Knoxville — With West Town Mall out as an option, Knox County Schools is now looking at moving the Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy from Knoxville Center mall to North Knoxville.
The Kelley academy opened in 2010 at Knoxville Center near Interstate 640 and Millertown Road. School officials signaled in February the high school, which provides courses tailored to meet the individual needs of each student outside the traditional school setting, would be moving.
Documents show school officials and the Simon Youth Foundation, a major benefactor of the academy, discussed in February moving to West Town. Knox County Schools was ready to commit to a five-year residency.
That's now off the table, records show. An April 12 letter from Superintendent Bob Thomas to Michael Durnil, the head of the Indianapolis-based foundation, shows the foundation couldn't find a spot for the school at the Kingston Pike shopping center.
The Knox County Board of Education on Wednesday will talk about moving the school to Lincoln Park Technology/Trade Center on Chickamauga Avenue.
Moving will cost about $250,000, the April 12 letter states.
The school system is seeking a Simon Youth Foundation grant to help cover costs.
"If SYF is still willing to offer a restricted grant to us to relocate the school, we have identified a potential facility for the 2018-19 school year," Thomas wrote, alluding to the Lincoln Park site, where Career Technical Education now is based.
