School Board, County Commissioners Discuss Future High School

The Putnam County School System would like to purchase land for a new high school within the next few years.

Superintendent Jerry Boyd said he would like to find at least 60 acres south of Interstate 40 and between Highway 70 and Highway 135.

“The one that’s been identified in conversations, it’s 100 acres or so,” Boyd said. “The lowest that they could live with would be a little over $30,000 an acre. That’s $3 million for the property, minimum.”

Boyd discussed the new high school during a joint work session between school board members and county commissioners earlier this month. The school system hopes to purchase the property by 2022 with construction getting underway within 5-10 years.

Boyd said there should be conservation about whether a future high school should have a traditional design concept.

“What I mean by that is could it be a facility that benefits all three high schools?” Boyd said. “Could it be a regional center for specialized programs that all three high school students can go to and still remain associated with their current high schools? Could it also be a facility that’s shared between other community groups and higher education for jobs training?”

Boyd said the above design would allow existing high schools to operate without having to construct additional classrooms.

According to a list of facilities needs, the school system plans to increase the capacity of Upperman High School with five years and renovate Cookeville High School within eight years.