Okolona Excluded From Chickasaw, Houston Merger

By Bobby Harrison Daily Journal Jackson Bureau JACKSON – The Okolona Municipal School District will not be merged with the Chickasaw County and Houston Municipal school districts under an agreement worked out by House and Senate leaders. The conference report was filed late Monday night to merge the Chickasaw and Houston districts, but maintain Okolona on the east side of the county as a separate school district. Earlier this session, the Senate passed legislation to merge just the Houston and Chickasaw County districts, but the House passed a proposal to include Okolona in the merger. Senate Education Committee Chair Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, said earlier he excluded Okolona because there are issues with including Okolona in the merger.