The Gibbs community would like for the Knox County School District to build a middle school in the Gibbs community on the land that was purchased for that purpose. Please place this project on the capital plan and let's get this school built!

The lack of a community middle school has a high cost to the children and their families in terms of their learning, development, personal growth and finances. Many of the Gibbs children are on overcrowded school buses for well over an hour each way to get to school, and some ride the bus for 3 hours a day! This is 3 hours out of a child's life where they cannot study, sleep, participate in extra-curricular activities, or have time for family life. Having a middle school so far away from the other schools in the community means that children have a hard time participating in sports and after school activities since it is too far and takes too long for parents to travel to pick them up after school and get them to activities in the community.

A feeder middle school in the same community as the high school is important for community cohesiveness, sports programs, and even childhood friendships and relationships throughout school. Our children start out as Gibbs Eagles in elementary school, become Holston Hurricanes in middle school, then Gibbs Eagles again in high school.

Many parents in the Gibbs community choose to homeschool their children or send them to private school during the middle school years. That translates into state and federal dollars that are not being awarded to Knox County Schools. Property values in the Gibbs community are depressed because of the busing situation.

The Gibbs community has increased awareness of this problem and gained support throughout Knox County for building a new Gibbs Middle School. During the recent strategic plan input sessions held by the school system in different parts of the county, building a new Gibbs Middle School was identified as a top priority in every session. People in other areas of Knox County are sympathetic to the problem and supportive of a new school.

We are asking you to please place a new Gibbs Middle School on the capital plan for Knox County Schools.

Thank you, County-wide Supporters for a New Gibbs Middle School

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