Thigpen said Hayes Cooper is 61 percent White; 35 percent Black; 2 percent Hispanic and 2 percent Asian.
She said the school board recently voted to no longer require a registration fee when students enroll in the school. Block said the fee is $10 for elementary school students.
``There were more White parents who agreed to pay the fee than Black parents,'' Thigpen said.
Atwood said state law requires districts to waive the registration fee for parents who cannot afford it.
Thigpen said the district hasn't had the money to renovate Nailor Elementary because Mississippi's school building fund hasn't received state funding in years. Lawmakers have been diverting $20 million from the fund to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, a school equity funding formula.
Thigpen said repairs at Nailor could cost up to $11 million.
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