Commission funds expansions for overcrowded Riverdale, Oakland and Smyrna high schools

Scott Broden, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal
Updated ·5 min read

Expansion plans for overcrowded Riverdale, Oakland and Smyrna high schools won a $156.3 million appropriation Thursday despite tax hike concerns.

The Rutherford County Commission agreed to fund the Board of Education expansion and renovation plans. The projects will increase capacity at each campus from around 1,900 students to 2,500 when construction is completed by a goal of December 2025.

The commission voted 18-3 in support of the school expansions. Only Commissioners Joshua James, Paul Johnson and Wayne Irvin opposed the projects that when combined with covering debt service deficit of a current $10 million would increase property taxes by an estimated 9.3%.

The expansions will help three schools that depend on a combined 40 portable classrooms, including 19 at Smyrna High School.

"We need these trailers moved out," said Commissioner Anthony Johnson, who questioned a previous recommendation to fund the Riverdale and Oakland projects but not Smyrna. "It’s all three or none to me. I live in the district that Smyrna High school is in. I wouldn’t have pulled Riverdale or Oakland out."

Portables near the soccer field at Smyrna High School on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
Portables near the soccer field at Smyrna High School on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

Commissioner Trey Gooch the previous week proposed to a divided commission Budget, Finance & Investment Committee to recommend funding only the Riverdale and Oakland projects in a 4-3 vote to improve security at the schools in Murfreesboro. Both campuses have students walking outside between main buildings and annexes during class-changing times.

Gooch amended the recommendation Thursday to include Smyrna High after he considered the comments the week before from Rutherford County Schools Director James "Jimmy" Sullivan about a "fractured school system" if only two of the three projects are pursued.

"I determined that Dr. Sullivan was correct," Gooch said.

Students crowd the hallway as classes change in the annex at Riverdale High School on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
Students crowd the hallway as classes change in the annex at Riverdale High School on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Commissioner Chantho Sourino also said the reason he voted in committee against the initial recommendation is because he wanted the Smyrna High expansion plan to be included.

County Mayor Joe Carr also urged the commission to fund all three school expansion and renovation plans to provide children with the best education they can get despite the need for a property tax increase to fund projects.

"Do not cut the children off in Smyrna for the resources they need," Carr said. "They need the same opportunities."

A first-year mayor who defeated Mayor Bill Ketron in Republican primary in 2022, Carr also told the commissioners they face tough decisions on responding to "a $64 million deficit that we all inherited."

The packed meeting audience at the Rutherford County Courthouse included members of the Smyrna Town Council and Town Manager Brian Hercules, and members of the Rutherford County Board of Education and Sullivan.

County leaders expect tax hike to help pay for expansions

Riverdale students walk in the rain trying to avoid puddles as they hurry to change classes to and from the annex at Riverdale High School on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
Riverdale students walk in the rain trying to avoid puddles as they hurry to change classes to and from the annex at Riverdale High School on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Paying to finance the projects and cover an existing $10 million deficit in the county's debt service portion of the annual budget may require increasing the existing property tax rate of $1.6162 per $100 of assessed value by 15 cents, or about 9.3%, according to information provided to the commissioners from county Finance Director Michael Smith.

The owner of a home appraised at $334,600, which is the median value reported by the Rutherford County Property Assessor's Office, would face paying about $125 more if property taxes went up by 9.3%.

Projects will relieve overcrowded schools with portables

This Smyrna High School rendering from Binkley Garcia Architecture shows what the campus will look like after proposed expansion and renovation is completed.
This Smyrna High School rendering from Binkley Garcia Architecture shows what the campus will look like after proposed expansion and renovation is completed.

Smyrna High is the most crowded of the three schools and depends on 19 portable classrooms to serve nearly 2,300 students.

The Smyrna High expansion will cost $38.4 million.

The Rutherford County Board of Education ranked the Smyrna the second priority of the three.

19 portables: Smyrna High wants classes 'behind brick walls' to improve instruction

Riverdale ranked by board as top priority of projects

The elected school officials ranked Riverdale the top priority because the campus is expected to gain significant growth after the board rezoned students, including all rising ninth-graders, from overcrowded Rockvale High, which was able to keep existing teens choosing to stay at a school that opened in 2019.

Riverdale has 11 portable classrooms, and has converted hallways spaces into classrooms, as well as using closets for offices and small-group classrooms to help serve over 2,000 students.

The Riverdale project will cost $56.3 million.

'We don’t have the space': Riverdale HS expansion plan addresses overcrowding

This Riverdale High School rendering from Binkley Garcia Architecture shows what the campus will look like after proposed expansion and renovation is completed.
This Riverdale High School rendering from Binkley Garcia Architecture shows what the campus will look like after proposed expansion and renovation is completed.

Oakland most expensive of three projects

The board ranked the Oakland High expansion as the third priority. The school depends on 10 portable classrooms to help serve about 2,000 students. Oakland also has converted hallways spaces into classrooms and closets into offices and small-group classrooms.

The elected school officials had also ranked expansions plans for La Vergne as the fourth priority and Blackman High as the fifth project. The board postponed plans for La Vergne and Blackman.

Oakland High is the most expensive project at $61.6 million.

Riverdale and Oakland opened in 1972 using the same design and added annexes in 1988. The expansion projects will add a second floor with classrooms to the main buildings, and these second floors will stretch through a bridge over sidewalks, asphalt and grass to the annexes.

Oakland and Riverdale also will gain new auditoriums with audience seats for an estimated 625 to 650 people, which is an increase of the existing auditoriums with seating for about 330.

This rendering shows the look of an expansion and renovation plan for Oakland High School.
This rendering shows the look of an expansion and renovation plan for Oakland High School.

Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription for all dnj.com stories.

High school expansion plan funding request

  • Complete expansion and renovation of Riverdale High by December 2025: $56.3 million

  • Complete expansion and renovation of Smyrna High by December 2025: $38.4 million

  • Complete expansion and renovation of Oakland High by December 2025: $61.6 million

  • Total costs of yet-funded high school expansion projects: $156.3 million

  • Note: The Rutherford County Commission will consider the funding requests from school officials

Sources: Rutherford County Board of Education approved building plan and construction bids for Riverdale, Smyrna and Oakland high schools

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Expansions plans for Riverdale, Oakland, Smyrna win funding approval