JPS board approves closing Watkins Elementary JPS elementary school to close after spring break Share Updated: 10:18 PM CST Mar 9, 2021 JPS elementary school to close after spring break Share Updated: 10:18 PM CST Mar 9, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript JOINS US LIVE TO TELLS US WHAT WAS BEHIND THE DECISION. WATKINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILL CLOSE IT'S DOORS FOR SPRING BREAK...BUT THEY WON'T REOPEN. JPS LEADERS HELD A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING TUESDAY NIGHT THEY MADE A DECISION ON MARCH 2ND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVED AN EMERGENCY MEASURE TO CLOSE THE SCHOOL A TOUGH DECISION SAYS SUPERINTENDENT DR. ERRICK GREENE... LOVE THE BUILDING...UH, HATE THAT WE'RE IN A SITUATION THAT WE HAVE SUCH SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE WATKINS BUILDING AND, THE MOVE WAS A CHANGE IN PLAN... INITIALLY THE SCHOOL WAS PART OF THE PHASE TWO & PHASE THREE JPS IMPROVEMENT PLAN...FUNDED BY THE $65 MILLION DOLLAR BOND REFERENDUM PASSED BACK IN 2018. BUT WERE THE CITY OF JACKSON'S WATER ISSUES A FACTOR? ACTUALLY NO. UM, AH...THE DECISION TO CLOSE WATKINS IS THE, IT'S JUST THE ONGOING KIND OF, EROSION, AND UM, CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE BUILDING LEADERS DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE STRUCTURE PROBLEMS WITH THE BUILDING...SOME OF WHICH WERE SHOWED DURING THE ZOOM MEETING... THET DETERMINED THE COST OF REPAIRS WOULD'VE EXCEDED THE PLANNED BUDGET... GRAPHIC: JPS CLOSING WATKINS ELEMENTARY SO NOW...WALTON ELEMENTARY WILL NOW BE THE HOME FOR THE 193 STUDENTS WHO ATTENDED WATKINS... THERE ARE CURRENTLY 260 STUDENTS AT WALTON...AND JPS LEADERS SAY THERE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH SPACE TO ACCOMODATE THEM... WALTON'S CAPABLE OF HOUSING 7 HUNDRED STUDENTS... AND THERE WILL BE CONTINUITY... TEACHERS AND STAFF FROM WATKINS WILL ALSO BE MAKING THE MOVE TO CONTINUE THE 'BULLDOG LOVE'... WE STILL HAVE WATKINS ELEMENTARY...RIGHT? WATKINS STILL EXISTS. WE JUST, WITH CONCERNS ABOUT THE BUILDING WANTED TO MOVE FOLKS TROY JONSON JOINS US LIVE TONIGHT... WHAT ARE SCHOOL LEADERS SAYING ABOUT A RETURN FOR WATKINS, AND ARE THERE ANY OTHER SCHOOL CLOSURES SLATED? MEGAN...I ASKED THAT QUESTION OF DR. GREENE...HE SAYS THERE IS ANOTHER SCHOOL THAT IS SLATED FOR CLOSURE BECAUSE OF STRUCTURAL ISSUES. DR. GREENE SAYS THAT HE IS KEEPING A EYE ON LEGISLATION BEING PASSED IN WASHINGTON... HE SAYS THERE COULD BE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS TO HELP WITH MAJOR FACIL