Joint middle, high school discussed

Published 11:42 pm Tuesday, September 19, 2006

CHATSWORTH — Murray County Board of Education members now have another option to discuss regarding a new high school — a joint middle and high school.

State funding would be available for a school for grades six through 12 because the state says the system needs another middle school, financial director Steve Loughridge said at a public meeting Tuesday.

If a joint school is built, the core facilities — media center, cafeteria and offices — would be in the middle, with high school classes on one side and middle school classes on the other.

The building would not have to remain a joint school. It could be turned into a high school after another middle school is built, Loughridge said.

He said more information will be available on this option, including how much state funding the system qualifies for, on Friday after he meets with a state official.

Board members have “unofficially” decided to build a comprehensive high school, though where and how has not been decided, to alleviate overcrowding at the current high school.

Until a building is finished, board members have said the Ninth Grade Academy building will be used as another high school so the schools can “split” as early as next year.

High school teacher Chuck Smith says when a new high school is formed, neither school should be called Murray County High School, have an Indian mascot or the colors green and white because too many people in the county would want their children to go to a Murray County High School so that they could follow in the parents’ footsteps.

Board chairwoman Pat Hooker agrees.

“That would be a point of contention,” she said.

Smith said the schools should be in different classifications, at least at first, “so they’re not competing with one another. The county could support both schools.”

“I think they should not play each other in sports for three to five years to let things calm down after the split,” he said.

Hooker said if Bagley Middle School feeds into one high school and Gladden Middle School into another, they would be in different classifications because Gladden has fewer students.

Another point that was discussed during the meeting was that students need to go to the school in their district. Currently students can choose which middle or elementary school to attend as long as they have their own transportation.

“It’s something that needs to be looked at because we need to solve the little problems before we can solve the big ones,” said Les Rowland, who is running for the District 5 seat on the board.

Hooker said when a new school is formed everyone in the county will have to go to the school in his or her district.