CMCSS lays out 20-year capacity plan; Freedom Elementary on schedule for 2026 opening

Chief Operations Officer Norm Brumbly told the CMCSS board at its Nov. 4, 2025 study session that the district is tracking steady, long-term enrollment growth and is advancing a 20-year plan to add seats and modernize facilities.

Brumbly reviewed 45 years of Fortieth-day enrollment reporting and said current enrollment is approximately 39,544 students and that a 30-year average shows about 602 new students per year. He said the district uses regional, demographic and building-permit data to map short-term and long-term capacity needs.

Region 2 of Montgomery County is the district—s most crowded area, Brumbly said: that small portion contains three high schools, three middle schools and 10 elementary schools and accounted for roughly half the county—s building permits (460 of 896) and 2,255 approved lots awaiting permits. Elementary seats are the greatest near-term concern: the district has 152 portable classrooms in service, 97 at elementary schools, and seven elementary schools exceed 100% capacity; the district target is about 85% capacity.

Planned projects highlighted in the presentation include Freedom Elementary (planned opening 2026, 840 student seats), an addition at Liberty Elementary, an elementary targeted for 2029, another for 2031 and a combined middle/high campus in the mid-2030s. Brumbly emphasized that land acquisition and county coordination are essential and noted that Freedom—s design was revised during planning (its capacity was reduced from about 1,000 to 840 seats during cost adjustments).

Construction at Freedom is underway on 16.84 acres near Fort Campbell Boulevard; Brumbly reported the project is about 48% complete with block walls, structural steel, mechanical/electrical/plumbing work, gravel parking areas and roofing in place. He said the project is on time and on budget, that the district has provided a site address (1776 Wallace Boulevard) and that the new administrator will be Nobranda. Brumbly said Freedom will help relieve nearby crowded elementary zones but that imbalances will remain beyond Freedom—s reach and will be addressed in the Kirkwood phase-2 rezoning work.

Brumbly also described facility upgrades and CTE investments across the district. He listed 28 CTE enhancement projects completed over the summer and summarized a 21,336-square-foot renovation at the Burt Innovation Center (cost reported as $3,681,000) funded through a Tennessee Innovative Schools grant. The renovation includes makerspace classrooms, collaborative rooms, an e-sports room, a prep kitchen, secure entrance and codes and systems upgrades (windows, mechanical/plumbing/electrical/HVAC and fire alarm).

In the question-and-answer period, board members asked whether work would affect the building—s historical status; Brumbly said it would not. Board members also asked about coordinating with the highway department to address campus paving and traffic concerns at sites including Woodlawn Elementary; Brumbly said the district is in ongoing discussions and will prioritize repairs where needed.

What is not specified in the transcript: the timeline for Kirkwood phase-2 boundary changes and the specific funding sources or board approvals needed for each future project beyond the descriptive plan presented by Brumbly.