District overview
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Lamar County School District runs the public schools in Lamar County, Mississippi, outside Purvis, Sumrall, Oak Grove and Lumberton. Most operating money comes from the state, with about a third from local property taxes collected by the county. Five board members elected by district (A to E) set the budget and policy and hire Superintendent Dr. Wesley Quick, who started July 1, 2025.
About $137 million in 2026-27 revenue: 32% local, 52% state, 8% federal.
Voter-approved bonds pay for new Purvis and Sumrall high schools (an $86.5 million contract) and a new Oak Grove middle school. The last $17.59 million in bonds was sold in 2026.
Each August the board sends its tax requests to the county governments, which collect the money.
Members are elected by district; Jared Slade won the District C seat in a December 2025 runoff.
District staff said in January 2026 that the district does not need to borrow for cash flow, and the 2026 bonds sold at a lower interest cost than the 2025 bonds.
Rounded from the June 2026 budget presentation; excludes bond proceeds.
Hanco Corporation, approved November 7, 2025.
Closed July 1, 2026 at a 4.429% all-in interest cost.
Hanco Corporation is building both schools under one contract. Groundbreaking was February 3, 2026, and emergency and traffic plans are being drawn up.
Voter-approved bonds
The district said it could build the new middle school without cutting its size after the high school bids came in high. A groundbreaking was announced at the October 2026 meeting.
Voter-approved bonds
From 2026-27, Lumberton Elementary serves pre-K to grade 5 and Lumberton High School grades 6 to 12. The district also signed an agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of Hattiesburg for Lumberton.
Not stated
Lamar County School District (District C)
Myrtis Holder, Jared Slade and Johnathan "Johnny" Johnson ran for the District C seat on November 4, 2025. Slade and Johnson went to a December 2 runoff, which Slade won with about 55% of the vote. He joined the board in January 2026 and is now its secretary.
Official source · verified Oct 27, 2026
Machine transcripts of 11 Board of Education meeting recordings on the district's LCSD Streaming YouTube channel (November 2025 to October 2026), plus the 2026-27 Student/Parent Handbook. Agendas and minutes are on Simbli, which we do not collect.
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
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