The County Commission is set to vote next Wednesday on building a new Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts at the current Lakeside Elementary School.
Most commissioners spoke favorably of the move, though Katherlyn Geter and Warren Mackey raised concerns. Commissioner Geter said many CSLA parents want a new school on the current site.
Supt. Bryan Johnson said Lakeside Elementary students would be going to the brand-new Harrison Elementary and said CSLA would finally get out of its dilapidated quarters on East Brainerd Road.
He said it was another step in dealing with a $1 billion maintenance backlog facing the schools and allow the school system to operate more efficiently.
Supt. Johnson said it had been planned to close Lakeside prior to discussion about moving CSLA to the 20-acre Lakeside campus. He said the Lakeside community was getting a new school out of the deal.
A section of the school will be renovated similar to the recent Howard Connect project, it was stated. There will also be two wings added, including a cafeteria and gym and a middle/high school.
CSLA will be moved to K-12 with space for 1,000 students.
The new school is set to open in August 2022.
Commissioner Geter was critical of a County Commission member she said had gotten involved in the process without including District 5 representatives. "That's wrong," she said.
Commissioner Tim Boyd said he has an extensive construction background and he responded to requests from several school board members for his input.
He praised the move that was approved by the School Board 6-3