BOE Buys Land For Replacement Canton Elementary School

CANTON, GA — The Cherokee County School Board has purchased land to replace the former Canton Elementary School. The board made the decision to buy the land at its Thursday, Oct. 18 meeting. Construction of the new school will be included in the 2021 Education Special Local Option Sales Tax renewal proposal for voters to consider.

The 63 acres is located on the east side of Ga. 140/Reinhardt College Parkway about 2.8 miles north of the Riverstone Parkway/Waleska Road intersection. The purchase price was $26,000 an acre, for a total price of about $1.6 million. Superintendent Dr. Brian Hightower said the move is a "promise kept by him and the School Board."

“When we decided one year ago to allow Cherokee High School to expand into the Canton Elementary School campus, we made the commitment to build a new Canton Elementary as soon as possible,” Dr. Hightower said, noting how difficult the decision was to close the high-performing and beloved school. “The School Board’s unanimous approval of this purchase is the first step toward keeping that promise. The next will be asking the voters in 2021 to renew our 1-percent sales tax so we can build it. Acquiring affordable land in the Riverstone corridor posed a challenge, and I greatly appreciate the work by our staff and the property owner’s support to make this purchase possible.”

CCSD began using the former Canton Elementary School in August as part of a plan to relieve overcrowding at Cherokee High School. The Cherokee North campus serves as a Ninth Grade Academy and will house World Language classrooms and band program among other uses.

Dr. Hightower also said CCSD will include a new middle school and high school on the 2021 Ed SPLOST proposed list of projects to relieve overcrowding in the Cherokee and Creekview feeder zones. The site purchased Thursday is not large enough for this purpose, but the district does own suitable parcels both in Ball Ground and the Sutallee community, the system said.

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Board members on Thursday also approved 2018-19 School Improvement Plans, which are blueprints outlining how each school will achieve two three-year SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goals targeting improved student achievement. These plans align with the district's overall Five-Year Strategic Plan and the School Board’s Major System Priorities.

The School Board additionally approved a contract with Sports Turf Company, Inc. for $133,467 to build a replacement for the outdated track at Creekview High School, and set the date for CCSD’s annual surplus auction. The auction, which is open to the public, begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at the CCSD Central Warehouse at 201 Mountain Brook Court in Canton. The sale preview starts at 8 a.m., and a list of items for sale is posted on CCSD’s website.

At its Strategic Work Session held before Thursday's regular meeting, the Board heard presentations from staff including an update from Support Services that, based on the school housing report analysis showing no CCSD schools are “critically overcrowded,” that no changes to school boundaries are planned for next school year.

“All of the students are staying put – we’re not going to have to redistrict anyone, and that’s always good news,” School Board Chair Kyla Cromer said.

Board members also heard reports on STEM-based learning in middle schools; a districtwide project to create digital courses for all high school core classes; the annual update of the Five-Year Strategic Plan and planned improvements to increase community engagement; and a review of legislative issues in preparation for setting its Legislative Partnership Program to share with the Legislative Delegation later this fall.

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