County Schools Prepare To Set Priorities For Next Round Of School Building Funding

  • Thursday, December 8, 2016

County school board members are gearing up to set priorities for the next round of new school construction in Hamilton County.

Lee McDade, assistant superintendent, said officials may know by the spring how much money will be available to build new schools or add on to existing ones - or do a combination of both.

Board member Rhonda Thurman said a proposal to build a new Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts would eat up the funding by itself. The estimated cost for the K-12 school is $50 million to $60 million.

One suggestion was to build out enough space at CSLA for K-8 and stub in the remaining part for later construction.

A number of people from the CSLA community were at the meeting, but Ms. Thurman said she would not be swayed "by a crowd full of people." She said reconstructing a magnet school was not going to make significant improvements for overcrowding, but said the focus should be on zoned schools.

A new school to replace the deteriorating Harrison Elementary School would be $30 million to $35 million. It would be built for some 900 students and also cover Lakeside Elementary and Hillcrest Elementary. Board Chairman Steve Highlander said that was high on the list for him, saying the school is in deplorable condition.

Constructing a new East Hamilton Middle School at the current site of the high school/middle school on Ooltewah-Ringgold Road would be $45 million to $55 million. It would free up space at East Hamilton High and Ooltewah High, which is back up to 1,600 students.

An expansion of the "extremely overcrowded" Spring Creek Elementary School in East Ridge would be $5 million to $7 million.

Another expansion was proposed at Snow Hill Elementary so it could help house Birchwood students, who now have an hour's bus ride to Ooltewah Elementary.

Mr. McDade said there are also enrollment pressures at East Lake with East Lake Elementary and Clifton Hills Elementary full and Calvin Donaldson School at 95 percent capacity.

He said Hixson High and Central High are the only large high schools with only one gym. New gyms would be $4 million to $5 million each.

Mr. McDade said steps need to be taken to demolish the old East Lake Elementary, saying it is a target for vandals and is a "huge liability" for the county. He is to present a bid for the demolition in January. The cost is expected to be around $300,000.

He said the school site "could be very valuable" in the future when another new school is needed.

Board member Tiffanie Robinson said the board should have "a strategic plan" rather than "arguing" over the school projects.

Ms. Thurman responded, "We are not arguing. We have argued in the past and a police officer has had to be up front. This is discussion."

Meanwhile, officials said the new section of Sale Creek High School should be ready just after the Christmas break.

Portables that have long housed many students at the site will be demolished.

In other action on Thursday, board members stressed the need to take every action possible to try to avoid the state taking over low performing I-Zone schools.

Karitsa Mosley Jones said there must be "boots on the ground" to spare the schools from the threatened state takeover.

Officials said there are extra reading instructors at the schools and a truancy officer has been hired. Another truancy officer is on the way, then three more will be sought.

The school board will hold a strategic planning session at the Central High School library on Friday, Jan. 20, from 5-8 p.m. The board will reconvene the next day at 8 a.m. and go until about noon.

Chairman Highlander said the board will be supplied with a box lunch and a continental breakfast.

Officials said they are close to working out a deal with East Ridge that would have East Ridge taking over the athletic portion of the East Ridge High School campus.

East Ridge plans to build a new fieldhouse and tennis courts and make a number of other improvements.

East Ridge High will continue to have priority for the athletic facilities, which will also be available for public use as a new city park.

 

 

 

 


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