middle school

New middle school officially under construction

Submitted by Marilyn Toppins on Thu, 09/26/2024 - 23:53

HMMS teachers and staff prepare to turn over a shovel of dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony.

On September 4, the HMMS teachers and staff along with the Union County School Board, Union County government, the Lewis Group and Merit Construction employees and the Latham-Davis Family broke ground for the new middle school. According to Director Greg Clay, the school system has decided to keep the name Horace Maynard since it was first established 100 years ago, first as the high school and then as a middle school in 1997.

School board increases salaries, prepares for HMMS construction

Submitted by Marilyn Toppins on Tue, 02/06/2024 - 16:26

Finance Director Missy Brown explains the new salary schedule for teachers and other budget changes.

All Union County teachers will see an increase in their pay this school year. The Union County Board of Education approved a revised teacher salary scale at its meeting on January 11.
Missy Brown, finance director, explained that the additional increase is necessary to put the salary schedule on track to meet the $50,000 state mandated beginning salary in 2028. She further noted that the additional funding will come from the state TISA Growth monies and the pay increases do keep us competitive with surrounding counties.

BOE gets an overview of new middle school, maintenance ongoing

Submitted by Marilyn Toppins on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 14:59

The Union County Board of Education heard about the preliminary plan for the new middle school. Board member David Coppock was absent.

At the October meeting, the Union County Board of Education got a glimpse of the preliminary development of the new middle school. The Lewis Group, architects for the project, shared a preliminary plan for the property plat and a block drawing for the building. The school will be on John Deere Drive on property located behind the present Goodwill business.

Parents voice concerns about middle school behavior, discipline

Submitted by Marilyn Toppins on Tue, 06/07/2022 - 20:34

A dozen or so parents with concerns about Horace Maynard Middle School attended the Union County Board of Education meeting in May. Jessica Waggoner, the spokesperson, said that her fifth grader was terrified at the thought of being a student in the middle school next year.
Waggoner listed vaping, fights in the bathrooms and punishing everyone for the bad behavior of some as issues to be addressed. Another parent echoed these issues and added that bathrooms need adult monitors. One grandmother suggested that the middle school needs a PTO and better communication with parents.

TVA presented $30k grant at commission meeting

Submitted by Marilyn Toppins on Thu, 05/05/2022 - 15:32
Two ladies talking at a meeting

Aurora Pulliam and Tina Guinn presented a $30,000 grant check to the Union county Commission for shoreline stabilization at Beech Island.

Aurora Pulliam and Tina Guinn from the Tennessee Valley Authority presented Union County with a grant check for $30,000 at the Union County Commission meeting on April 25, 2022. The grant will address the erosion at the campground on Beech Island that could negatively impact the environment.
Pulliam, who manages the recreational agreement between TVA and Union County explained that Union County Mayor Justin Bailey had initiated a request for a review by TVA after the marina discovered a concerning erosion problem in the campground area in 2020.