Oak Ridge Today

Roane Commission rejects school consolidation plan

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Information from WYSH Radio

Monday night, the Roane County Commission overwhelmingly voted against the long-discussed school consolidation project. Commissioners voted 11-2 with two abstentions to reject the approximately $63 million plan that would have consolidated Harriman, Kingston, and Rockwood high schools into one large central facility that would be built near Roane State Community College’s campus in Harriman.

Since discussions began on the possibility of consolidating the three high schools and making renovations to Midway and Oliver Springs high schools, which would remain open under the proposal, school officials have been fighting an uphill battle. [Read more…]

Roane BOE backs off school consolidation plan

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Information from WYSH Radio

Meeting in a special session Thursday night in the auditorium of Roane County High School in Kingston, the Roane County School Board voted to scrap its controversial plan to consolidate the county’s five high schools into one 2,200-student “mega-school.”

Earlier this year, the School Board voted to move forward with a plan to combine Harriman, Midway, Oliver Springs, Rockwood, and Roane County (commonly called Kingston) high schools and passed it along to the County Commission for consideration. The proposal, however, parked an immediate backlash, as many parents—especially those from the Midway and Oliver Springs school zones—voiced concerns, specifically about the increased travel time for students to and from school. [Read more…]

Roane board to discuss school consolidation plans this evening

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Roane County School Board will have a work session at 6:30 p.m. today (Thursday, April 6) to revisit an earlier decision to begin the process of consolidating the five high schools in Roane County into one larger school.

The work session will be in the auditorium of Roane County High School in Kingston.

The board is meeting at the high school due to what is expected to be a large crowd. The proposal to consolidate the high schools has met with vocal resistance, especially from parents of students attending Midway and Oliver Springs high schools, who say the proposal would seriously affect travel time to and from school, making trips for students there much longer. [Read more…]

BBB: Roane BOE to revisit consolidation decision

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Information from WYSH Radio

According to our partners at BBB-TV, the Roane County Board of Education met Thursday night and after several people in the near-capacity crowd addressed the panel, voted to revisit its previously announced decision to consolidate all five of the county’s high schools into one large school.

Last month, the Board had voted 7-3 to move forward on consolidating the schools, but following last week’s meeting where several people voiced opposition to the plan, including many from the Oliver Springs area, the Board decided to review its decision.

The Board now says it will meet in a work session on April 6 at 6:30 pm at the Central Municipal Building in Kingston to further discuss the school consolidation plan and see if any changes can be made. [Read more…]