Jackson-Madison County Board members discuss proposed plans at board meeting

JACKSON, Tenn.–Seats are filled as people gathered to hear more information on the proposed plans by the Jackson-Madison County School Board, to undo the “Vision 2020” plan.

Devion Dunlap with the NAACP came to express his opinions on the Madison County Jail at the school board meeting, Thursday night.

“There was a little friction with the board members but I’m glad they’ve all become united and they seem pretty grounded on their stance on this whole thing,” said Dunlap, a NAACP member.

Other attendees have some concerns with the Jackson Central-Merry campus closing as a result of the “Vision 2020” plan.

“JCM resurrected again is just fantastic and I’m sure the east Jackson community is very happy about that,” said JMC Board member Morris Merriweather.

The board also approved land for the K-8 in the northwest Jackson.

“The first part is to find land, then were also pursuing a public private partnership that will hopefully have us a University of Madison on the University of Memphis and also,” said JMC Superintendent Dr. Eric Jones.

The board anticipates moving forward with the JCM Workforce Training Center.

“A new JCM the county will hopefully pay for the JCM portion and the city will hopefully pay for the Madison portion,” said Dr. Jones.

The board put six proposals on hold such as; adding a new elementary school in North Side High School and expanding Montessori Schools to East and South Jackson.

“We’ve got to turn the system around we go a whole lot of discipline problems, we got truancy problems we talk about the problems with the parents, their a lot of things that we need to talk about,” said Merriweather.

Dunlap hopes the board members make more concrete decisions soon.

“They wont be resolved today but I believe all the proper steps that will be taken for them to be resolved in the future are being taken today,” said Dunlap.