The Okolona Municipal Separate School District is under state control for the second time in 15 years.

The Mississippi Board of Education voted to take over the school district during a special called meeting Friday. District officials had reached out to the state education agency on Oct. 30 because the school system couldn’t make its November payroll.

“This was a difficult but necessary decision to protect the educational interests of students in Okolona,” State Superintendent Lance Evans said in a statement. “The financial challenges facing this district have reached a point where state intervention is required to ensure students continue to receive the education they deserve.”

Over the past two weeks, Mississippi Department of Education officials have been meeting with district leade

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