KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — The new elementary school being built in Northwest Knox County will not be totally finished by the time the next school year arrives.
Knox County Schools on Wednesday said Mill Creek Elementary School will only be partially open by the time August 2023 arrives, which was when the school was originally scheduled to be finished.
KCS said the school will initially open as a kindergarten through 2nd-grade school for the 2023-24 school year, and kids rising to grades 3, 4 and 5 will remain at their current school.
"As with many projects across the country, our contractor has faced construction delays due to materials and labor challenges,” KCS Superintendent Dr. Rysewyk said. “While we are disappointed that Mill Creek Elementary won’t be ready for all its students, we are excited to welcome rising kindergartner, 1st, and 2nd graders to this new school in August.”
KCS said Mill Creek Elementary will fully open as a K-5 school the following year. The school system said, even if the school building is finished by the middle of the next school year, it will still have to wait until 2024-25 to move the remaining grades in because it would need to hire new staff and drivers.
In the meantime, it said it will offer a one-time "sibling stay" to families who have a rising kindergartner, 1st, or 2nd-grader as well as a rising 3rd, 4th or 5th grader zoned for the new school. This would let families choose to keep their K-2 students zoned for Mill Creek Elementary at their current school so they can go to the same school as their older siblings in the 2023-24 school year.
A grandfather option will also be available for the 2024-25 school year for rising 5th graders to stay at their current school. However, KCS said transportation will not be provided for families that qualify.
Parents who want to take advantage of the sibling stay program should receive a message from KCS on ParentSquare on Feb. 15, and the deadline to apply is March 1.
“Given the circumstances, I believe this is the best possible solution,” said Sunny Scheafnocker, principal of Mill Creek Elementary. “We are in the process of hiring staff and working very hard to make sure that we create a welcoming environment for students and families when we open.”
KCS said it will be able to offer on-site after-care at the partially opened Mill Creek Elementary for K-2 students, saying it is working to create a list of other providers.