RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WGNS News) - Members of the Rutherford County Board of Education recently authorized the acquisition of a vital parcel of land to further accommodate the growing school system. Highlighting the newly approved land transaction off Blackman Road, known as the Dismukes property, school board member Butch Vaughn told WGNS that the board voted in favor of buying the 86 acres earlier this month...Vaughn, a retired educator and former school principal himself, emphasized the urgency of securing the tract of land to build another high school.

A lot is happening in the Blackman area, where Poplar Hill Elementary School sits approximately 1,000 feet south of the Dismukes property. And adjacent to the existing elementary school is the site of a new middle school campus, a project that is nearing completion.

Poplar Hill Elementary and Middle Schools sit on land that was previously farmland, both constructed on acreage that was once part of Batey Farms in the Blackman community. (Photo above this article is the Poplar Hill Middle School, which is currently under construction). 

Today, the schools are in the process of buying land that belongs to another family familiar with farming... The land is owned by Jeffery Dismukes. 

Over a decade ago, a seed was planted on the Dismukes green fields - a seed that didn't blossom until this month... That was Claire Maxwell, Chair of the Rutherford County School Board.

Reports show that an $8.5-million contract to buy the land received a green light on May 14th and comes with an inspection period, during which the Board can undertake testing and further consideration of the property.

Both Maxwell and Vaughn emphasized the importance of building three schools on future land purchases for the county schools... Maxwell says the operation of three schools serving students at every grade level allows for better continuity in sports, the arts, and the overall educational environment.

While Poplar Hill Elementary School opened last year, Poplar Hill Middle School is slated to open later this year in August. Construction on the proposed Poplar Hill High School could begin next, if the most recent land contract, involving the Dismukes property, closes within the next 180 days. 

Another school project that's been at least two-years in the making, involves the purchase of 160 acres on Lee Road, which sits about two miles away from Stewarts Creek Elementary, Middle, and High Schools... The land on Lee Road, which intersects with Rocky Fork Road, will likely be the site of a future high school and a possible middle school. It was purchased to alleviate some of the overcrowding seen at the Stewarts Creek trio of schools in the Smyrna area.

• Podcast: Would you like to hear more? Listen to our complete interview (podcast) with Rutherford County School Board Chair Claire Maxwell and Board Member Butch Vaughn HERE.