This time next year, there should be one more school for children in Sevier County to attend. The new school will be located off Boyd’s Creek Rd. on Indian Warpath Rd. in Kodak. With the new school are hopes that the traffic currently going to the Seymour area schools will be slightly relieved. “We are hoping it will be a big relief to us as far as crowding, stated School Board member Charles Temple. The buses for the new school will go as far as Temple Rd. “That is the cutoff point for buses but parents are allowed to take their children to any Blount or Sevier County school as long as they provide the transportation,” said Temple.
The Seymour and Sevier area in general has experienced much growth. “We have 105 new students in Seymour in the K-8 grades and 32 new high school students and that number can increase,” said Temple. “We are fortunate to get the property located off Boyd’s Creek Rd. The school district has owned it for over a year now. It’s a beautiful piece of property and will make a great a spot for a school.” The school is the first one planned for the area with a second school in the planning stages for the Allensville area off Hwy. 66. That school, as the new one on Boyd’s Creek Rd., will hold grades K-8.
Expansion is happening all through the Seymour area schools. Seymour Middle School recently added four new schoolrooms. Two are ready to go while the other two are waiting electrical work.
Temple states that part of the reason for the crowding is actually a tribute to our schools. “Our schools are some of the best in the state. That’s why people move here. But any time you have the growth rate that we have had here we need to add on as well as make repairs to existing schools. We have a good community with a good parent support group – parents in Seymour are so supportive in all phases of our schools, that is one reason why they are so good. We also have excellent teachers and staff.” The Sevier County schools have hired over sixty new teachers and are still looking for others. Currently, the High School is looking for a qualified Biology Teacher.
A handful of schools in Sevier County are in need of major repairs while others just need a small amount of work done to make them shine again. According to Temple, “The School Board asked for $59 million for the schools, we got $22 million. That money comes to us over time. It’s not like we get a check for $22 million to do what we want with. We know there are money restraints and the commissioners do the best they can. So, we have to prioritize and complete the items we feel are a priority.” Temple stated that priorities for the area schools include the roof of the Seymour Primary School, which suffered a major leak last year causing damage to classrooms, doing repairs, adding four more classrooms to the Intermediate School (which was originally built in 1961), and adding eight classrooms to the high school as well as expanding the lunchroom there. Temple stated, “We would also like to add a canopy to the front of the Middle School so children can wait for their parents outside without getting wet.”
Temple explained that while the new school off Boyd’s Creek Rd. will accommodate 450 students, it is actually planned to handle more. “We design a ‘footprint’ to handle 450 students but the core of the school (the gymnasium, cafeteria, core area and offices) are built to handle 850 students. It is designed to add on to accommodate our needs, which was how the Middle School was designed. This year we have added four new classrooms to the end of the building.” Currently, Seymour Primary has nearly 730 students, Seymour Intermediate has 740, Seymour Middle School has 800 students, and the High School has 930.
With classrooms expanding the hopes that the new school will relieve traffic are there, yet more can be done. “There is a long ditch that goes in the front of the Middle School. Perhaps that area could be used for a turn lane,” said Temple. According to Temple, the roads are state roads and to get work completed it needs to go through the state. That is why residents should contact their State Representatives and Senators and ask them to make the road on Boyd’s Creek Rd. a priority. “The officers do a great job with the traffic now,” said Temple. “You have to remember with four schools there are over 2200 students and many of the parents drive them to school. That’s a lot of traffic to handle.”

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