MEMPHIS, Tenn. — West Memphis school leaders are considering consolidating schools and restructuring grade levels as enrollment continues to decline across the district.

Superintendent Eric Foister said the district has lost about 1,000 students in the past decade, even as the city of West Memphis has seen growth. He pointed to falling birth rates in the Delta and a lack of housing in the city as key reasons for the drop.

“Our birth rates are going down in the Delta," Foister said. "The second thing is, we don’t have housing. That’s the two biggest factors from the research we’re getting; the data we’re getting from the state.”

The district is hosting four community meetings to gather input before a potential school board vote next week. The first meeting was held Monday, Sept. 8, at We

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