School ‘wish list’ long, funding short

After local school officials presented the Hamilton County Board of Education with a plan to consolidate seven elementary schools and build several more, few board members disagreed with the idea in theory.

But where to find the money and property needed for the $150 million construction plan isn’t clear, they say. Because of the many unanswered questions, administrators have put no timeline on the project.

“Right now it’s not realistic, but we have to have some kind of long-range plan,” said board member Rhonda Thurman.

One of the schools in Mrs. Thurman’s district, Falling Water Elementary, could be combined with Ganns Middle Valley Elementary in a new building, according to the proposal.

Another of her schools, Alpine Crest Elementary, would be consolidated with DuPont and Rivermont, also in a new building. Harrison and Hillcrest elementary schools also would be consolidated.

The plan also includes a replacement building for Ooltewah Elementary, a brand-new school north of Lee Highway in Ooltewah, and a new K-12 school to replace the K-8 Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts.

Board member Chester Bankston said the plan, especially for the eastern end of the county, which he represents, is really behind schedule.

“Really, I think we’re going to be caught with our pants down when Volkswagen and all those suppliers get in,” he said, referring to the expected population growth near the Enterprise South industrial park when the German automaker comes to town. “If we started next week, we wouldn’t be too early.”

Board member Chip Baker also said he thought Hamilton County may be late in preparing for the influx of people associated with VW.

“It’s my understanding that the Bradley County community is already positioned to have some of those people move in from VW,” he said. “I would put (school construction) activity out in east Hamilton County as first priority.”

Last year at the school board retreat in Nashville, school administrators also presented a plan to consolidate underused schools that they said cost the district too much money. In the end, only two schools of the 11 on the list were closed: Howard Middle and 21st Century Academy.

County Commissioner Bill Hullander said he thinks 2012 would be a good time to start building and consolidating schools because the county would have some bond money available.

He also said he’d like to see the construction spread out over several years.

“I think all of this that they’re talking about has got to be in long-term plans,” he said.

Even if the actual construction doesn’t begin for a couple of years, board member Everett Fairchild said the school system needs to have a plan in place.

“It takes several months to plan a school, so if you wait until you know the money is there, you lose a lot of time,” he said.

County Commissioner Fred Skillern said he was disappointed that the school system was eager to build new schools before addressing the overcrowding that he said was an issue in schools such as Sale Creek Middle-High School.

School board Chairman Kenny Smith has scheduled a work session for Jan. 7 to review a facilities plan in more detail. Later, the board will discuss options with the County Commission.