Board Conditionallly Approves MSMS MOU With Mississippi University for Women, Seeks Report on Facilities and Repairs

The Mississippi State Board of Education on July 17 approved a memorandum of understanding clarifying the relationship between the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) and Mississippi University for Women (MUW), while directing staff and a designated committee to obtain and present a facilities update before the next board meeting.

Board members said the MOU was revised to articulate that the university and MSMS have an owner–tenant relationship for campus buildings, a point board members said was important to clarify responsibilities for repairs, maintenance and large capital projects. The board noted several budget increases in the MSMS operating narrative, including food-service contract costs, and clarified that MDE would not assume responsibility for major capital replacements absent legislative appropriation.

Nut graf: Approval was conditional on the board’s committee receiving documentation about what MSMS and MUW have done to address living-condition problems identified during recent site visits — including dormitory relocations and scheduled HVAC work — and returning findings to the board before school starts.

During discussion board members said site visits had identified living-condition issues last year. One board member told colleagues that dormitory units had been moved to different facilities and that an HVAC unit replacement for a primary academic building (Hooper) is scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Another board member asked for written scope and cost estimates from university architects so the committee and the board could assess the remaining repair needs.

The board motion to approve the MOU included an understanding that the MSMS subcommittee and MDE staff would receive a written report on facilities and corrective actions and could call a special meeting if they judged immediate action necessary. The motion passed with no recorded opposition.

Ending: Board members discussed a planned site visit to MSMS on Aug. 13 and said staff and MSMS leadership would provide the requested documentation to the board’s committee before that date.