Knox County Schools proposes K–8 “MLB” solution, staff to pursue land swap and return with MOU

Knox County Board of Education staff proposed on Feb. 3 a plan to build a new K–8 school to serve the Mechanicsville, Lonsdale and Beaumont communities and convert Westview Elementary into a dedicated preschool, and said they will pursue a land‑swap with Knox County government and return to the board in March 2025 with a memorandum of understanding on land acquisition.

The proposal matters because the district is planning a major capital investment—$66 million the board approved in 2024 for the MLB solution—and staff said the new K–8 would address projected enrollment increases tied to the Transforming Western (HUD) grant and regional development while reducing transitions that research shows can hurt student learning.

Dr. Adams, who led the presentation with staff, said the district’s work builds on a 2023 Region 5 strategic plan and community input gathered over two years. “We are very excited about some of the findings that we had today,” he said, and staff described three planning priorities—best practices, programmatic needs and community input—that guided their recommendation.

What staff recommended

Staff presented three options and recommended the K–8 as the option that best meets the committee’s goals. On the recommended rural site the district envisions a K–8 with programmatic capacity for roughly 1,000 elementary students and about 600 middle‑school students (1,600 total programmatic capacity), plus a dedicated preschool housed in the existing Westview building. The recommendation lists anticipated benefits as: added preschool and middle‑school capacity, fewer transitions between schools, more options for advanced academics, expanded arts and STEM programming, increased on‑site special education services and greater flexibility for scheduling tutoring, encore and intervention courses.

Staff said the K–8 option “checks all the boxes” for the factors the community prioritized, including supportive learning environments and more advanced academic opportunities. The district described the recommendation as a response to an anticipated enrollment increase linked to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant and the Transforming Western project. “When you look at the additional enrollment, 400 additional students,” Dr. Adams said, referring to the HUD‑funded transformation, “we do highly anticipate that that area will continue to grow with development.”

Community input and methodology

District staff said the community engagement process included a two‑phase approach: a multimodal survey and eight community meetings (morning and evening sessions at the four elementary schools). The survey received just under 300 respondents and was offered in English, Spanish and Kurindi, and staff said the community meetings were facilitated in four languages (English, Spanish, Kurindi and Acateco) with a total of a little over 45 meeting participants. Staff described a ranked‑choice scoring method for the survey to surface priorities; maintaining a supportive learning environment emerged as the top priority, while expanded STEM and arts programming and proximity of zone school to home were among other highly rated items.

Land and cost considerations

Staff reviewed multiple sites and said land availability and environmental/demolition costs were key constraints. They reported specific historical and cost notes for options considered: Site B was described as costing $8.7 million for about 16 acres; Site D had a prior purchase price of $8.5 million and included an existing facility for lease (which would complicate timing); one parcel was “unavailable” because it was not for sale. Staff said the district ultimately identified a rural high‑school parcel and is working with Knox County government on a land swap; they described that option as the most cost‑effective of those considered and noted the county had completed much of the demolition work on that site. Staff also said a maintenance facility on the chosen property would require relocation.

Budget and schedule

The district told the board the MLB solution is funded from the $66 million capital allocation the board approved in April 2024 for the MLB project. Staff said schematic design, bidding and construction would follow typical timelines and that schematic design and land acquisition steps would be brought back to the board; they estimated schematic and design would take about a year and construction likely to start in 2026 and run into 2028. Dr. Adams told the board: “We will come back before the board on March 2025. As far as land acquisition. That is a MOU that we will be working out with Knox County government, and then we'll move into the, building and design.”

Concerns raised by board members and community

Board members and public commenters pressed staff on several matters: whether the new school would be designated a magnet (and how existing Beaumont magnet programming would be retained), staffing and administrator placements after consolidations, student‑to‑teacher ratios, walkability and transportation (including the board policy on Parental Responsibility Zones), and whether the $66 million will be sufficient. Dr. Adams and district staff said program details typically are finalized during later stages (principal selection and schematic design) and that schematic design will come before the board, which provides an opportunity to address programmatic space and specific features.

Parents, staff and alumni of Westview, Beaumont and other impacted schools spoke during public forum. Examples include: - Alyssa Maddox, a parent of a third‑grade transfer at Beaumont Magnet, said she is “hopeful that if we have to close our beloved Beaumont, we will create an exceptional k through 8 magnet school.” - Cindy Peters, a Westview counselor of 23 years, said her community felt “a lack of transparency” and argued a large consolidated elementary would not serve Westview’s high‑needs population well. - Victor Jernigan proposed an alternative: acquiring Knoxville College property (about 54 acres) and offered to discuss debt acquisition as another site option. - Sam Brown, of the Knoxville NAACP, supported the K–8 and said it would restore access to a middle‑school option for the community.

What the district will do next

Staff said they will pursue a land‑acquisition MOU with Knox County government and return to the board in March 2025 with land details and schematic scope. They also said schematic design will come before the board and that hiring a principal and developing program specifics typically occur closer to opening, giving the board and community future opportunities to weigh in on programming and magnet designation.

Ending

District staff framed the MLB solution as a rare opportunity to spend a generation‑scale capital investment in one community and said the K–8 recommendation was intended to maximize programmatic options and special‑education, ELL and preschool capacity while minimizing school transitions. The proposal prompted sustained board and community discussion; staff will return with land details and schematic design steps in March 2025.