County commissioners and school board members meet, discuss K-8 property choices

JACKSON, Tenn.– Some county commissioners met with a few school board members after the Madison County Finance Committee voted to recommend purchasing property off of Ashport Road to build a new K through 8 school.

The choice of properties were between Ashport Road and Passmore Lane.

One school board member brought up concerns about additional traffic in the area if the school is built on Ashport Road because of other schools already there.

“The school board rebuttal is that we haven’t decided yet over Ashport or Passmore,” JMCSS interim superintendent Ray Washington said.

Aside from the debate of which property is better, Jackson-Madison County School Board members raised concerns about not having a voice in the decision.

“I understand the mood of the school board members and feeling like they were, in their words, bullied. I also understand that, by those same school board members, or at least the ones speaking tonight on the subject, they also stated that their constituents are asking for Ashport Road as well,” county commissioner Jeff Wall said.

“The school board still feels as if they should have a say in this, and they’re waiting for a few more pieces of information to make their decision,” said Washington.

Washington says they want to weigh both pros and cons of each property before making a decision.

Board members said they also want to look at environmental test results of both properties before making a decision.