The plans to consolidate schools in the Selma City School system is continuing as planned.

“We are working diligently that the moves are a smooth process,” said Selma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams. “We did get the full approval to move our Pre-K classes to Sophia P. Kingston. That is in order and moving as scheduled right now. We are looking at costs to move the playground equipment and looking at the best rates possible to move the playground equipment.”

This move comes from a vote last year to close Byrd First Class Learning Center and Cedar Park Elementary School.

In November 2018, The Selma City School Board of Education heard a facilities assessment report from Lathan Associates Architects that cited numerous problems Byrd was facing.

The assessment included needing new floors and other types of repair that totaled an estimated $1 million to repair.

During past meetings, Williams emphasized with the closing of Byrd that the Pre-K classes would not be going away but a decrease in student population was something that could not be ignored.

“There is no evidence of future growth in the community,” said Williams in a previous meeting. “It is past time we do something. A decrease in students is a decrease in funding.”

Other parts of the meeting included allowing 11-month contract principals to be off the first three weeks of July.

Williams also gave an update on Academies of Academic Excellence saying that each elementary school would have a focus.

“All of our elementary schools will have something to offer,” she said. “We are recording public service announcements about our schools that will be available on our YouTube channel. Just to recap: Knox will have performing arts, Kingston will have a laboratory where they will do project based learning, Edgewood will have commerce and entrepreneurship, Clark will have social justice and civic engagement and leadership, Meadowview will have STEM that will have a focus on coding and Payne will have STEAM that will focus on the arts and design. We are really excited about the changes that are coming. All of them have very specific goals and activities that are different than what our students have access to now. You will be hearing more about it, but we are very excited about this.”