East Brainerd Elementary School suffered over $18 million in damages in the Easter night tornado, County School Board members were told Thursday.
The board was also told that the administration is scrambling to find a temporary location for the school's 1,100 students. The renovated school will not be ready until December.
One option would be a temporary rezoning, but there are only 222 spaces open at the five closest elementary schools.
The old East Brainerd Elementary was checked out, but its HVAC system was earlier stripped and the vacant school has suffered vandalism and a small fire.
One option would be to place the students at the new East Hamilton Middle School at Apison. The middle school students there would continue to go to the high school. Concerns were getting to the school on East Brainerd Road, which is not widened all the way to Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, and having to stagger start and end of day times with nearby schools.
Board member Rhonda Thurman suggested that students be placed in the education wings of several East Brainerd churches.
Another option would involve use of leased portable buildings.
Christman was chosen as the contractor to repair the school.
Justin Robertson, chief operating officer, said items that belonged to teachers and which were not destroyed have been moving to a storage area and grouped by classroom. He said teachers at some point would have access to that material.
He said there is $100,000 in insurance to cover teacher material losses.
On another matter, the schools plan to spend $1,488,000 on the first phase of "hardening the entrances" to 32 schools.
That will involve having a holding area for visitors that would be entered prior to going into the main office.
This work is due to be completed by August.