Due to a surge in student enrollment at Roseland Park Elementary, administrators with the Picayune Separate Municipal School District are considering moving some students to other campuses.
The proposal made during Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting entailed moving 139 students currently attending Roseland Park to Nicholson Elementary and moving 116 students currently attending Nicholson to South Side Elementary, said Assistant Superintendent Brent Harrell.
The reason the proposal was made is because there were 525 students attending Roseland Park at the end of the last school year. Harrell said the proposal would bring attendance at that campus in line with the other elementary schools in the district.
To keep the teacher to student ratio the same, teachers would also be moved around within the district, Harrell said.
School Board members were provided with a proposed map of outlining how the change would take place. On the map, several areas were highlighted where students previously attending one school, would be moved to the other.
Affected areas included residents living along the southern side of Jackson Landing Road from the intersection of Highway 11 and all connected roads. At the point Jackson Landing Road curves back toward Grover Barrett Road, then residents on the northern end of Jackson Landing Road and the connected roads would be affected. The line continues up Grover Barrett until it turns down Ausborn Road. All residents on the western side of Grover Barrett would be affected, and residents on the north side of Ausborn would be affected. Those students would be moved from Nicholson Elementary to South Side Elementary.
Students being moved from Roseland Park to Nicholson Elementary would be those living in a block of Picayune from the intersection of Highway 11 and Memorial Boulevard to the intersection of Canal Street and Highway 11 to the intersection of Blanks Avenue and Canal Street and the intersection of Blanks Avenue and Memorial Boulevard and back down Memorial Boulevard to Highway 11.
The board voted to table the matter to give them ample time to review the map before making a decision.
It is expected that the board will revisit the matter at the June 28 meeting, which will be held at noon.
The board also discussed the possibility of establishing a 3 and 4-year-old program for children of the district’s staff. Harrell said the program would be set up at the portable buildings at the Alternative School. The food service department would provide the children with two meals plus a snack each day.
To get the program started there needs to be 20 children enrolled. Parents would be responsible for transporting the children to and from the school. Harrell said the idea for the program began due to employee interest, so he feels there would be enough children to get it started, but if district employees could not provide the required number, then the program could be opened up to the public. Parents would be charged $85 per week to enroll their child. The Board approved a motion to establish the program.