Adams and Reese Partner Jim Keith was interviewed in a Clarion Ledger story on April 20th that discussed a study that found 18 school districts in Jackson could be consolidated into neighboring districts and therefore could yield cost savings and improved test scores.
The state cannot force districts to merge, so lawmakers would have to change the law, or the consolidations would have to come about via enticement. Consolidation can happen if two or more districts agree to it.
And that rarely happens, said Jim Keith. "Other than districts agreeing to consolidate, we don't really have much authority in this state to force consolidation."
Keith practices in the areas of employment, education and administrative law. A focused aspect of his practice involves the representation of educational entities, including school districts, community colleges and universities.
Adams and Reese is a multidisciplinary law firm with offices strategically located throughout the southern United States and Washington, D.C. American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation's top law firms - "The Am Law 200". The National Law Journal also includes the firm on the "NLJ 250" list of the nation's largest law firms.