The Jackson-Madison County School System will see the construction of two new high schools – Madison Academic High School and Jackson Central-Merry High School.
“It looks like we’re going to have two new schools for our school system,” said Jerry Gist, mayor of Jackson, “We’re going to have a new JCM (Jackson-Central Merry) on its existing site and that facility will be built by the county, totally, and the city will be responsible for building the new Madison Academic on the University of Memphis Lambuth campus, which I think will not only be a great addition to the campus, but will solidify the University and Madison Academic.”
Gist said the possibility exists that a child will be able to attend two schools within a few blocks of one another – Community Montessori and Madison Academic.
Members of the Jackson City Council voted 6-3 in favor of a new Madison Academic High School, which is expected to be built on the former site of Epworth Hall, located near the corner of Lambuth Boulevard and Maple Street.
Council members Charles ‘Pepper’ Bray, Ernest Brooks II, Harvey Buchanan, Johnny Lee Dodd, Ross Priddy and Charles Rahm voted yes, while David Cisco, Vicky Foote and Randy Wallace voted no.
Estimated costs for a new Madison Academic High School is $11.5 million, with an estimated payout of $499,833 each year for a period of seven years, with a required loan amount of $9,256,162 due after seven years.
Madison would expand to 600 students and offer dual enrollment opportunities with the University of Memphis Lambuth, while sharing the Lambuth Theatre Arts facility, and its athletic complex.
The Jackson-Madison County School System will guarantee 25 percent of the students in the Community Montessori School, 716 Westwood Ave., will live in the neighborhood zone around the school.
An added component would be sibling preference for admission – 25 percent of students admitted to Madison Academic Magnet High School will live in the neighborhood zone.
A new Jackson Central-Merry middle/high school would serve 800 students and concentrate on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Costs for a new facility are estimated at $20.2 million, with an estimated cost of $874,274 per year for a seven years, with a required loan amount of $16,190,267 due after seven years.
Besides the University of Memphis Lambuth, partners for the effort include the City of Jackson and Madison County, the Jackson-Madison County School System, the Jackson Community Redevelopment Agency and Healthy Community LLC.
(PHOTO: Vicki Lake, West Tennessee Healthcare speaks with Hal Crocker, center, and Henry Turley, co-developers of Healthy Community LLC)
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