School system to sell Jonesborough Middle, keep Jonesborough Elementary
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — School, county, and town leaders have discussed the future of the old Jonesborough Middle School and Jonesborough Elementary School.
Jonesborough Middle School still has remnants of its last students, with signatures left on chalkboards and whiteboards. Staff and students had their final day in the school in December 2023 before moving to the new Jonesborough School, a combined middle and elementary school, at the beginning of the winter semester.
Right now, the Washington County Election Commission is using the gymnasium for early voting.
But, that could change soon. The county commission, the Town of Jonesborough, and school boards have an agreement to sell the property for commercial use.
“The timeline in the agreement indicates that when our students, our staff, we occupy the new building, then from that point, it would be four years that the board has to meet the letter of the agreement,” said Washington County Schools Superintendent Jerry Boyd.
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The agreement includes the front lawn of the old Jonesborough Elementary School and the Midway Center on West Walnut Street.
Boyd said the decision was between renovating the buildings or building a new school. He said the location of the property along 11E is why the agreement was to sell the property for commercial use.
A local broker with TCI Group told News Channel 11 that regional residential growth in Jonesborough is attracting new business interests.
“I am aware of two national brand restaurants to be announced in the coming months, so there is adequate new demand in Jonesborough for the land area in front of the school,” said CEO of TCI Group Jerry Petzoldt.
Petzoldt said the building infrastructure and plate design will determine if a business will choose to demolish the old middle school and redevelop it.
The football field behind the middle school will be used as a park by the Town of Jonesborough.
As for the old Jonesborough Elementary School, that remains under the discretion of the school board.
Boyd said ideas from utilizing the building as an additional administrative building, from a training center, to an educational center have been tossed around in board discussions. The educational center could either be for kindergarten through twelfth grade or post-secondary.
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Traffic is a big consideration in the decision process.
“One discussion throughout all of this is, getting the school traffic off of 11E was a priority of the groups involved,” Boyd said. “But if it’s a center where it’s not a traditional traffic pattern…it would not maybe have the same hours of requirements.”
Boyd said the school board is focused on making the next best decision for the elementary school.
“An asset like a school building and property certainly falls under that strategic priority of managing it well, utilizing it that’s going to have the best benefit for the community,” Boyd said.
The property is not officially for sale yet. Boyd said he anticipates the school board deciding on a realtor soon. He said surveying of the property will happen soon to determine plots and help identify a roadway for school buses to travel back to the bus lot behind the old middle school. The survey of the property will help provide an estimate for a sale price, as well.
Funds from the sale will go back to the school system and will help fund capital investments.
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