NATCHEZ — A senate bill that would cause the Natchez-Adams School Board to be elected — beginning with the 2019 general election — made it out of the education committee Tuesday.

Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez, said he sponsored a bill at the request of the Natchez Board of Aldermen and the Adams County Board of Supervisors.

“We had a meeting in 2016 about this, but it was too late to introduce legislation at that time,” Dearing said. “I told them I would introduce it this year, which I did.”

The ultimate bill that made it through committee was SB 2036, which Dearing said would require all counties — but not municipalities — to have elected school boards.

The election of school board members for the Natchez-Adams School District, being a combined district, was amended into SB 2036, Dearing said. Board of Supervisors Chair Mike Lazarus said an elected school board is not a perfect solution, but he believes electing trustees who have the ability to in effect increase taxes has more pros than cons.

“As far as accountability to the people who pay taxes, that is the reason for having an elected school board,” Lazarus said. “It seems like every year, we get at least a small increase from the school system.

“If you are going to raise taxes, you won’t be around long.”

On the downside, Lazarus said he is not confident an election will get the most qualified school board members.

“It’s up to the voters,” Lazarus said. “If they will vote in the most qualified person instead of making it a popularity contest, everything will be all right.”

Mayor Darryl Grennell said he has been pushing for many years to require the school board to be elected. Like Lazarus, Grennell said the reasoning is because the school board can affect tax millage.

“The school boards, in their budget requests, end up having an impact on the millage,” Grennell said. “Therefore, they need to be elected so they can be directly accountable to the people.

“It is something that is long overdue. We will continue to monitor and see if it passes.”

Dearing said the bill would go to the senate floor at some point over the next week. School board President Amos James Jr. said he is comfortable with having appointed board members, but is also comfortable with an elected system if that is the will of the people.

“It is all about what the people want,” James said. “Whether we have an elected board or an appointed board, it is all going to come down to the quality of the person in place.”

School board member Phillip West said having an elected school board has been a concern of his since the early 1980s when he was on the board of supervisors, so he’d like to see the change.

“Each year, the school board can make budget increase requests, which in effect, raises taxes,” West said. “Anyone who can levee taxes ought to be elected so they can answer to the people.”

West said when he was in the state Legislature, he introduced a bill for an elected school board, which passed in the house but died in the senate.

“We had more division in the community at that time about this issue,” West said. “I think more of the community think it is an appropriate thing, so it should be more likely to pass.”