superintendent of Education 58
and organize by selecting a chairman and adopt rules for 59
conducting business. Members of the commission shall serve 60
without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary travel 61
expenses from any available funds for attending official meetings 62
of the commission. The * * * department shall provide necessary 63
administrative and clerical support for the functions of the 64
commission. 65
(3) The commission shall compile the most recent data 66
available which reflects the following: 67
(i) The total public school student population for 68
the entire State of Mississippi; 69
(ii) The total number of students enrolled in the 70
public school system in each county; 71
(iii) For each school district, the name, 72
categorization, county or counties in which it is situated, total 73
number of students enrolled, net student enrollment, number of 74
schools, grades served by each school, enrollment in each grade 75
level per school, and capacity of each school; 76
(iv) The total and per-pupil administrative costs 77
of each district, using the same funds, functions and objects that 78
the department is required to use under Section 37-151-203(1)(d) 79
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in the annual determination of the base student cost under the 80
Mississippi Student Funding Formula; 81
(v) The density classifications of each district 82
required under Section 3-151-85 for purposes of determining the 83
district's transportation costs using the scale of allowable costs 84
developed by the department; 85
(vi) The total number of sparsely populated 86
districts, as defined under Section 37-151-201, in the state; 87
(vii) The accreditation level of each district; 88
and 89
(viii) Such other objective information that may 90
be deemed relevant by the commission in addressing the issue of 91
the holistic educational efficiency and opportunities of school 92
districts. 93
(b) The information gathered by the commission under 94
this subsection (3) shall be compiled and presented, by county and 95
school district, in a user-friendly format that easily allows for 96
comparisons to be made between districts under each category of 97
information. 98
(4) In addition to the data compiled under subsection (5) of 99
this section, the commission shall include the following 100
information: 101
(a) An in-depth analysis of administrative 102
consolidation, contemplating all matters that must be considered 103
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in determining whether reducing the number of school districts in 104
the state would be feasible or advantageous; 105
(b) An in-depth analysis of intradistrict 106
consolidation, contemplating all matters that must be considered 107
in determining whether reducing the number of schools within a 108
district would be feasible or advantageous; 109
(c) A list of the benefits and disadvantages of 110
reducing or not reducing the number of districts in each specific 111
county having two (2) or more school districts; 112
(d) A list of the benefits and disadvantages of 113
reducing or not reducing the number of schools serving the same 114
grade level in each district with multiple schools serving the 115
same grade level; 116
(e) A projection of the most feasible minimum size of a 117
district that is capable of promoting a wholesome educational 118
experience, complete with advanced placement courses, career 119
technical education courses, athletics and other extracurricular 120
activities; 121
(f) A projection of the savings in state and local 122
funding which would be achieved through the consolidation of 123
districts in each specific county having two (2) or more school 124
districts; 125
(g) An analysis of the fiscal impact of district 126
consolidations from 2012 to the present; and 127
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(h) A recommended procedure to accomplish the 128
administrative consolidation of districts in each county having 129
two (2) or more school districts, or intradistrict consolidation 130
of schools within a district, and a reasonable time frame in which 131
the consolidation could be achieved, with each consolidation 132
categorized in a phase spanning two (2) school years, the first 133
phase beginning July 1, 2028, and ending June 30, 2030, and each 134
subsequent phase beginning and ending one (1) year later than the 135
previous phase. The second school year of a phase shall be the 136
first school year in which a newly consolidated district is in 137
effect; therefore, a consolidated district in the first phase 138
shall become effective on July 1, 2029. 139
(5) In order to quantify and affirm the number of school 140
districts necessary within the state, if determined that 141
single-county districts are not in the best interest of the 142
children and families of this state, the commission shall use the 143
following criteria: 144
(a) An assessment of the largest districts in the 145
state; 146
(b) An assessment of the smallest districts in the 147
state; 148
(c) An assessment of previously consolidated districts 149
in counties having two (2) or more school districts; 150
(d) An assessment of districts whose boundaries are 151
situated within two (2) counties; 152
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(e) The administrative, operational and programs of 153
instruction and curriculum of those schools accredited at the 154
highest and lowest levels of performance on the accreditation 155
rating scale; 156
(f) The socio-economic demographics of each district 157
with greater populations of at-risk students; and 158
(g) Levels of social, economic, academic and cultural 159
exposure. 160
(6) The commission, with its support staff from the 161
department, shall prepare a written report, to be presented to the 162
Legislature and the Governor by November 30, 2026, and on November 163
30 of every year thereafter, on the study that includes the data 164
and information specified in subsections (3), (4) and (5) of this 165
section. 166
SECTION 2. The following shall be codified as Section 167
37-7-1003, Mississippi Code of 1972: 168
37-7-1003. (1) As used in this section, the term 169
"consolidated district" includes consolidated line school 170
districts. 171
(2) On the basis of the commission report required in 172
Section 37-7-1001(6), the Legislature, in its 2027 Regular Session 173
and subsequent regular sessions, shall determine through 174
legislation which school districts shall be consolidated, and in 175
which phase under Section 37-7-1001(4)(e) each district 176
consolidation shall be placed. 177
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(3) Any school district required by the Legislature to 178
consolidate may submit to the commission its own consolidation 179
plan, under guidelines adopted by the commission, no later than 180
November 30 of the first school year of its consolidation phase. 181
If a district does not submit its own plan to the commission by 182
the deadline, or if the commission, with the concurrence of the 183
board, rejects the district's plan, the commission shall develop 184
its own plan to consolidate the district. 185
(4) If the commission develops its own consolidation plan, 186
it shall create a transitional governing board for the future 187
consolidated district. The transitional board shall begin 188
functioning on January 1 of the first school year of its 189
consolidation phase. The transitional board shall consist of five 190
(5) members selected by the commission. 191
(5) The full calendar year before the consolidated district 192
is scheduled to take effect: 193
(a) The department shall train the members of the 194
transitional board on the duties it shall perform during the 195
transition to consolidation and in the first school year of the 196
newly consolidated district; 197
(b) The members of the transitional board shall attend 198
the meetings of the school boards of the existing districts to be 199
consolidated; 200
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(c) The existing districts shall submit monthly reports 201
to the transitional board consisting of information as determined 202
by the department; and 203
(d) The transitional board shall begin searching for a 204
superintendent for the future consolidated district. 205
(6) On January 1 of the calendar year in which the 206
consolidated district is scheduled to take effect, the school 207
boards of the existing districts shall be abolished, and the 208
transitional board shall assume their duties on behalf of the 209
existing districts through June 30. On July 1, the consolidated 210
district shall take effect, governed by the transitional board 211
until school board members for the consolidated district can be 212
elected and installed. During the time in which the transitional 213
board is performing the duties of a school board, both before and 214
after consolidation, board members shall be entitled to 215
compensation as provided in Section 37-6-13. The transitional 216
board shall be abolished upon the constitution of an elected 217
school board as provided by law. 218
SECTION 3. The following shall be codified as Section 219
37-7-1005, Mississippi Code of 1972: 220
37-7-1005. (1) No later than October 31, 2027, each school 221
district not scheduled for consolidation by the Legislature shall 222
compile and submit to the commission the most recent data 223
available which reflects the following: 224
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(a) The total number of students enrolled in each 225
school in the district by grade, and the net enrollment of 226
students in each such school; 227
(b) The personnel employed in each school in the 228
district, by title and annual salary or hourly wage; 229
(c) A list of buildings at each school and other 230
properties in the district, and a description of the condition of 231
each; and 232
(d) A list of the district's expenses at each school or 233
property within the last five (5) fiscal years. 234
(2) In addition to the data compiled under subsection (1) of 235
this section, the school district shall include the following 236
information: 237
(a) An in-depth analysis of all matters that must be 238
considered in determining whether reducing the number of schools 239
in the district would be feasible or advantageous; 240
(b) A list of the benefits and disadvantages of 241
reducing or not reducing the number of schools in the district; 242
(c) A projection of the most feasible minimum size of a 243
school that is capable of promoting a wholesome educational 244
experience, athletics and other extracurricular activities; 245
(d) A projection of the savings in state and local 246
funding which would be achieved through the consolidation of 247
schools in the district; and 248
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ST: School and district consolidation; create
plan with help of Standing Commission on School
District Efficiency.
(e) A recommended procedure to accomplish the 249
consolidation of schools in the district and a reasonable time 250
frame in which the consolidation could be achieved, and if not by 251
the following school year, reasons why a delay would be needed. 252
(3) The commission, with its support staff from the 253
department, shall prepare a written report, to be presented to the 254
board and the department by November 30, 2027, on the study that 255
includes the data and information specified in subsections (1) and 256
(2) of this section, together with the commission's judgment and 257
supporting reasons as to each district's conclusions regarding 258
school consolidation. 259
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 260
and after July 1, 2026. 261