Jackson County board hears students, staff urge keeping Jackson Community School open as distinct program

Jackson County Public Schools leaders and community members spent more than three hours at a Feb. 19 work session weighing three options for Jackson Community School (JCS): remain at the current campus and revitalize the program, relocate the entire school to Smoky Mountain High School while preserving JCS as a distinct program on that campus, or continue at the current site without substantial changes.

The discussion brought students, staff, alumni and community partners to the microphone, many urging the board to preserve JCS as a separate, small‑school setting where staff deliver intensive supports. School leaders and facilities staff said the decision is constrained by declining enrollment and by aging mechanical systems that would cost about $450,000 to replace.

Why it matters: Jackson Community School serves students who the district says need intensive academic and mental‑health supports. Supporters told the board that moving the program or folding it into a larger campus risks losing the small‑school culture and the one‑on‑one attention they say is central to students’ success. Administrators say funding and enrollment trends are forcing hard choices and that any relocation would include dedicated space so the school can continue operating as its own program.

Board and district officials led the meeting and presented enrollment and budget charts showing long‑term declines in in‑building enrollment and the program’s per‑pupil costs. Dr. Ayers, Jackson County Public Schools’ superintendent, told the board there are three options under consideration and emphasized the practical constraints: “These are the 3 options, to remain in this location in the current format, to relocate Jackson Community School high school students to Smoky Mountain High School and middle school students to Smoky Mountain Elementary School, or to remain on‑site with a revitalization…