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 of strategies for an alternative school model.”

Student and staff testimony

Students and staff spoke for more than an hour. Emily Moore, a 10th‑grade student at JCS, described the school as a turning point: “JCS provided the resources, structure, and support I had been missing for so long,” she said, adding that at larger campuses she had felt overlooked and that individualized help at JCS made a difference.

Teachers and staff described day‑to‑day services that supporters say are hard to replicate in a larger school. Becca Balam, the school social worker, told the board she is coordinating food pantries and a full‑service support closet the school makes available to students and families and said she is concerned about a move because Smoky Mountain High School currently has no full‑time social worker assigned: “I can see that I may be utilized if we were moved into that building, and that could possibly pull my efforts away from these students that I support right now.”

Alumni and community members described personal outcomes they attribute to the program. Brianna Rhodes, a JCS graduate and former JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates) participant, said she improved academically and graduated after transferring into the alternative program. Virginia Haines, state director for Jobs for North Carolina Graduates, praised JCS for its small setting and the opportunity it offers to access career pathways.

Facilities, budget and enrollment drivers

District staff presented enrollment and finance data repeatedly during the meeting. Dr. Ayers pointed to an 11‑year enrollment history that shows fluctuation and a long‑term downward trend; a slide the superintendent discussed showed average daily membership (ADM) falling from 57 in January 2024 to 43 in January 2025 and earlier peaks above 100 students in prior years. Financial charts presented by district staff indicated that total per‑pupil expenditures at JCS were roughly $37,000 in 2024 when building and capital costs were included, and about $26,000 when those fixed building costs were removed.

District maintenance staff described serious, aging HVAC problems at the Jackson Community School building. The presentation listed replacement needs — including rooftop unit replacements, obsolete control boards and compressors — totaling about $450,000 to make the HVAC system sustainable in the long term. The district also listed a separate fire alarm upgrade estimated at $25,000–$35,000. Joe Kinslin, the district maintenance supervisor, was named as the staff contact for the facilities work.

Superintendent Dr. Ayers and staff emphasized that federal and state funding flows and program formulas influence what classes the district can afford. Career and technical education (CTE) funding, for example, is allocated at the district level based on enrollment; district staff noted that some CTE offerings have been reduced on the JCS campus because low enrollment does not sustain full‑time vocational positions. Dr. Ayers said there is a potential advantage to locating JCS on the Smoky Mountain campus: students would then have access to the broader range of CTE and ROTC classes offered at the high school.

Services, outcomes and community partners

District staff and community partners detailed services targeted to the JCS population. Molly (last name not specified), a district staff member, told board members that the school has “served over a hundred students during this academic year” and that staff have recorded “over 1,600 interventions” — a term the district used to describe actions such as counseling contacts, family outreach, referrals to partner organizations and attendance supports.

Heights and other community agencies were described as active partners offering after‑school programming, substance‑use interventions, truancy mediation and transportation help. Several speakers urged the board to consider grant opportunities and the Jackson County Public Schools Foundation as sources to fund building upgrades or enrichment programs while the district pursues a longer‑term plan.

Board direction, next steps

Board members set a timeline: the board will take the issue to a regular meeting on Feb. 25 at Fairview Elementary and expected the matter to appear on that agenda for a formal decision. One board member told the room the board had heard many phone calls and emails and that staff and families deserve clarity: “I think at this point, we need to make a decision going forward,” the member said during the meeting.

District leaders repeatedly said no final action had been taken at the work session, and some stressed that any decision to relocate would include dedicated space on the new campus so JCS students would remain a separate school program rather than being entirely merged into general education classes. Dr. Ayers said he had discussed a plan with Smoky Mountain High School principal Mr. Robinson to identify a cluster of classrooms and an entrance that would keep JCS students together as a school within the larger campus if relocation is approved.

What the board will decide next: The Feb. 25 board meeting was scheduled as the next formal opportunity for a decision. District staff asked the board to weigh the tradeoffs between preserving a small, specialized campus and the fiscal and facility constraints tied to low enrollment and aging building systems.

Ending: For now, students, staff and alumni asked the board to preserve the program’s small‑school culture and the intensive supports it provides; district leaders said they will weigh those requests against fiscal constraints and infrastructure needs and present formal recommendations at the Feb. 25 board meeting.