The Selma City Board of Education has spent the past few months collecting financial information, soliciting comments from residents in four public hearings and questioning state education financial experts about a proposed plan to shutter three city schools.

It was the intention by some for Tuesday’s board work session to work through any remaining questions, discuss the proposed plan that would close Byrd Elementary, School of Discovery and the Phoenix School and set up an up or down vote on the plan during next Thursday’s regular board meeting.

Now, that doesn’t appear to be in the works.

With Dr. Craig Pouncey from the State Department of Education in attendance to provide background on why the system needs to trim expenses, the school board decided it still needed more information and further pushed the decision to May.

“We will not have a vote on the closures at next week’s meeting,” board president Henry Hicks said. “The board members have decided they need more time and more information and that is what we are going to work to give them.”

Hicks instructed board members to email their questions and any requests for information to superintendent of education Donald Jefferson no later than Friday, giving Jefferson time to research the information and give it back to them before a May work session. Hicks also said residents can submit questions by working through their elected representatives on the school board. He encouarged residents to submit their questions to their representative no later than Thursday.

“At that point, we must make a decision,” Hicks told the members. “We will discuss nothing but this topic at May’s work session and then vote in May. We need to make a decision and then move forward.”

During an intense work session, board members went back and forth with Pouncey and Jefferson over many of the financial details of the plan and the need to find savings.

Most of the need for the savings is to free up local operating funds in the next few years to give the system financial means to cover the debt service tied to the construction of the new Selma High School and other projects.

“I really don’t know what number we are looking to get to,” board member Frank Chestnut Jr. said. “I want some hard numbers, figures that show what our goal is, where the exact savings are going to come from.”

While the board members discuss what action to take to find savings, Pouncey said the system would need to insure it has the means to service the debt brought on by the new construction.

In direct questions from board member Holland Powell, Pouncey did admit that if the system was unable to meet its financial obligations, including the servicing of the debt, the state department could come in and take over the system.

“We must do something and we need to make a decision in the coming weeks,” Hicks said. “Different people process information differently and we are going to make sure the board members have all of their questions answered.

“If we do not approve this plan, then we are going to have to come back and work on a plan B.”

The proposed school closures, if approved, would become a reality for the 2012-13 school year, scheduled to begin in August 2012.