Over the last couple of months, conversation has swelled around the possibility of Selma City Schools shutting down operations at two of its facilities – Byrd First Class Learning Center and Cedar Park Elementary.

Understandably, citizens are concerned about the possible closure of two beloved institutions in the city, the final decision for which will be made next month, but Selma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams sees the move as one of the only ways possible for the local school system to redirect much needed funds to the struggling school system.

“I am committed to ensuring that we keep students first,” Williams said. “I have to make sure that we’re prioritizing our children over buildings.”

To be sure, the school system can hardly afford to maintain aging buildings amid declining enrollment that directly impacts the amount of funding the local system receives.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, enrollment in Selma City Schools has declined by more than 1,000 students since 2000 – with schools receiving $9,630 per student in funding, the amount of lost revenue is staggering. Accounting for a loss of 1,000, the school system is receiving $900,000 less than it did in 2000 and that is likely a low estimate, the real number could be well over $1 million.

That funding doesn’t even cover pre-kindergarten programs, like those offered at Byrd, which are covered through grants.

“It’s not just about the numbers for the funding,” Williams said.

With shrinking enrollment, local schools are “under-utilized” – the capacity far outnumbers the number of students taking classes in the buildings each day – and maintenance costs for aging buildings becomes more and more expensive each year.

Byrd, a school that has a capacity of 360 students in 20 classrooms, only sees 139 students on any given day. The building in which the school is housed was built in 1919 and suffers from a leaking roof, compromised floor joists and an infiltration of mold and mildew.

Cedar Park suffers from many of the same ailments – the building was built in 1968 and would require an expenditure of $550,000 to repair its roof, in addition to addressing concerns related to damaged walls and an outdated boiler and chiller system. Capacity at the school is 324 in 18 classrooms and currently only 124 students are enrolled.

“There’s so much more that we can be doing in the classrooms,” Williams said. “When you’re having to use money on buildings for upkeep, it takes away from so much that could be used in the classroom.”

Williams is recommending that Byrd close and new pre-kindergarten classrooms be established at Edgewood Elementary and Meadowview Elementary – the two schools have space for an additional 15 classrooms between them and Williams said that more can be established as needed.

“Our goal is to ensure that we have a thriving Pre-K program for those families who want to access that program,” Williams said.

Further, the superintendent is recommending that Cedar Park close its doors and the 124 students currently enrolled be moved to Edgewood Elementary, which currently has space for an additional 191 students.

These moves, Williams claims, will save the school system money that can be spent to upgrade the rest of the schools in the district and improve the academic programs available to the students in those schools.

But Williams also believes that the local school system has a significant part to play in growing population numbers in the city, which has seen numbers decrease by nearly 2,200 since 2000, and thereby increasing the number of students enrolled in the city’s schools.

“As we improve our schools, we can attract people back to Selma City Schools,” Williams said. “We have already begun to change the culture in our schools. Our outcomes are changing.”

To that end, Williams is currently pursuing an ambitious plan to establish “Academies of Academic Excellence” at all of the city’s elementary schools. Surveys are out now regarding the academies and by next year school administrators will be able to make recommendations for the types of programs they would like to see implemented in their schools, whether that be performing arts, law, science and technology and more.

“I want them to think creatively and think about what the needs of the community are, as well as what the needs of our families are,” Williams said.

Additionally, Williams noted the 1-to-1 program, which puts a laptop or tablet in the hands of every student at R.B. Hudson Middle School, as well as the establishment of Science, Technology, Education, Arts and Math (STEAM) programs and improved curriculum throughout the district.

“It’s a work in progress in terms of making improvements,” Williams said. “We own the responsibility of ensuring that Selma City Schools are schools that people want to attend.”