School board approves contractor for new school, name for Gibbs field
By Ken Lay
Things were short and sweet for the Knox County Board of Education at its regular session meeting at The Summer Place Thursday afternoon.
The proceedings were concluded in approximately 45 minutes as all measures passed unanimously with little or no discussion. One item concerning teachers’ retirement benefits was tabled and will be up for consideration in May.
The board approved the contractor Merit Construction for a new elementary school in Farragut. The school is projected to cost more than $473 million.
The campus will be located at the intersection of Kingston Pike and Boring Road on land that was purchased by KCS in 2023. The decision to build the school on the 41-acre parcel was made last year.
Farragut Primary and Farragut Intermediate will also be renovated. Construction on the new school is set to begin in May and it is scheduled to open for the 2027-28 school year.
Board member Lauren Morgan, who represents District 5, expressed her gratitude to the board at its work session meeting, which was held on Monday, April 7.
“I just wanted to thank the board for your vote ahead of time for our new elementary school,” Morgan said. “It’s an exciting time.”
The new school will have the capability to serve between 1,200-1,400 students in grades K-5. It will be a single-story 144,255-square foot building.
The board also approved naming the Gibbs High School baseball field. The facility will be named in honor of country singer Morgan Wallen, who played baseball for the Eagles. Wallen has made multiple contributions to Gibbs High’s baseball, band and core programs.
The board will hold a community meeting to discuss its 2026 budget on Tuesday at 5 p.m. It will also vote on its budget on April 29.
