The Cannon County Board of Education voted 5-0 at its regular meeting on Thursday, January 13th, 2022 to approve and go forward with the “Modernization and Restructuring of Cannon County Schools – Submission of 5-Year Plan – Cannon County Schools – Goal 4 – Develop and Implement a long-range facilities plan that provides opportunities and resources for ALL students, facilities, and staff.”
This 5 Year Plan includes the following Timeline:
Timeline Summary:
August 2022
Closing Auburn, East Side, and Short Mountain Schools
Cannon County Elementary School (former Woodbury Grammar): Pre-K- 5th & Life Skills and
Cannon County Middle School (All 6th-8th graders in the county will be moved to CCMS (located at former Woodbury Grammar School for a temporary middle school until construction of permanent Cannon County Middle School.) with Estimated Capacity: 658
Cannon County South Elementary School (former Woodland Elementary School): PreK-5 with Estimated Capacity: 390
Cannon County North Elementary School (former West Side Elementary School): Pre-K- 5 with Estimated Capacity: 325
School Year 2023-2024
Cannon County Elementary School (former Woodbury Grammar School) Classroom Expansion Complete
School Years 2024-2025 & 2025-2026
Build Cannon County Middle School with an auxiliary gym
Remodel Old Gym with Alternative School in the basement
Cannon County Middle School Opens with newly expanded Cannon County Elementary School (former Woodbury Grammar School) housing ALL PreK-5th Grade Students.
Closure of Cannon County South (former Woodland Elementary School) and Cannon County North (former West Side Elementary School).
Cannon County Director of Schools William Freddy Curtis stated, “The Cannon County Board of Education has taken a historic and substantial step for modernization and restructuring the entire school system. Steps of this significance have not occurred in Cannon County since the early 1960s. Understandably, there is sadness at the closing of schools that have been in operation since the 1950s and early 1960s. There will be endeavors to preserve the history of these schools and their significance to the education of thousands of students in Cannon County. The implementation of this Plan will be intense in the up-coming weeks and months and will involve great change and hard work on ALL staff in Cannon County Schools. This is the first step in a series of many steps on a journey that will impact succeeding generations of students in Cannon County. The Cannon County Board of Education and Cannon County Schools is committed to its Vision – ‘To Actively Engage in Excellence EVERY Day in EVERY Way!’ and Mission – ‘To Create a Unified Environment That Will Provide Opportunities for All Students to Succeed and Reach Their Full Potential.’ Change is never easy. And this process will not be easy, and much hard work will have to take place in the upcoming months for all our faculties and staffs. However, as we all look at the future of education in Cannon County, there is hope and encouragement for the betterment of Cannon County Schools and the futures of our most precious asset – the children of Cannon County.”
Cannon County Board of Education Chairman Jennifer Duggin stated, “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our life do not have titles until much later. Today, the unity begins. In August, students, teachers, and faculty will be brought together for the first time in our history. Unity will start to transform our system for the better.”