Jackson aims for traditional middle school
Jackson County Schools is taking a stab at a traditional middle school and applying for a state grant to fund the potential project.
“It is just the right thing to do for our kids,” said Superintendent Dana Ayers in a presentation to the Jackson County Commission last week.
Jackson County has never had a traditional middle school. Instead, there are four K-8 schools, that served a total of 724 middle grade students.
At the beginning of 2023, when the school system outlined its top budget priorities and capital needs, a traditional middle school was second on the list behind expansion at Fairview School to create space for a cafeteria and additional classrooms.
With commissioners voting this summer to fund the renovations at Fairview, the school system is now setting its sights on a middle school. JCPS will apply for a needs-based grant through the North Carolina Department of Education to fund the project.
The Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund, awarded through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, draws on money from the North Carolina Education Lottery. School systems can apply for funds for construction of new school buildings, as well as additions, repairs and renovations. Counties with an adjusted market value of taxable property of less than $40 billion are eligible to apply for the grant, meaning only seven counties in the state are excluded.
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For the past three grant cycles, JCPS has applied for a grant to fund a combination of three large projects — ADA upgrades at Smoky Mountain High School, upgrades at Blue Ridge and Fairview cafeteria and classroom space. JCPS has not received any funds for those.
“Doing some research, we learned that they are really looking at projects that are addressing consolidation and new buildings, as is evidenced by what’s happening in Macon County with Franklin High School,” said Ayers.
In January, State Superintendent Catherine Truitt announced Macon County Schools had been awarded $62 million through the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund for the construction of its new high school.
So this time around, JCPS is applying for grant funds to build a new traditional middle school.
The maximum amount awarded for a traditional middle school through the state program is $52 million. To receive the grant, the county has to commit to a 15% match, which would put Jackson County on the hook for about $8 million.
“We’re hoping to build a traditional middle school for that total of $60 million,” Ayers said.
However, in addition to that estimated price tag for construction of the school, Jackson County would also need to find and purchase land for the new school.
The school system has not settled on a single location yet but has been considering a few and will narrow that search as the grant approval date approaches. Ayers did say that the preferred location for the middle school would be between Sylva and Dillsboro, around the halfway point between Smokey Mountain Elementary and Cullowhee Valley, to be central to those schools that would be losing their middle grade components.
“I don’t want to go toward Smoky Mountain High School and Fairview simply because traffic on N.C. 107 is already difficult enough, I think it would be unimaginable and not very wise to put another school along that road,” Ayers said.
The grant process is expected to move quicker this year with applications due Sept. 13 and winners announced in October. At its meeting on Sept. 3, the commission unanimously agreed to support the grant application and commit to a 15% match if the grant is awarded.
Board members also requested that school administration come back before them with a full list of the upgrades needed at Blue Ridge School, which is the only school with middle grades students that will not be impacted by a new middle school. JCPS does not plan on bussing students one hour each way to move them from Blue Ridge to a middle school down the mountain.
In recent weeks, community members have been raising concerns about needed capital improvements at Blue Ridge School. The school is already scheduled for roof replacement over the coming months and Ayers committed to continuing to address needs at the school in concert with commissioners.
If the school system receives the grant funding, it is required to break ground on the project within 24 months.
While Commissioner Mark Jones brought up some concerns about agreeing to the 15% match commitment so close to the November election, Ayers urged the board to move ahead with the application due to the impending change of state superintendent. The state superintendent has a say in how the North Carolina lottery funds are spent could choose to continue or do away with the needs-based capital grant funding opportunity. Because Truitt lost her primary to Republican Michelle Morrow, no matter who is victorious between Morrow and her Democrat opponent Mo Green, North Carolina will have a new superintendent after the election.
