The board is proposing to build a new 7-12 middle/high school on the property. A property tax increase will be required when the board is actually ready to build the new school. An increase could come as early as next year.

The county schools are facing exceptional growth caused, in the most part, with all the residential growth on the north end of the county, especially in Lenoir City where city officials have abandoned any and all growth management controls.

Below is a letter from director of schools, Mike Garren, explaining the current plans, and system growth and the need for the new school.

Church Officials, Derek Saidak, Scott Williams,
Title Company Representative Suzette Byrd
School Director, Mike Garren
Sign Closing Documents

The school board reviews their five-year strategic plan every year and determines needs across the district relative to academics, fiscal priorities, and facilities. We have been monitoring our physical capacity for several years and in the 2021-22 school year, the district saw an increase of 106 students which is an increase of 2.2%. This is significant because under the new TISA funding that goes into place in 2023-24, districts that grow more than 2% are considered fast growing districts. In 2022-23 school year, the district saw an increase of 237 students which is an increase of 4.9%. The current enrollment of the district in 2022-23 was 5,030 students compared to 4,687 a couple years ago. According to the US. Census {2020) the population of Loudon County was 48,556 {2010) and 54,886 {2020) with 19.1% of Loudon County's population under 18 years old. Considering this data in conjunction with projected development in the North end of the county, there will be a significant need for growing capacity in the schools. It is also important to note that this is a lengthy process. The land acquisition took almost two years. Now that the land is acquired, the design phase is underway which could take up to a year and construction up to two years. As we work through these various phases, the district is still expected to gain students.

Based upon this actual increase in students and the significant increase in proposed housing developments in our area, in the Fall of 21-22, the Board directed for the district to look at options for expanding our facilities at Philadelphia, Eaton, North Middle and CTE programming at Loudon High. As part of the expansion plan at Eaton and North Middle, it was determined that the best solution would be a new school on the North end of the county and restructuring the grade levels at those two schools. Eaton currently has 683 students and no open classrooms available to accommodate growth. North Middle currently has 780 students which is an increase of 52 students {7.1% increase) over the last two years and no open classrooms available to accommodate growth.

The plan would be to restructure Eaton from a K-4 school to a K-3 school, freeing up 7-8 classrooms for growth of 160-200 students. North Middle would be restructured from a 5-8 school to a 4-6 school, freeing up 7-8 classrooms for growth of 200-240 students. Highland Park currently has 397 students which is an increase of 28 students {7.0% increase) over the last two years and one open classroom available to accommodate growth since a building addition in 2017.

During Board discussions in the Fall of 21-22, it was proposed to gauge interest from parents of North Middle students in attending a county operated high school since we were going to have to build some type of facility on that end of the county. Because the site costs would be about the same for a middle or middle/high school then it seemed most economically feasible to add an upper floor to the building and be able to accommodate grades 7-12.

There has been interest from parents in the fifth and sixth districts for years to have a county high school option on that end of the county. A survey was administered in the Fall of 21-22, and 70% of parents were interested in sending their kids to a county operated high school. The Board then asked the director to locate suitable property on the North end of the county to accommodate a 7-12 school. This would accommodate growth for our elementary and middle grades on the North end of the county, and also give county parents a high school option for their students.

The Board also requested that Cope Architecture determine the feasibility of an expansion of Philadelphia school on the current site. Philadelphia school currently has 519 students which is an increase of 42 students (8.8% increase) over the last two years and no open classrooms to accommodate growth.

During the Board planning session in the 2021-22 year, the Board visited the facilities at North Middle, Philadelphia and Loudon High School CTE department to personally evaluate the facilities use and capacity. Cope Architecture presented a schematic plan to show that an expansion on the current Philadelphia site was a viable option. The architect also presented a plan for the expansion of the CTE building at Loudon High to accommodate the increasing student participation in automotive and welding classes.

At that time, the director had evaluated several properties which were either purchased too quickly for the Board to pursue or they just weren't viable options for a school. Several sites were considered until the school district approached First Baptist Church in Lenoir City which is located between Simpson Road and Highway 11. The property is located between the feeder schools of Highland Park, Eaton, and North Middle, has utilities in close proximity and is accessible by major roadways. The Board then determined to pursue the purchase of this property in October of 2022 for an additional school on the North end of the county.

The district is also experiencing growth in other schools within the district. Loudon Elementary has seen the most dramatic growth with a current enrollment of 665 students which is an increase of 88 students over the last two years (15.2% increase). In 2013-14 the school board built a new Fort Loudoun Middle School and combined the current Loudon Elementary and old Fort Loudoun Middle School to accommodate for future growth. The district still has two to six available classrooms in those facilities. Loudon High School currently has 732 students which is an increase of 70 students over the last two years (10.8% increase). The district still has three open classrooms for growth at Loudon High School thanks to the building addition in 2017. The increased demand for Career and Technical classes is driving the need for additional space at Loudon High School.

Greenback school moved into their new facility in 2013 and their current enrollment is 669 students which is an increase of 36 students (5.7% increase). The Greenback facility still has four classrooms to accommodate future growth. The school does have a need to renovate the bleachers at the football stadium since those weren't addressed in the prior building project. Additionally, since they house middle and high school sports in the facility an additional practice gym will be evaluated.

The School Board has been very proactive and thoughtful in their planning for growth over the years. These discussions have increased in frequency of late due to the actual increases realized at various schools across the district compared to our capacity and anticipated growth within the community due to increased housing availability. The district doesn't want to get into the position of having to place less secure portable buildings on campuses that are already overcrowded and experiencing traffic issues, so they are acting upon the information that we currently have available.

Mike Garren
Director
Loudon County Schools