Murphy – Now they can begin. The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners voted to commit up to $40 million toward a new consolidated high school.
At a lengthy meeting Monday night, commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of funding a new high school project through a dedicated millage rate increase of no more than 4 cents to service the project debt, if needed. Commissioners Jan Griggs and Cal Stiles opposed the motion.
“As of the 31st of this month, Andrews will no longer have a McDonald’s,” Stiles said, while arguing that closing institutions such as the hospital has led to an economic decline. “To lose a high school up there at this point in time I think may be catastrophic for the town.”
Commissioner Randy Phillips said he, too, feels that closing Andrews High School will economically hurt the town. However, he believes the new educational opportunities will draw industry to the county if there is a home-grown workforce.
“I know seven kids who are in the grave because they didn’t have a trade, didn’t have anything to do and got hooked up on drugs,” Phillips said. “It is time to stop that. We have an opportunity here to stop that.”
The project will consolidate Andrews, Hiwassee Dam and Murphy high schools onto the same campus as the Schools of Innovation adjacent to Tri-County Community College in Peachtree. Officials say consolidation will significantly increase the number of athletic and academic programs available to students, who today are not afforded
the same opportunities at each school due to lack of funding and lack of resources needed to spread the knowledge across the county.
“I truly believe that having a single school combined with Tri-County Community College gives every single student in this county the opportunity to get the education that they need to compete in the world,” Commissioner Dan Eichenbaum said. “Really, that’s what’s important.”
Commissioner Gary “Hippie” Westmoreland made similar statements, while saying he wants the county to be proactive in addressing declining student numbers and build a learning institution that is “everybody’s school.”
“There’s only two options – build two schools or one school,” Westmoreland said. “Tri-County [Community College] is in Peachtree; that’s where the school needs to be.”
The commissioners’ vote allows school officials to solicit bids and determine what the project will actually cost. It doesn’t guarantee any money will be spent, nor does it immediately raise property taxes.
The vote is the first of many decisions that must be made to bring the project to fruition. Ultimately, commitment to consolidation depends on commissioners appropriating funds to complete the project.
“I’ve been living here for about 35 years, and this subject has been talked about since I’ve been here with the same amount of division from all the citizens of the county,” Eichenbaum said.
“In those 35 years, if the county commissioners hadn’t kicked the can down the road year after year after year, we wouldn’t be facing the problem we are now. … I’m sick and tired of kicking the can down the road.”