By Christian Coffman

NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School Board unanimously approved moving the Natchez Early College Academy to Alcorn State University’s Natchez campus.

The program is expected to begin in August with the start of the next school year, and the district plans to pay ASU approximately $62,000 per year to lease the space.

Board members voted 4-0 Tuesday to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Alcorn to allow the district’s college preparatory program to move the school into the second floor of the university’s masters of business adminsitration building.

“This move will alow our student to get a real feel of college life,” Natchez-Adams Superintendent Fred Butcher said. “We want them to have the full pre-college experience.”

NECA students take dual-enrollment classes at Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Natchez campus, which is adjacent to Alcorn’s Natchez campus.

Students have the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and up to 31 transferable college credit.

Butcher said the district has in recent weeks been finalizing the contract with Alcorn, including NASD agreeing to pay for custodial services for the portion of the building NECA leases.

Butcher said not all of the details have been ironed out, including the hiring of a college liaison and exactly where students will eat lunch during the day.

“But (moving to Alcorn) is the most important piece,” Butcher said.

In other news:

-The board meeting were several awards given to parents of the year and an award given to a district parent of the year.

The parents of the year were Fate Boxley from Susie B. West Elementary, Sharon Bradford from Natchez Early College Academy, Angela Cobb Lloyd from Morgantown College Prep-Leadership Academy, Ida Anderson from Natchez High School, Cameron Nettles from Morgantown Arts Academy, Mary Thompson from Joseph L. Frazier Elementary, Sonya Brown from Fallin Career and Technology Center, Lakeisha Smith from Natchez Freshman Academy and Lee Mizell from Gilmore McLaurin Elementary.

District teacher of the year award went to Ida Anderson.

-The district unanimously approved a contract for architectural services with M3A Architecture LLC for Mission 21, the project that would renovate several of the district schools and construct a new high school.

Butcher said the district is working to contact a bonding attorney and financial consultant in order to develop a strategic plan for the project, including setting a date for an upcoming bond referendum.