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15-564: In the 1960s and 70s, the school districts were reconfigured so that most of the areas surrounding Starkville were grouped into the Starkville School District (SSD). This resulted in a situation where the population of the OCSD had a median income of around half that of the SSD, and was over 90% black. Prior to 1970, black students from Sturgis were bused to Maben . One day before the faculty of

30-621: A total of 4,310 students enrolled in the Starkville School District during the 2012–2013 school year. The gender makeup of the district was 49% female and 51% male. The racial makeup of the district was 64% African American, 31% White, 1% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 0.3% other. 62% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch. 33°27′42″N 88°49′20″W  /  33.461673°N 88.822192°W  / 33.461673; -88.822192 East Oktibbeha County High School East Oktibbeha County High School ( EOCHS )

45-435: The 1990s and another in 2010 recommended the districts be merged to provide for a better and less segregated education. After repeated failures and charges of mismanagement, the state legislature attempted to get the schools to consolidate, first in the 1990s, and again in 2013 but with no avail. After the legislature passed a bill in 2014 forcing the SSD to consolidate with OCSD, the county was out of options. The OCSD district

60-408: The 70s and 80s, various lawsuits including Montgomery v Starkville Municipal Separate School District alleged that the district dismissed or demoted black teachers because of their race, failed to compensate black teachers the same as white teachers, placed children in gifted or remedial programs based on race, and maintained segregation at the classroom level. Various commissions and consultants in

75-549: The communities in the eastern parts of Oktibbeha county not included in the Starkville City School District. OCSD was taken over the state twice due to academic failure and mismanagement, and the state proposed several times that it should be merged with the SSD. In 2013, the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill requiring that all Oktibbeha County schools be merged into the Starkville School District. In

90-421: The county system a source of shame. In 1970, when the schools were integrated, more than half of the black teachers were let go. In addition, the old Rosenwald school was burned to the ground. In 1970, immediately after the schools were integrated, the student population declined by 866 students from the previous year, for a total enrollment of 3,410, of which 1,762 were listed as negro and 1,649 as white. In

105-524: The county, including Starkville, residents of Mississippi State University , and the other communities and rural areas countywide due to the state legislature mandated consolidation with the Oktibbeha County School District in 2015. When federal mandates forced schools to integrate, Oktibbeha County realigned the school districts so that the Starkville School District (SSD) occupied the affluent neighborhoods surrounding Starkville, which

120-608: The district was 51% female and 49% male. The racial makeup of the district was 91.55% African American, 8.33% White, and 0.11% Asian. 82.7% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch. Starkville School District The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District ( SOCSD ), formerly Starkville Public School District , is a public school district in Oktibbeha County , Mississippi , headquartered in Starkville . The district serves all children within

135-485: The implementation of this plan, East Oktibbeha Elementary was closed because its location would have resulted in a school that was over 90% black. The district was dissolved under Mississippi law on July 1, 2015. Schools closed prior to the district's consolidation: There were a total of 876 students enrolled in the Oktibbeha County School District during the 2006-2007 school year. The gender makeup of

150-480: The opposite occurred as many rural whites removed their children from private schools and enrolled in the new district schools, now 67% black. The merger marks the first time in the Mississippi consolidation movement that a failing district has been merged with a successful one, and that two districts of such extremely different racial makeup have been merged. As a result of the merger, East Oktibbeha elementary school

165-585: The schools were to be integrated in February of 1970, a black school in Maben was burned. The district served most of Maben and the town of Sturgis in the West Oktibbeha County Elementary (Pre-K-6) and High School (7-12) as well as several communities in the western parts of the county not in the Starkville City School District. The East Oktibbeha County Elementary (K-6) and High School (7-12) served

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180-558: Was a public secondary school located in unincorporated Oktibbeha County, Mississippi , near Crawford . It was a part of the Oktibbeha County School District , and was formed by the consolidation of two traditionally black high schools, Moor and Alexander . In 2015 the schools of Oktibbeha County district consolidated into the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District , and this school consolidated into Starkville High School . As of 2016,

195-610: Was closed because it would have been over 90% black and would not reflect the racial makeup of the district. The consolidated school district serves all of the county. The previous Starkville School District served Starkville, the Mississippi State University census-designated place, Longview , and some other unincorporated areas. Schools are in Starkville unless otherwise stated. Secondary schools: Elementary schools: Preschool: Alternative programs: There were

210-441: Was dissolved under Mississippi law on July 1, 2015. The new consolidated SOCSD took the combined area of SSD and OCSD. The two elementary schools, East Oktibbeha and West Oktibbeha were to remain open while the high schools, East High and West High , consolidated into Starkville High School . There was apprehension that the merger would cause white flight of students to local private schools including Starkville Academy , but

225-456: Was the center of Oktibbeha County, and included the majority of the tax base. The remaining fringes of the county were relegated to the Oktibbeha County School District (OCSD), which was poor, underfunded, failing, and over 90% black. Over the next few decades, the SSD became racially mixed, while the OCSD stumbled badly and was take over by state conservators on two occasions, most recently in 2013. Many in Starkville and at Mississippi State found

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