Rhea County’s burgeoning population — its growth rate exceeded that of the United States as a whole, according to the 2010 Census — requires prudent planning and thoughtful management of resources and infrastructure to meet the needs of additional residents. In one important area, the county, north of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, is moving swiftly to meet those needs. Rhea County students should move into a new high school in time for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Construction on the new facility, which will be located directly to the west of the current high school building in Evensville, will start immediately. Completion is scheduled for August, 2013. Cost of the project, according to final resolutions approved last week by county commissioners, is not to exceed $30,953,824 for the building and $1,765,885 for furniture and fixtures.
When the new building opens, the site that is currently used as a high school will become a middle school. The building of a new high school and the conversion of the present one are sensible uses of public fiscal and physical resources. The dual project will allow the county to meet the needs of a student population that is already increasing, and that is projected to grow at an even more rapid rate during the next decade.
The new high school certainly is a dream come true for county officials, educators, students and residents. B.J. McCoy, the new school board chairman, probably spoke for most county residents when he said that the decision to approve construction of the new high school was “a very memorable day in the history of Rhea County. The teachers have been teaching under adverse conditions for years. I think this [the new high school] will be an asset to us.” It should be.
If McCoys’ assessment is correct — and there’s little reason to expect otherwise — and conditions make it difficult for teachers to teach efficiently and effectively, the same is true or possibly more true for students. It’s hard for kids to learn in less than optimal conditions.
The county’s willingness to underwrite the construction of a new high school that eventually will be home for about 2,000 students is a highly public commitment to those who teach, to those who learn and to the future of Rhea County and its residents.
A sound public school system requires adequate infrastructure as well as successful academic programs to produce graduates that can meet the challenges of the 21st century workplace and the demands of higher education. The new high school in Rhea County should go a long way toward helping the county build a strong foundation for public education in the coming years.