By Christian Coffman

NATCHEZ — Natchez-Adams School District officials have resumed negotiations with Alcorn State University to move the Natchez Early College Academy to ASU’s Natchez campus.

Superintendent Fred Butcher said last week the administration has been in communication with Alcorn officials.

Last year, ASU Vice President for Marketing and Communication Clara Stamps said the university would not resume conversations until a new superintendent was selected.

Butcher was named permanent superintendent in September 2016.

Butcher said Alcorn’s current proposal to host NECA is more expensive than prevoous negotiations. The increase in costs adds a maintenance employee for $12,000 to $14,000, and the cost for supplies. .

Previously, costs per year were reported to be approximately $62,000.

Butcher said he would negotiate with Alcorn so that the district could ultimately pay for its own supplies.

“This will save around $10,000,” he said.

Butcher said if NECA cannot get out to a college campus, then NECA students will be limited in what they can do to earn college credits.

NECA students take dual-enrollment clases at Copiah Lincon Community, which is adjacent to the Alcorn campus.

Students have the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and at least 31 transferable college credit for a minimal cost.

Butcher said he also wants to look at saving money by negotiating with Copiah-Lincoln Community College to see if the price per semester hour can be lowered. Butcher said most community colleges offer cheaper rates to districts with dual enrollment programs such as NECA.

As it stands, Butcher said he hoped to have more students going to Co-Lin affordably, and an instructor to come in from Alcorn to teach a basic pre-college course to Natchez High School.