The House Education Committee approved a pair of bills Tuesday aimed at preventing school consolidation.
Senate Bill 262 by Sen. John Payton, R-Wilburn, would no longer require the state Department of Education to consolidate school districts with fewer than 350 students.
"My district is riddled with empty school houses where it was closed because they had less than 350 students," Payton said. "And many of those schools were academically and fiscally sound when they were closed."
There are currently no school districts below the 350 student threshold, but Payton said many smaller districts are worried about closure because of school choice. Payton called the 350-student number an "arbitrary number."
A 2004 state law required school districts with fewer than 350 students to be consolidated into another district. A 2015 law passed by the General Assembly allows school districts with fewer than 350 students but are not in financial or academic distress to apply for a waiver from the Department of Education to avoid consolidation.
"This bill does preserve the right for a school district to voluntarily consolidate if they are under 350 [students], but it does take away the Board's [of Education] ability to consolidate them," Payton said.
Earlier this month the Senate unanimously approved Payton's bill, which now moves to the House floor for further action.
The committee also approved a bill that may save the Marvell-Elaine School District from consolidation, its sponsor Rep. Mark McElroy said.
House Bill 1504 would allow school districts to avoid state-mandated consolidation if they are classified as a Level 5 district, meaning it is in need of intensive support, and if consolidation would mean a student would have to take a bus ride of more than 40 miles to get to the new school district.
Instead, schools that fit that criteria would go under state control and fire the superintendent rather than close the school, according to the bill.
McElroy, a Republican from Tillar, said because of population decline in the Delta, the Marvell-Elaine school district is in jeopardy of consolidation and the bill would give the schools a chance to remain open.
"It's not feasible to make those kids ride that bus that far," McElroy said.
Martin Rawls, a member of the Phillips County Quorum Court, said consolidation of the school district would mean extremely long bus rides that would end after school activities for students there.
"A lot of the parents are concerned with their children having [to] wake up in the morning and it be dark outside ... and come back home and it's still dark," Rawls said. "And that excludes pretty much any after-school activities."
The bill will move to the House floor for further consideration.