Future of former little Milligan Elementary School up for discussion

CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The future of the former Little Milligan Elementary School property still hangs in the balance. The Carter County Board of Education (BOE) met for a special-called meeting Tuesday to decide what to do with the now-closed school.

The board voted to close the school earlier this year despite pushback from the community.
Members cited operating costs for that particular school as the reason, when looking at their budget.

Little Milligan Care and Share Program Inc., a local food bank, proposed using the building as a community center. Carmen Campbell is the organization’s secretary and treasurer. She told News Channel 11 that the school used to be a place that the Little Milligan community’s kids came together to learn and play, and they want to keep that spirit alive.

“We will have a youth club for sports, basketball programs where the kids will be able to have a place closer to home where they can practice for their sports instead of having to travel 10 or 15 miles to participate in something like that,” Campbell said.

“Also, we have several civic groups in our location that will be able to use the building, Boy Scouts. They use it for clogging lessons, music lessons, church groups use it for activities and it’s just going to be open for the community to use.”

Carter County Director of Schools Brandon Carpenter declined an interview with News Channel 11 without direction of their attorney, because he said they’re still working out logistical details.

During Tuesday’s public board meeting, he said a price has not yet been set for the former school building and property.

“It is my understanding that the board would wish to possibly put a few restrictions on the property,” Carpenter stated during the public meeting. “That there couldn’t be a school there; there’s some things that will affect that price.”

The board did unanimously vote to have a negotiated sale of the building. They did not vote with who yet.

Campbell said her group would like to be able to use the building as soon as possible, and she said it’s a vital place for the Little Milligan community.

“When they closed the school on us, everybody kind of felt lost because that was our meeting point,” Campbell said. “That was where we gathered and did activities and discussed things. And it kept us all together. And when they closed the school, everybody felt like they had just dissolved us, that we had no nowhere to go. So this is very important to this community that we we [are] able to establish this, that we have a home base for our community and that we will be able to initiate all the programs that were going on before and that we can continue and maybe grow and have new programs added.”

Campbell said fundraising is ongoing for the potential sale.

The school building might also still be used for a voting precinct.

Nothing is finalized yet. Carpenter said the board still has to advertise for others to submit proposals. Those have to be submitted by the Aug. 8 board workshop meeting.

Also at the meeting, the board voted for all school employees to have a 2% raise. They will revisit a percentage for paraprofessionals.

The next Carter County BOE r egularly-scheduled meeting takes place August 15 at their Central Office in Elizabethton, 139 Keenburg Road.

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