One day after Madison County Commissioners voted 20-1 to approve the construction of two new schools, the Jackson City Council tabled the proposal during its monthly meeting at City Hall, Tuesday.
“The major item on this morning’s Council agenda was the funding of Madison Academic (High) School through a 10-year proposal,” said Jerry Gist, mayor of Jackson, “The Council is a very deliberate group, and they voted to table until their its December meeting, and at that time they will address it, and finalize their votes.”
The proposal is build the Madison Academic High School at the University of Memphis Lambuth’s campus on the former site of Epworth Hall, located near the corner of Lambuth Boulevard and Maple Street.
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 middle/high school would be constructed on the former Jackson Central-Merry campus, and would serve 800 students, concentrating on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
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.
Costs for a new middle school/high school 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.
Dr. David Rudd, president of the University of Memphis, spoke to Council members about the importance of the academic development in the Lambuth area.
“We have invested in the (Lambuth) campus, about $10 million, and we’re getting ready to invest another $6 million in the renovation of Sprague Hall this Fiscal Year,” Rudd said, “The following year, we will (renovate) another building.
“This school not only helps stabilize the neighborhood – it helps us build a residential base for the campus.”
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: Chris Alexander, left, vice president of retail and development for Healthy Community LLC, and Hal Crocker, right, co-developer, Jackson Walk Phase I & II, visit with Lance Henderson, of the Henry Turley Company of Memphis)
David Thomas, Twitter– @DavidThomasWNWS
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