Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NATCHEZ — In an effort to fix a structure that is “not working,” the Natchez Adams School District plans to reorganize grades pre-K through eight.

The Natchez Adams School District is hosting “My Voice, My NASD Community Conversations” at 6 p.m. today the Natchez High School Cafeteria to address the restructuring of elementary through junior high schools.

In preparation for the opening of a new high school, the district divided itself into three elementary schools and one middle school. The middle school is located where the old high school was next to the new Natchez High School on Seargent Prentiss Drive.

However, due to a combination of staffing issues and students of different grade levels blended together, this structure is “not working,” said Public Engagement Coordinator Tony Fields.

“It addresses weaknesses at the middle school. The traditional six through 8th-grade model is not working. This would combine students closer in maturity level so we won’t have so many students in one building and only focus on two grade levels.”

The district is now proposing to combine students of the same grade level at each school.

Superintendent Zandra McDonald-Green said this is “to ensure equitable access to high quality instruction by certified teachers for all of our students.”

Tentatively, the plan is to house a pre-kindergarten through first grade school at Susie B West Elementary, a second through fourth-grade school at McLaurin Elementary, a fifth and sixth-grade school at Morgantown Elementary and seventh and eighth grade at the Natchez Middle School, Fields said. This is contingent upon the stakeholder input received at tonight’s meeting and the approval of the Natchez Adams School District Board of Trustees, Fields said.

“Superintendent McDonald-Green has taken time to look at student enrollment and student data and pulled the district team together to put together a plan to be more efficient with the student resources and staff that we have,” Fields said.

“This reconfiguration is going to help with staffing throughout the district. Enrollment has been declining each year. Reconfiguring this year is ensuring every student in NASD will have a certified teacher because they won’t be as spread out.”

He added that this plan has already been presented to employees and tonight it’s going to be presented for the first time to students, parents and community.

McDonald-Green encourage stakeholders to take part in the meeting at 6 p.m. tonight at the Natchez High School cafeteria.

“We invite parents and interested community members to join us for conversations of how district leaders propose to reorganize,” she said. “The success of our district is built on productive partnerships and involvement from our students, parents, employees and community members. So, we want feedback from our community.”