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“It’s a monumental time for the Sevier County School System,” said SCSS Finance Director Karen King who was presented with an $800,000 check by Pittman Center Mayor Glenn Cardwell on Thursday.
In all, $1 million was raised which will aid in the construction of the Pittman Center School.
“Glenn is making the first installment of a pledge made by the City of Pittman Center to the Board of Education, that if we would build a new school, they would like to add the niceties,” said King.
“This is the first time ever that the school system has gone into a joint effort with a community to build a school,” said John McClure, chairman of the Sevier County School Board.
The million-dollar pledge consists entirely of check-by-check donations promised by members of the community and not by taxpayer’s dollars. Cardwell said that the pledges came from area churches, civic organizations, corporations and from individuals in the community.
“We went to different organizations and showed them a ten-minute video that we had created to let them see our vision,” said Cardwell. “Through the experience, I’ve met wonderful people and they have responded to this in a way that I never would have thought,” he said.
Construction on the new school is already underway with a groundbreaking ceremony held in November, last year. The school will be built in two phases, with one section of the building to be ready by the 2007-2008 School Year.

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