By Billy Davis

North Panola trustees have voiced their approval of a redistricting plan for the school district, school board president Rosa Wilson said this week.

2010 U.S. Census figures have showed lopsided population numbers in some sub-districts, including in Wilson’s own District 5 in north central Panola County, where population had dropped by 466 people.
Wilson and other trustees first saw post-census figures in September, when Oxford firm Slaughter and Associates showed the population deviation in District 1 and District 5.

Population numbers are required to fall below a 10-percent deviation for a new redistricting plan to pass scrutiny of the U.S Justice Department.

Slaughter and Associates returned last week to hold a public hearing, revealing its plan to adjust boundary lines to balance population numbers.

North Panola must fall under a 10-percent deviation, “and we’re well under 10 percent with the plan we have,” Mike Slaughter told trustees.

The population swing was a whopping 43.3 percent between District 3 and District 5 before boundary lines were adjusted. Deviation fell to 6.4 percent with the new adjustments, according to Slaughter’s new numbers.  

“I’m satisfied with it,” Wilson said of the new plan. “I’ve talked to other school board members and they’re satisfied, too.”

Wilson said the new plan puts a portion of Pocahontas Street and Country Village subdivision, among other areas, in District 5.

The changing boundaries come at the same time North Panola is under authority of a state conservator, Robert King, who has worked with Slaughter and Associates to redraw boundary lines.  

King acknowledged this week that the district conservator has final say in adjusting boundary lines.
King said the redistricting plan has “mixed reviews” among school board trustees. A couple of trustees are pleased while one is still looking at new lines, he said.

North Panola’s redistricting plan must go to the U.S. Justice Department for approval, though King said there is no hurry to do so. The next school board election falls in 2012, he said.

Wilson also told The Panolian that North Panola did not collaborate with civil rights group Southern Echo to adjust the sub-district boundary lines.

A Southern Echo employee created controversy last December when she gave a racially-charged presentation that accused whites of using redistricting to manipulate black populations.

The North Panola School Board includes four black trustees and one white.

Southern Echo had invited school board members to attend its training sessions.

Regarding Southern Echo, King said the group provided a map to school board members that had used Slaughter’s own map of the district overlaid with population numbers provided by Southern Echo.

Slaughter did not use the document to prepare its recommendation for new boundary lines, King said.