The Hawkins County Board of Education voted to start the process of receiving bids for the Keplar Elementary School property and also repurpose McPheeters Bend Elementary School for the remainder of this school year and next year.
The Hawkins County BOE voted at its Feb. 3 meeting on two different motions pertaining to Keplar and McPheeters Bend elementary schools, both of which were closed last year.
The schools, neither of which served more than 100 students, were closed for financial reasons.
Keplar Elementary School
The BOE passed a motion to give Director of Schools Matt Hixson “permission to pursue appraisal, listing, and receiving of bids for Keplar Elementary School and property.”
The motion passed unanimously after some discussion prior to the vote and at the board’s Facilities Workshop on Jan. 27.
One thing that was decided on pertained to items purchased at Keplar Elementary School with qualified school construction bonds, which include things like the HVAC system.
At its workshop, the board discussed two options for the assets. One was to negotiate and pay off the bonds, and the other was to move those assets to other qualified sites.
Ultimately, the board decided to move the assets to other schools in the county.
The board will also specify when the property is listed that it be purchased by a “church, community resource, or like agency.”
McPheeter’s Bend Elementary School
The board also passed a motion that would allow the Hawkins County School District to use the McPheeter’s Bend Elementary School through the end of the 2022-2023 school year. The motion was passed 3-2.
Many board members questioned why the school would be used when it was closed to save money.
Hixson told board members at the workshop meeting that the cost savings would come from staffing since none of the proposed uses would require new staff.
Another thing that was mentioned was the fact that the roof had a leak.
Hawkins County BOE Chairman Chris Christian said the leak was in the kitchen. However, none of the proposed uses plan to utilize the kitchen.
“We’re not going to be utilizing the kitchen, and that’s where we have a leak,” Christian said. “The roof is in not dire needs for the next five years anyway. I’ve been in the school when it was raining; I have toured the school. It is not leaking other than in the kitchen.”
The board has proposed many uses for the building, including as a Pathways Alternative School, Hawkins County Virtual Academy, additional space for the Family Resource Center, Adult Education classes, fire safety classes from the Fireman’s Association and professional development training space.
Hixson said they might build a fire tower in the playground for the training at the workshop meeting.
Bill Killen with the Hawkins County Fireman’s Association spoke at the board meeting about the training classes they plan to offer.
“The Fireman’s Association’s been very active in the last year and a half of procuring additional equipment, fire apparatus tools, protective clothing and also training fire personnel,” Killen said. “This is a real benefit to Hawkins County because 173 personnel covered by workers compensation are not able to go to the state training academy in Belmont because of cost. So the Fireman’s Association has purchased textbooks and equipment, and we’ve worked very diligently to get this training into the system. We’ve also conducted Zoom training sessions, where we were able to bring in nationally recognized experts on various topics to have discussions with local folks how we can improve fire protection across the state.”
The training is at no cost to the school, and students that are certified are eligible for employment as a firefighter.
“Any student with a firefighter one certificate is eligible for employment in a number of locations throughout the state of Tennessee,” said Killen.
Christian said the board is here to provide opportunities.
“The creating opportunities is what this Board of Education is here to do,” Christian said. “I think that’s what a school system is here to do. We teach reading, math, science, history and everything else. Without teaching these things, we can’t provide those opportunities. So when you have a functional building, that calls to try to create more opportunities and benefits for our citizens and students. It only makes sense.”
The board will monitor the participation in the uses of the building to determine if it is worth continuing after the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year.