Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Construction continues on the new gymnasium and eight classroom additions at Chelsea Park Elementary School on July 11.
There was a time when Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer was out in the community trying to find support for additional funding for the schools in the city. He talked of deficits and of teachers buying their own supplies as he touted a one-cent sales tax that would go directly to the schools in Chelsea.
Now, the talk is about how many improvements are being made at the schools in Chelsea and the role the city has had in driving those.
It all goes back to the one-cent sales tax that Picklesimer rallied support for in 2019, which the Chelsea City Council passed unanimously.
At the time, the city projected the tax would increase funding for schools by approximately $1.5 million a year, but with the growth of the community, the funding has increased substantially more than what was anticipated five years ago.
“The local economy has grown and has generated more money that we really projected,” Picklesimer said. “And now it’s running about $200,000 a month, $2.4 million a year.”
That money has led to a number of large projects being completed in recent years, including a new weight room and a new turf football field at the high school.
This year, the high school is seeing a $1.6 million project to renovate its entrance, new home-side bleachers, new concession stands, a new softball batting cage and a repaving of its parking lots. Chelsea Middle School will be getting a new track. Chelsea Park Elementary will be getting eight new classrooms and a full-size gym, primarily funded by the city.
“We’re committed to spending this on our schools, and this is one way to accomplish that,” Picklesimer said.
The effort to renovate the high school’s front entrance will be spearheaded by Shelby County Schools, which put out the bid. David Calhoun, assistant superintendent of operations with the county school system, said the partnerships with Chelsea and other towns have been “critical” in getting projects done.
These projects are partially funded with city money and partially with funds from the county school system’s budget.
Chelsea schools are part of the Shelby County Schools. The town voted not to form its own school system two years ago, despite Picklesimer’s support of the idea.
By all accounts, the leadership of the city has been a boon to the schools in Chelsea.
Brandon Turner, principal of Chelsea High School, has called the support the school has received “transformative.”
“I think it’s exciting because it definitely shows progress,” Turner said. “It shows a concerted effort to improve facilities for the benefit of the students and the community, And it has been a direct result of a commitment from the city.”
Picklesimer said since the one-cent sales tax increase, the city has been able to give $10 million to the schools, including $1.5 million in classroom grants for items from security systems to MacBooks and Chromebooks — a long way from teachers buying their own supplies.
The next project on the horizon, Picklesimer said, was getting a second gymnasium for the high school to keep up with the growth and keep the high school on the same level as its peers.
