NATCHEZ — Tensions grew and voices were raised Friday between a city alderwoman and a school board member as the potential closure of two school buildings was discussed.

The Natchez-Adams School District’s construction plan includes the potential closure of two schools — Joseph L. Frazier Elementary School and Robert Lewis Magnet School.

While the district’s drafted plan includes the use of the Frazier and Lewis names at renovated buildings, Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said she would fight any plan closing the two schools on the north end of town, one of the schools being located in her district.

“This is ridiculous — that’s just the way I feel about it,” Arceneaux-Mathis said. “We are trying to renovate that part of town to bring it to what it was — it was not always dooms town.

“Knowing members of the board have lived and taught and worked at these schools… for you to bring a proposal of this magnitude to shut down these two schools, I’m completely disappointed. I want to make sure you understand I am shaking angry.”

While the four boards — county, city, school and recreation — met to discuss the potential use of the bean field to build a new school, Superintendent Fred Butcher and staff also presented a $45 million “wish list” construction plan involving building a new high school and renovating the current high school, Morgantown Middle, West Elementary and McLaurin Elementary.

School Board member Phillip West responded to Arceneaux-Mathis, saying her line of thinking is part of what is keeping Natchez in the past. West said Natchez needs educational facilities for tomorrow, not yesterday.

“Let’s try and do whatever we think is in the best interest of the community, all children and future children,” West said. “My children left here a long time ago. Part of the reason they are gone, part of the reason a lot of your children are gone, is because we have not done what we need to do to improve opportunities in the community.”

All roads — including public safety and economic development — go through education, West said.

“Some don’t understand the safety issue,” West said. “Most people in prison, not only in the state of Mississippi but all over, are drop outs,” West said. “It costs more to put people in prison than to educate them. We are still behind other communities relative to educational development — places like Clinton that addressed this issue in years past. It is time for us to do the same thing.”

Alderman Billie Joe Frazier said if the buildings are abandoned, the north side of town would completely die. He also said two more abandoned structures would likely increase crime in the area.

“Why not tear McLaurin down?” he said. “It was built in 1953.”

Arceneaux-Mathis said the two buildings are also part of the heritage of the community and it would be better to renovate them and build them right.

“I don’t give a dog on if it costs $10 million,” Arceneaux-Mathis said. “This is a cornerstone you are tearing up. You have to be conclusive of all neighborhoods.”

School officials have argued placing schools close together creates efficiencies in transportation, which can save money, but also in synergies in the classroom by sharing staff. District financial consultant Tony Gaylor, a Natchez native, said the highest rated school districts in the state have buildings near each other to take advantage of that synergy in a time when staff recruitment for key topics such as science and math is tough.

School Board Secretary Thelma Newsome argued, as painful as it would be for her personally having gone to school and taught at Robert Lewis and Frazier, respectively, the two schools are not built for modern day instruction.

“Start visiting other cities,” Newsome said. “Those that are in the same shape that we are in, just like us, have refused to move forward for sentimental reasons or financial difficulties. We have got to move forward.”

Butcher said down the road he would like to consider using the current Frazier Elementary as a potential vocational-technical building. But for now, Butcher said the renovation of Frazier comes with an approximately $9 million price tag. He said the district did not even ask architects to look at options for renovating Robert Lewis Magnet School because the campus is in terrible shape.

The campus has been in bad shape for some time, school board member Cynthia Smith said. When she retired as an administrator in 2004 at Robert Lewis, security, safety and structural issues at the campus were already concerns.

Mayor Darryl Grennell did not offer an opinion on what the district should do, but he said if the plans included closing down two schools, to budget demolition monies in the proposal. Grennell said the north side of town did not need more abandoned structures for people to break into and perform illicit activities.

Grennell said he agreed with West a strong educational presence in the community could deter crime before it starts, and the mayor said he was happy to see Butcher mentioning having a stronger foundation for vocational education.

Butcher said Friday’s meeting would be the first of several and he appreciated Arceneaux-Mathis bringing to light an issue in closing the schools on the north side of town. Butcher said the plan is not carved in stone and he hopes to have six to eight community meetings on the neighborhood level to learn what the community wants.

“The only way to have a good plan is to be open minded,” Butcher said. You have to listen to everyone. We will come back, synthesize the information, and see what option is the best.”