Carter Elementary students are getting ready to have their last year of classes in the school's 74-year-old building.
Next year, after a decade of discussion on the matter, a new 89,000 square foot facility will be built for the students of Carter Elementary School. Officials broke ground on it last November.
The building will have 30 classrooms and hold up to 800 students. It will be located just down the road from the old one on Strawberry Plains Pike and will cost $13.8 million to build.
Knox County Schools will contribute $2.5 million to that project, while Knox County will pay for the rest.
Dr. Jim McIntyre, superintendent of Knox County Schools, told 10News the project is still on schedule to be completed by the first day of classes in 2013.
"I look forward to cutting those ribbons in about a year from now," he said.
McIntyre said the school project is still on budget.
Parents of some Carter students are excited to see their students move into a new school. Larry Eastridge, the PTO president of Carter Elementary, said the current building does not have a lot of space.
"It was our turn for a new school," Eastridge said.
But, the school's principal, Shay Siler, told 10News the transition will be bittersweet, as it held the last ever "Back to School Night" in the old building.
"One more day for the history books," Siler said. "One more day for us to remember as we look forward to moving into the new building."
According to McIntyre, the district will discuss how to transition students into the new building sometime later this year.
He said rezoning would be a topic, albeit a small one.
"With the new Carter School, there shouldn't be any major changes in terms of zoning or enrollment," McIntyre said.