With proposals to house Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science due today, Mississippi University for Women is staking its claim on the residential high school with the announcement of plans to build new facilities on The W campus.

President Nora Miller shared components of The W’s proposal during a Monday morning press conference at City Hall, including plans to build new facilities on campus specifically for MSMS students.

But proposals aside, Miller said it is imperative that the state invest in MSMS operations facilities at a higher, more adequate level.

“With adequate, reasonable funding and intentional planning, the state of Mississippi will save money by investing in the current infrastructure of MSMS on The W campus,” she told a standing-room-only crowd of about 70 who attended the press conference.

“Although there is political pressure to relocate MSMS to Starkville with connections to (Mississippi State University) and possibly the Starkville-Oktibbeha schools, we urge the State Board of Education to move beyond narrowly focused politics and act in the best interests of MSMS students.”

The State Board of Education asked both MUW and MSU to submit proposals by today to operate and house the school as it expands. After reviewing the proposals, the board will make a recommendation to the legislature. Any changes the state prescribes will go into effect in the 2026-2027 school year.

As for how the proposals will be assessed, Miller said the Mississippi Department of Education provided no guidance.

“I asked for the rubric that will be used in evaluating the proposals and was told that they will create that after the proposals,” she said.

Miller, joined by Mayor Keith Gaskin and Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Trip Hairston, defended MSMS’s current location and its potential to grow on The W campus. The high school has 165,000 square feet of dedicated space across 10 buildings with an additional 242,000 square feet of shared space.

For the last two years, Miller said the university has worked on its master plan in collaboration with MSMS administration to ensure the school’s current and future needs are addressed, most notably, the need for updated facilities.

“During the master planning process, in coordination with MSMS, two spaces were identified for potential new facilities with the option of one or both to be residential spaces,” Miller said. “Additionally, two vacant residential facilities, Fant and Peyton Hall, could be renovated and designated for MSMS.”

Miller said the estimated price for renovating one of those buildings is about $22 million. She did not provide cost estimates for new facilities Monday.

The proposal also includes plans to expand dual enrollment offerings for MSMS students at The W. The university currently offers 14 dual-credit courses for the students, but the planned expansion would increase offerings to 41 courses, Miller said.

Miller said MUW will still be campaigning for MDE to increase funding to MSMS, both for facility issues to be addressed and for administrative costs to be adequately covered.

“The W has long served as the fiscal agent for MSMS, overseeing accounts payable, accounts receivable, public procurement processes, payroll benefits, processing, grant financial transactions and other business services,” she said. “The administrative fees that MSMS pays have not kept up with the actual cost of providing these services.”

Hairston agreed with Miller, calling for the department to be more supportive of the high school instead of trying to “fix something that’s not broken.”

“The budget for MSMS comes from MDE … and it’s funded by the state legislature as a line item during the appropriations process, but it’s up to MDE to be an advocate for MSMS and to request that funding,” Hairston said.

The university receives an annual allocation of $113,000 to cover routine maintenance issues, which often leaves MUW footing the bill for major upgrades and improvements. Gaskin echoed calls for more financial investment in MSMS at the state level and also encouraged community members to support the school individually.

“The W has long expended more on maintenance and upgrades than has been covered by the annual fee as part of the shared mission and service to the state,” he said. “For example, recently replacing an air handling unit that cost $768,000. You see that educating the state’s best and brightest is a wonderful opportunity for all, but it takes support from all. Not just the state, but from all of us.”

MSU Vice President for Strategic Communications and Director of Public Affairs Sid Salter told The Dispatch he did not feel like there were any surprises in The W’s press conference.

“As they have, we are putting the final touches on our (proposal) and we will be submitting that in a timely fashion,” he said, though he offered no specifics to MSU’s proposal.

McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.