Ray Brooks School

Last updated
Ray Brooks School
Address
Ray Brooks School
1827 Hwy 1

Benoit address
,
Mississippi
38725

United States
Coordinates 33°38′12″N91°01′39″W / 33.6367°N 91.0276°W / 33.6367; -91.0276
Information
School typePublic
Opened1959
Closed2020
School district West Bolivar Consolidated School District (2014-2020)
Benoit School District (1959-2014)
GradesK-12 (2000-2020)
K-9(1986-2000)
1-12/K-12(1959-1986)
Website www.wbcsdk12.org/ray-brooks-school

Ray Brooks School was a K-12 school in unincorporated Bolivar County, Mississippi, near Benoit. In September 2015 it had 214 students. Its namesake was its first principal, Ray Brooks; it was originally known as the Nugent Center School, [1] and until 2014 was the only school of the Benoit School District, which served Benoit and Scott. [2] From 2014 until 2020, it was a part of the West Bolivar Consolidated School District. Ray Brooks School closed in 2020.

Contents

History

The school built in 1959, originally served grades 1-12. [1] It was also known as Benoit High School. [3] In 1986 it was redesignated as a Kindergarten through 9th grade school. [1] High school students were assigned to West Bolivar High School of the West Bolivar School District, in Rosedale. [3]

In 1998 the school received its current name. [1] In 1999 it had 320 students, [4] and in 2000 it had 268 students; that year principal Barbara Akon described it as the smallest school in the state. [5]

High school classes resumed in 2000. [3] Linda Coleman, a Democrat member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from Mound Bayou, stated that the costs of transporting children to West Bolivar from Benoit were too high. [6] The first high school class of that generation graduated in 2002. [1] In 2002 the school was the second smallest school in the state. [3]

It was operated by the Benoit School District until July 1, 2014, when that district was consolidated into West Bolivar Consolidated. [7]

In 2020 there were a total of 161 students with each grade level having 20 or fewer students. [8]

In 2020 the West Bolivar board voted to close Ray Brooks on a 3 to 2 basis due to declining tax revenue and enrollment district wide, with Ray Brooks chosen to close as it was more distant and because, of the options, the fewest children would have changes to their schooling. This is despite the school building perceived to be in better condition than others, [9] with it being larger and newer than others. The two board members of the Rosedale area and one board member of the Shaw area, school board president Jackie Lloyd, voted to close Ray Brooks. The closure reflects a population loss occurring in the Mississippi Delta area. [8] Tamara Lopez of Delta News TV stated "Residents in Benoit had mixed reactions to the announcement, some angry others sad." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivar County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Bolivar County is a county located on the western border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,985. Its county seats are Rosedale and Cleveland. The county is named in honor of Simón Bolívar, early 19th-century leader of the liberation of several South American territories from Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benoit, Mississippi</span> Town in Mississippi, United States

Benoit is a town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 365.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan, Mississippi</span> Town in Mississippi, United States

Duncan is a town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 276.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosedale, Mississippi</span> City in Mississippi, United States

Rosedale is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2010 census, down from 2,414 in 2000. Located in an agricultural area, the city had a stop on the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, which carried many migrants north out of the area in the first half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelby, Mississippi</span> City in Mississippi, United States

Shelby is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,229 at the 2010 census, down from 2,926 in 2000. The town of Shelby was established in 1853 by Tom Shelby, who had purchased a block of land there from the federal government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alligator, Mississippi</span> Town in Mississippi, United States

Alligator is a town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 116.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland, Mississippi</span> City in Mississippi, United States

Cleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 11,199 as of the 2020 United States Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minter City, Mississippi</span> Unincorporated community in Mississippi, United States

Minter City is an unincorporated community in Leflore County and Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. It is part of the Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area, and is within the Mississippi Delta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Bolivar Consolidated School District</span> School district in Mississippi

The West Bolivar Consolidated School District is a public school district based in Rosedale, Mississippi (USA).

The North Bolivar Consolidated School District, formerly the North Bolivar School District is a public school district located in northern Bolivar County in the state of Mississippi. It is headquartered in Mound Bayou with an office in Shelby.

The Benoit School District (BSD) was a public school district serving, in Bolivar County, Mississippi (USA): Benoit, Scott, and areas around those two settlements.

The Shaw School District was a public school district based in Shaw, Mississippi (USA). The district served the Bolivar County portion of the city; the small portion of the city that lies in Sunflower County was and is served by the Sunflower County School District. On July 1, 2014, the Shaw School District was consolidated into the West Bolivar Consolidated School District.

The Sunflower County Consolidated School District (SCCSD), formerly the Sunflower County School District (SCSD), is a public school district with its headquarters in Indianola, Mississippi in the Mississippi Delta. The district serves all of Sunflower County.

The Drew School District was a public school district based in Drew, Mississippi. The school district's attendance boundary included Drew, Rome, and the employee residences of the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman), located in an unincorporated area. In July 2014, it was merged into the Sunflower County Consolidated School District.

John F. Kennedy Memorial High School was a public secondary school in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, United States, serving grades 7–12. At the end of its life it was in the North Bolivar Consolidated School District, and was formerly in the Mound Bayou Public School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott, Mississippi</span> Census-designated place in Mississippi, United States

Scott is a census-designated place and unincorporated community located in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States on Mississippi Highway 1. Scott is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Lamont and approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Benoit.

Broad Street High School was a public high school in Shelby, Mississippi. It is a part of the North Bolivar Consolidated School District. The school served the towns of Shelby, Duncan, and Alligator.

McEvans Warriors K-12 School, formerly Shaw High School, is a public K-12 school in Shaw, Mississippi. It is a part of the West Bolivar Consolidated School District. Until 2014 it was in the Shaw School District, which served Shaw and Skene.

West Bolivar High School is a senior high school in Rosedale, Mississippi, and a part of the West Bolivar Consolidated School District.

Northside High School is a public secondary school in Shelby, Mississippi, serving grades 7–12. It is the only high school of the North Bolivar Consolidated School District. The district serves, in addition to Shelby: Alligator, Duncan, Mound Bayou, and Winstonville. The alligator is the mascot. The school colors are blue and orange.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ray Brooks School." West Bolivar Consolidated School District. Retrieved on July 2, 2017.
  2. ↑ "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Bolivar County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved 2021-06-09. - Scott is not indicated directly on this map but it may be compared to the 2020 map: "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bolivar County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved 2021-06-09. which shows the location of Scott.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Wilson hopes to break out the shoes'." Franklin County Times . January 10, 2002. Retrieved on July 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Best Practices-Technology: A one-school district in Mississippi proves that size doesn’t matter: Infusion of new technology will give the district’s 320 students all the advantages of larger systems." eSchoolNews. June 1, 1999. Retrieved on July 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ Hopkins, Gary (2000). "All Aboard the Success Express: On the Road With the Secretary of Education Day 3". Education World . Retrieved 2017-07-03. - Akon's quote and information about the school are in the right-hand sidebar
  6. ↑ Wright, Megan (2012-05-12). "Bill passes to consolidate Delta county's school districts". Mississippi Business Journal . Retrieved 2017-07-03. Coleman noted that West Bolivar and Benoit combined high schools for a time in the 1990s, but said transportation costs were too high.
  7. ↑ "School District Consolidation in Mississippi." Mississippi Professional Educators. December 2016. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. Page 2 (PDF p. 3/6).
  8. 1 2 Davis Betz, Kelsey (2020-03-04). "Another Delta town will lose its school as district navigates shrinking enrollment, consolidation". Mississippi Today . Retrieved 2021-05-23. - Also printed in The Greenwood Commonwealth ("Another Delta town loses school", March 5, 2020, pages 1 and 10). See clipping of first and second (p. 10) pages at Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Ray Brooks School Closes Its Doors". The Bolivar Bullet . 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  10. ↑ Lopez, Tamara (2020-03-05). "Ray Brooks School To Close". Delta News TV. Retrieved 2021-05-23.

Further reading


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