The possibility of closing East Flora Middle School was discussed this week as the Madison County School Board faces another year of state funding cuts.
Flora Mayor Les Childress and a group of the school's PTA members sat down with School Board members in executive session to discuss the issue Monday.
The school has an enrollment of 154 students that requires around 13 teachers as well as administration and support staff. School officials estimate it costs around $1 million a year to operate.
Superintendent of Education Michael D. Kent said closing a school is never an easy decision, but with drastic cuts expected for the upcoming school year nothing is off the table.
"There's nothing set in stone, but is it being considered? Absolutely," he said. "It all hinges on funding at the state level.
"What we're doing right now is listening to all the talk coming from the state capitol about funding," he continued. "If we have the funding woes they're predicting we may not have any choice."
Childress said no one in Flora wants to see the school closed and he hoped to push the issue with the town's aldermen and with their state representatives.
"We certainly don't want to see any of the schools on this side of the county close," Childress said. "Hopefully the legislature will come up with the funding, but if not we need to look at all the options."
If closed, the students from East Flora Middle would instead go to Madison Middle School where Kent said they have room. Currently, Madison Middle has the district's second largest enrollment with 1,228 students, second only to Madison Central High School.
In July an analysis of the district's spending showed it costs nearly twice as much to educate a student at East Flora Middle School than it does at Madison Middle School.
The report calculated instructional, transportation and various other expenses coming up with a per-student expense at each school.
It showed East Flora Middle School, the district's smallest, is the most expensive school to operate at almost $10,000 per child.
Other middle schools, like Madison and Germantown Middle, average around $5,700 per student.
The district's overall average is $7,400 per student while the state's average is just over $9,000.
Read More: MCJ
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