HISTORIC VOTE AT SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

Post date: Sep 20, 2016 7:25:24 PM

At a special meeting on September 19th, the Yancey County Board of Education made the historic decision to close three of the county’s oldest elementary schools.

Having spent the past month reviewing the impact study as presented by Superintendent Tony Tipton on August 22nd, the school board voted unanimously to close and consolidate Bald Creek, Bee Log, and Clearmont Elementary Schools into one single elementary school to be built on the west end of the county.

The Resolution as adopted by the Board regarding this action named a projected timeline of closing the schools at the end of the 2017-18 school year (June 2018), and opening the new elementary school with the beginning of the 2018-19 school year (August 2018).

In order to meet this timeline, the school board needs to move forward as quickly as possible in finding land on the west end of the county.

A press release issued August 1st indicating the search for land for a new elementary school did result in a few properties being submitted for consideration, however, with the decision to move forward with consolidation and construction, there is now an earnest focus on contacting realtors and individuals who may have property that meet the required criteria of:

1. 15-20 acres

2. Lie as close in proximity as possible to 19E

3. No flood zone

In addition to finding land, the school board will now begin the process of architect selection. Superintendent Tipton is reaching out to other counties in the state who have had recent elementary construction projects to obtain information on how to be better prepared in moving forward with this project.