In 1968 the district had 4,100 "colored" students and about 1,000 white students. At that time the district had a "freedom of choice" system. During that year, the superintendent of the school system stated his opposition to a proposed rapid integration, arguing that doing so would cause white people to leave the school district. During that year, a local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) asked the district to replace two school principals because the branch believed that they were not qualified educationally and mentally. The district said that it would consider the matter.[7]
In 1986 a petition to merge the Drew School District with the Sunflower County district circulated.[8]
In 2002 two of the district's schools had no licensed librarians. During that year a Mississippi state commission said that the district had violated accreditation standards in 2001 by not having those librarians.[9] In 2003 the district had faced a budget deficit for the third time in a row. Judy Rhodes, the executive assistant to the state superintendent of education, said in a Board of Education meeting in Jackson, Mississippi said that "Of all the districts we're working with right now, Sunflower is the one with the most serious situation."[10]
In 2010 State of Mississippi officials said that the management of the district should be taken over by the state government because of the existence of allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of federal funds.[11] On April 19, 2010, the Mississippi Department of Education took control of the school district.[12]
In February 2012 the Mississippi Senate voted 43–4 to pass Senate Bill 2330, to consolidate the Sunflower County School District, the Drew School District, and the Indianola School District into one school district. The bill went to the Mississippi House of Representatives.[13] Later that month, the State Board of Education approved the consolidation of the Drew School District and the Sunflower County School District, and when Senate Bill 2330 was approved, Indianola School District was added.[14] In May 2012 Governor of MississippiPhil Bryant signed the bill into law, requiring all three districts to consolidate.[5] SB2330 stipulates that if a county has three school districts all under conservatorship by the Mississippi Department of Education, they will be consolidated into one school district serving the entire county.[15]
Ruleville Central Elementary School (Grades K-5; Ruleville)
Pre-Kindergarten
James C. Rosser Early Learning Center (Moorhead), formerly Rosser Elementary School (Grades K-5)
Alternative schools:
Indianola Career and Technical Center
Indianola Academic Achievement Center (IAAC) (Indianola) - K-12
As a result of the 2012 merger with Drew School District, A. W. James Elementary School and the Drew Hunter High School became a part of the district. The high school division of Drew Hunter closed, with high school students rezoned to Ruleville Central.[18] The secondary school is now named Drew Hunter Middle School with grades 6–8.[19] As of 2014 Indianola schools are now a part of the new district.
Former schools
East Sunflower Elementary School (Grades K-5; Sunflower) - Closed in 2022[20]
Inverness School (Grades K-8; Inverness) - Closed in 2022[20]
District offices
Currently its headquarters are in the Main Central Office in Indianola and it has a separate North Office in Drew.[21] The North Office is the former Drew School District headquarters.[22]
Previously its headquarters were in the Sunflower County Courthouse in Indianola,[23][24] and it had the educational services building along U.S. Route 49 West in Indianola.[25]
Demographics
As of 2017[update] the SCCSD had 4,200 students and 120 teachers.[26]
In comparison, in 1987 the pre-consolidation SCSD district had 2,600 students.[27]
2006-07 school year
There were a total of 1,792 students enrolled in the Sunflower County School District during the 2006–2007 school year. The gender makeup of the district was 49% female and 51% male. The racial makeup of the district was 95.42% African American, 2.29% White, 2.06% Hispanic, and 0.22% Asian.[28] 89.6% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch.[29]
^"School merger election sought." Associated Press at The Advocate. November 17, 1986. Retrieved on December 26, 2012. "Drew residents say tension has mounted since a petition began circulating to merge the financially strapped Drew schools with the Sunflower County school system."
^Hayden, Kathy. "Sunflower schools face deficit a 3rd time." The Clarion Ledger. May 16, 2003. B1 Local. Retrieved on December 26, 2012. ""Of all the districts we're working with right now, Sunflower is the one with the most serious situation," Judy Rhodes, executive assistant to the state superintendent of education, told state Board of education members meeting in Jackson Thursday."
^Brown, Marquita. "Education officials detail problems in Sunflower County School District." The Clarion Ledger. April 16, 2010. News A1. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "Making a case for the takeover of the Sunflower County School District, state Department of Education officials cited allegations ranging from sexual offenses on school grounds to misuse of federal dollars. The district has failed to report complete and accurate data to the state Department of Education on established procedures concerning assigned duties, job titles, salaries, supplements and funding sources.\n"
^"Home." (Archive) Drew Hunter Middle School. Retrieved on October 9, 2013. "After two successful academic years, the high school portion of the school merged with Ruleville Central High School and Drew High School became Drew Hunter Middle School."
^"Contact." (Archive) Sunflower County School District. Retrieved on October 29, 2013. "Main Central Office located in Indianola, MS[...]P.O. Box 70 Hwy 49 N 196 M. L. K. Drive Indianola, MS 38751" and "North Central Office located in Drew, MS[...]286 West Park Avenue Drew, MS 38737"
^"Drew School District Central Office." (Archive) Drew School District. Retrieved on August 16, 2010. "Drew School District Central Office 286 West Park Avenue, Drew MS, 38737"
^Home page. Sunflower County School District. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "200 Main Street / Courthouse
Indianola, Mississippi 38751"
^"About Us." Sunflower County Consolidated School District. Retrieved on July 8, 2017.
^"Mississippi's rural schools need teachers." The Advocate. July 20, 1987. Retrieved on December 26, 2012. "There has been a problem for a long time," said Herbert Hargett, superintendent of the 2600-student Sunflower County School District in the Delta."
^"Mississippi Report Card for 2002-2003". Office of Educational Accountability, Mississippi Department of Education. September 2, 2004. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
^"2007 Results"(PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 13, 2007. Archived from the original(PDF) on November 27, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
^"2006 Results"(PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 6, 2006. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 17, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
^"2005 Results"(PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 9, 2005. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 13, 2006. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
^"2004 Results"(PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. September 26, 2004. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 5, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
^"2003 Results"(PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. November 21, 2003. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 11, 2006. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
