JISD to not close primary

V Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute

According to an email sent to the Jimplecute  by JISD Superintendent Michael Walker, the JISD School Board is not considering closing the Jefferson Primary School campus at the end of this school year.

“As you know, over the course of this year there has been consideration of closing the Primary campus. At this time the Board is not ready to take that type of action. The Primary campus will be in operation for the 2024-2025 school year.  JISD appreciates all the related community input we received,” Walker wrote.

Various discussions have been held with the County and the City of Jefferson on the possibility of one or both of them taking over the campus for different uses. 

The City proposed using it as a City Hall while a long-term solution was found for the uninhabitable current City Hall at the corner of Polk and Austin streets.

At a town hall held in November, many different ideas were proposed by community members on the use of the campus if the district chose to close it. Funding for those various options was a continued concern as the community indicated they wished to preserve the history and community impact of the structure which was the location of Central High School.