Mayfield Elementary School in Cleveland, Tenn., is crowded.CLEVELAND, Tenn. – A year after stating a need for a new elementary school, Cleveland education officials still are hunting the funding for it.
A proposed Bradley County wheel tax – which failed by a 3-1 margin in an Aug. 2 referendum – could have provided the borrowing power to build the school.
“We were waiting on the wheel tax, which obviously is not an option,” said Martin Ringstaff, director of Cleveland City Schools at a recent special meeting with the city school board.
During the meeting, the board decided that its next measures would require a partnership with the county school board, increased interaction with the public and determined requests to the county and city governments.
“I’ve been in touch with Johnny McDaniel, the superintendent of Bradley County Schools, about our next move as a collective force dealing with the County Commission,” Ringstaff said. “We believe we should go back to that group first.”