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Clarksville School District Seeks Millage Increase For Upgrades

CLARKSVILLE (KFSM) — Starting next week, Clarksville voters will decide whether they want to pay for a new high school and make other upgrades in their sc...

CLARKSVILLE (KFSM) -- Starting next week, Clarksville voters will decide whether they want to pay for a new high school and make other upgrades in their school district.

The Clarksville School District is asking residents for a 7.9 millage increase. Superintendent David Hopkins said the money would go toward building a new high school and a new gym that would double as a tornado shelter.

“We feel like that is a very important addition,” Hopkins said. “We want to get it where every campus on our site here has a tornado shelter, so that all of our students have a safe place to go in case weather turns for the worse.”

School administrators also want to make renovations to the football stadium.

“Some of the facilities we have inside there, our concession stand, public restrooms and our junior high field house were all built years ago,” Hopkins said. “They are simple block buildings, plumbing is collapsed underneath them. There are a lot of maintenance issues involved there. “

Early voting begins on Sept. 8 at the Johnson County Courthouse. Election day is Sept. 15.

“I would probably vote against it because we have got enough taxes in town as it is, but on the other hand, it will better the schools, but we still have good schools right here as it is,” Chris Jennings, a Clarksville resident, said.

But resident Matthew Ham said he is for the millage increase.

“I just think it will better our schools because I plan on having children, and I just think it would be a better way to spend some of our tax money,” he said.

If the millage increase passes, Hopkins said construction will begin right away. He expects the new high school to be complete by the 2017-2018 school year.

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