Construction of a new East Franklin Elementary School is now inevitable as future additions to the 70-plus-year-old building are no longer possible.
Macon County Superintendent Josh Lynch broached the idea in his comments to the Macon County Board of Commissioners during their Feb. 8 budget kickoff meeting.
Lynch talked about how last year, the school board paused the planned addition of six classrooms to East Franklin, built in 1951. At the time, the school board was uncertain how much the commissioners would fund their requests, necessitating saving the ESSER funding previously set aside for that project
On Feb. 8, Lynch said MCS was told “it was not advisable to proceed any further” with additions to East Franklin due to its age and condition. Later, Lynch said the recommendation was a completely new school building in the next five years.
Commissioner John Shearl asked about a timeline of East Franklin. Lynch said Maintenance Supervisor Tracy Tallent is constantly fixing issues at East Franklin, calling a new school “a dire need.”
Commissioner Danny Antoine asked about a potential location for a replacement school building. Lynch said it likely would be on the same site.
Commissioners Board Chair Gary Shields asked about the recent gym floor replacement. In November, an overflowed backflow preventer caused water to seep under and “bubble” parts of the floor. Lynch said work finished the previous week, and the kids are back in the gym.
Security need
Following the threat made at Mountain View Intermediate School on Jan. 16 and the ensuing sweep by law enforcement, including a district-wide lockdown, Lynch said the debrief uncovered the need for bi-direction amplifiers in the schools. These would amplify two-way radio communication in the school buildings.
Lynch said there are many areas in MCS facilities where two-way radio connection isn’t available. A future School Safety Grant Program award would cover these costs. MCS recently got $300,000 for safety equipment and services for students in crisis from this same program.
“The next time that grant cycle comes around, which will be next year, we will definitely put this in as part of that scope of plan,” Lynch said.
Lynch also provided a joint statement with him and Macon County Sheriff Brent Holbrooks about the radio booster system.
“I respectfully urge the Macon County Commissioners to allocate the necessary resources and support for the implementation of bi-directional amplifiers within our school system,” Holbrooks’ letter stated. “By doing so, we affirm our commitment to safety, empower our emergency response teams, and uphold our responsibility to protect the welfare of our community.”
School improvements
Lynch also talked about adding classroom space to Cartoogechaye Elementary. Lynch said the school is at capacity and teachers are using computer labs and auxiliary rooms for new classrooms. Lynch said Cartoogechaye isn’t as much a priority as East Franklin, but it is a need.
Commissioner Josh Young asked Lynch about redrawing school district lines to ease the burden on certain schools or shuffling grades at certain schools.
In response, Lynch talked about using the current Bartram Academy building on Union School Road and turning it into the county’s Pre-K school once the new Franklin High School is completed in 2026. This would take Pre-K from Iotla Valley, South Macon and Cartoogechaye and free up space at those schools. Lynch said redistricting is a possibility.
Another new capital need was an A/C unit for the Cartoogechaye gym. Lynch said they tried to get a quote for it in case of a failure, which would be roughly $70,000.
The list Lynch provided included some requests made for multiple years, including the new FHS, Highlands School and Macon Middle track. Others include items on the capital improvement plan, such as the Nantahala School wastewater project, which is currently under assessment.
On the Highlands soccer field, Lynch said they should have a recommendation in March after a year-long soil sample review by CreekStone Environmental and Geological Services’ Ronnie Dilbeck. This analysis will determine which type of drainage system would be best, and if the field should be grass or turf.
One listed item was a site plan for the Higdon Property, across the street from Franklin High School. Lynch said MCS applied for an agriculture grant, and with matching funds through another grantor, they could soon have $200,000 toward a site assessment. Lynch said the recommendation would be for “reworking the barn onsite” for agricultural purposes.
The last capital needs item Lynch mentioned was putting in a food service line at Macon Early College through a grant. The building doesn’t have any food service facilities. Lynch said it would allow a food service for students with food insecurities.
Trauma counselors
In further updates, Lynch said MCS is working with a grantor to provide licensed trauma counselors for several schools over the next three to five years. Lynch said the trauma counselor program would be modeled after a Jackson County program.
“They are very excited to be partnered alongside us,” Lynch said of the grantors, noting MCS hasn’t gotten the award yet, but said, “It’s looking very promising.”
Currently, MCS has four trauma counselors in schools, mainly funded through ESSER. Lynch said initially MCS would have up to seven licensed individuals plus a lead clinician. Being licensed would mean the counselors could bill through Medicaid.
“Using Jackson County’s model, it takes three to five years to get it fully built and self-sustaining,” Lynch said. “And that is our end goal, that we would like to have all 11 sites with a clinician.”
Lynch told the commissioners the school board will soon make a prioritized list to present to them.