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A crowd from the Keplar community celebrates at the end of Mondays special called Hawkins County Board of Education after the board voted 7-0 to rescind its July 11 vote to bus Keplar's 4th and 5th graders to Hawkins Elementary, giving those students, and the school as a whole a reprieve of at least one more school year.
jbobo
Hawkins County Board of Education

Keplar student busing decision reversed by Hawkins BOE

Keplar Elementary's 4th and 5th graders won't be bused to Rogersville when school starts Monday, but the fate of the small rural Hawkins County school in 2020-21 may hang on the results of a proposed district-wide spending audit.

Jul 29, 2019 at 9:18 PM
File photos from a protest in April of 2018 at the Hawkins County Board of Education meeting room in Rogersville when the BOE was debating the cost of renovating Keplar versus the possibility of closing the school. In the foreground of this photo is Keplar parent Tammy Lyons whose 5th grade daughter will be bused to Hawkins Elementary as a result of a the BOE;'s decision Thursday to relocate the 4th and 5th grades out of Kelpar.
jbobo
Hawkins County Board of Education

Mom sees removal of 4th and 5th grades as 'nail in the coffin' for Keplar

“This is not to help the students. This is not for the performance of the students. This is not to improve their education or their environment. This is a financially motivated thing. It's the nail in the coffin for our school.” — Tammy Lyons

Jul 15, 2019 at 10:00 PM
On the first day of school Aug. 5 the 38 4th and 5th graders from the Keplar community will be bused to Hawkins Elementary in Rogersville, based on a decision made by the Board of Education Thursday.
jbobo
Keplar Elementary

Hawkins BOE votes to move Keplar fourth- and fifth-graders to Hawkins Elementary

The only no vote was cast by board member Tecky Hicks who said the board can expect to “catch Hades over moving those school kids from Keplar”. Hicks added, “It's not going to be a pretty thing, I don't think, because it's never been pretty before.”

Jul 15, 2019 at 12:47 PM
During Tuesday's Reward School ceremony CVES students honored Dr. Bailey with a Pilgrim themed presentation, and then presented her with a check made out to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in her honor for $455.38.
jbobo
Hawkins County schools

Hawkins students find different ways of expressing appreciation for Dr. Reba Bailey

VIDEO & PHOTO GALLERY: For November's "Superintendent Appreciation" schools across Hawkins County demonstrated their admiration for Bailey, not only for leading the school system for the past seven months, but also for more than 30 years as a teacher and administrator in Hawkins County.

Nov 24, 2018 at 8:00 PM
During a workshop Monday the Hawkins County Board of Education discussed the possibility of buildign a new school to serve both Keplar and McPheeters Bend elementary schools, which are two of the smallest, oldest, and most rural school facilities in the county. The middle school would likely be built in the Goshen Valley community.
jbobo
Hawkins County Board of Education

How about one new school for students from both Keplar and McPheeters Bend?

CHURCH HILL — Hawkins County has been between a rock and a hard place for years, trying to decide whether to repair, rebuild or close two 60-70-year-old rural schools, but now a new scenario has presented itself.

Jul 18, 2018 at 11:18 AM
There was a definite pro-Keplar sentiment in Tuesday's packed Hawkins County school board meeting room as the BOE met jointly with the county commission to hear an engineering study that states $1.28 million in repairs are needed for the small rural school about eight miles south of Rogersville which serves 108 students. An alternative to making repairs would be to close the school and bus its students to county schools in Rogersville.
jbobo
Hawkins County Board of Education

Keplar community, some commissioners support repairs over closing school

Keplar Elementary's roof replacement had been scheduled for 2018-19 as part of the BOE's five year capital outlay plan at an estimated cost of $215,000. As a result of Steve Wilson's engineering report, however, the roof replacement cost estimate has more than doubled.

Apr 4, 2018 at 8:00 PM
jbobo
Hawkins County Board of Education

Hawkins BOE ponders closing Keplar versus $2 million in renovations

Consulting structural engineer Steve Wilson told the BOE's Budget Committee that although Keplar is safe, there's quite a bit more in need of repair than the roof, which is scheduled for replacement in 2018-19.

Mar 12, 2018 at 9:58 AM
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