Story Published:
Mar 25, 2010 at 11:42 PM CST
Story Updated:
Mar 26, 2010 at 12:00 AM CST
In what Fentress County school representatives call an unexpected move today, Tennessee Department of Education spokesperson Amanda Anderson said the state would discontinue funding of the York Institute, turning the facility over to the Fentress County public school system.
Some 94 positions at the school will be eliminated, according to Anderson. These reductions are part of an 850 person lay-off that will occur Friday across state government.
Tennessee has funded the Alvin C. York Institute since 1937, when the Great Depression led the community to turn over the public school to the state. War hero and innovator Alvin York established the school to give rural children a chance to obtain a high school education.
The school has been the only grade 9-12 high school in Tennessee fully funded through state (rather than County and state) funds and is populated by some 600 students.
The school's campus of 400 acres is thought to be the world's largest high school campus, also designated as a Tennessee Wildlife Management area that includes a working farm with five ponds. In `1989 York Institute was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and in 1992 it was recognized by Redbook magazine as one of 140 "Best Schools" in America. As late as 2006, it was recognized by the Department of Education for a Best Practices in Character Education Merit Award.
As citizens reacted on-line to the news, it became clear that there are concerns. As Fentress County Director of Schools Mike Jones said to WBIR in Knoxville, "No type of transition, no "this is in the works," nothing. It bothers me."
Anderson said that employees are receiving three months notice and that thee employees will be receiving $3,200 severance and tuition credit.
The future of the school, it appears, is fully in Fentress County's hands and officials there may be challenged to fund it in these economic times. They will need to find several million dollars by this July -- a feat that may seems as daunting as the founding of the school in the 1920s.
Senator Ken Yager told WBIR News, "We were very surprised and disturbed that the governor's budget cut funding for the York Institute in Fentress County, especially at a time when we are prioritizing education in Tennessee. This action would close the doors of the York Institute. It would also result in great financial hardship for residents of Fentress County who would, without warning, have to take in these students at a time when citizens are suffering from high unemployment and job loss. Tennessee has a 74-year agreement with Sergeant York, Tennessee's greatest war hero, who mortgaged his house twice and laid the posts for the school to realize his dream for a quality education for rural Tennessee students. It would be short-sighted to break this time-honored agreement, which has very successfully showcased rural education in our state."
Senator Yager is working to get the school back into the state budget and reportedly says that he is willing to take the issue to the Senate floor.
Citizen response was mostly about timing and referenced Fentress County as the '2nd poorest in the state" with high unemployment and very little hope of raising new funds, particularly on such short notice.
