urphy – Cherokee County’s board of commissioners and board of education will meet to discuss a planned reorganization of elementary and middle schools in the west part of the county.
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners will hold a joint work session with Cherokee County Board of Education at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 10, in the main courtroom of the Cherokee County Courthouse.
The board of commissioners requested this meeting to discuss the school board’s facility plans. There will be a public comment period at the beginning of the work session.
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After a lack of response from the schools to hold a joint meeting, commissioners withheld their approval of a number of funding requests for school repair projects until a meeting is held. The deadlock seems to be broken, but not on the timeline that commissioners expected.
The conflict centers on school district plans to move Martins Creek middle schoolers to Murphy and Ranger middle schoolers to Hiwassee Dam, with Hiwassee Dam elementary school students moving to Ranger. The changes are planned to take effect in time for the 2024-25 school year.
The stalled projects totaled $203,800 in half-cent sales tax proceeds for an HVAC at Andrews Elementary School kindergarten, an HVAC coil replacement at the Murphy High School Vocational Building, a new gym floor at Murphy Elementary School, carpet for eight classrooms at Ranger Elementary/Middle School, relocate a shed at the Schools of Innovation & Technology in Peachtree and for a chiller service agreement at Andrews High School.
The school district needs approval from the board of commissioners to use proceeds from sales taxes.
Schools Superintendent Keevin Woody attended both the meeting in March when the funding requests were made and the commissioners’ April 1 meeting.
At the April 1 meeting, Commissioner Dan Eichenbaum requested an agenda change to add a $111,227 funding approval for the gym floor at Murphy Elementary School, describing it as a safety issue. At the same time, the commissioners set a meeting time with the school board for April 25.
Commissioners approved both items unanimously.
Woody said he would check with the school board about the meeting date. He did, which precipitated the following email obtained by the Cherokee Scout:
“I wanted to let you know that some of the school board members cannot attend a meeting on April 25. I know you are having multiple meetings in May as we are with the end of the school year events and graduations.
“The following dates are available for school board members: June 10, June 11 and June 17. The school board has offered multiple weeks and dates hoping one works for your schedule.”
Both boards will be working on their respective annual spending plans over the next six weeks, with school board members then turning their attention to graduation ceremonies taking place at the 13 campuses across the county.