Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Jackson County board weighs three options for Jackson Community School as enrollment falls to 48
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Leslie Ayers told the board Jackson Community School’s enrollment has dropped to 48 and presented three options — keep the campus, relocate the program to Smoky Mountain campuses, or revitalize the site — while parents and service providers urged maintaining a separate alternative setting for vulnerable students.
Jackson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Ayers told the school board Wednesday that Jackson Community School (JCS), the district’s alternative education campus for grades 6–12, is operating with fewer than 50 students and the district has three possible paths forward.
"The number is 48," Ayers said when the board asked for the latest enrollment figures. District staff showed a multi‑year enrollment trend that peaked a decade ago at about 102 students and noted JCS served 88 students at some point during the 2023–24 school year, but the current, day‑to‑day population has fallen sharply.
Ayers framed three options for the board’s consideration: leave JCS in place and pursue a revitalized program; relocate the high‑school portion to Smoky Mountain High School and the middle‑school portion to Smoky Mountain Elementary while keeping JCS’s school code and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
