The clock is ticking for the Gadsden County School District to decide where it will build a new K-8 school.
The holdup comes from a disagreement with the Gadsden County Commission over whether to demolish James A. Shanks Middle School in Quincy, to make room for the new facility.
“I’ve looked around and looked around, and I don’t know where we can build a school," Gadsden school board Vice Chair Leroy McMillan said at Monday’s district workshop. "If we’re going to keep it in the city of Quincy, I’m not sure where it would go."
When residents of Quincy found out that they were getting a new K-8 school, it was a pretty big deal because it would be the first school in Gadsden County to be built in the last 50 years.
In June of 2022, the Gadsden County School Board announced plans to build the school on the current grounds of Shanks Middle School, combining students from Shanks, Stewart Street Elementary, and George W. Munroe —three aging campuses in Quincy. But the board has yet to make a final call on the location.
The county worries that students and employees will have a difficult time working once construction begins. But with very few sellers, and a small window of opportunity for funding, school board member Charlie Frost argued Monday that the county’s plan has already taken up too much time.
“My thing is this, we drew up all of those plans," said Frost. "If we hadn’t been trying to work with the county, we would’ve been digging dirt or already on the way by now.”
The school district received $35 million last August from the Florida Legislature, towards phase 1 of construction. The district expects to receive the other half this school year to cover the $60 million expenditure.
Once complete, Quincy’s new K-8 school will be equipped with the latest technology dedicated to STEM fields. However, the school board says the state will pull the plug on the entire operation unless “dirt is being moved.”
Gadsden’s school board is expected to hold one final meeting April 23 to decide on the whereabouts of the new development.