FCBOE approves funds for Tharptown cafeteria

It wasn’t lunchtime, but nearly every seat in the Tharptown cafeteria was filled. Faculty, staff, students, parents and community members of Tharptown packed in for the Franklin County Board of Education’s called meeting to vote on a single agenda action item.

With four school board members in favor and one abstention, the wheels can keep rolling toward Tharptown’s new cafeteria.

With significant enrollment growth this school year, due in large part to Russellville City Schools’ new tuition requirements for students outside the city limits, the school’s already-packed cafeteria is now busting at the seams. A mobile unit is being utilized to serve the overflow of students. Additionally, the cafeteria is a long walk across campus for the high school grades.

The new cafeteria, which is projected to be completed by the start of next school year according to Superintendent Gary Williams, will house 115 additional students – enough to meet the needs of the school at this time, Franklin County Board of Education members determined. It will be located between the elementary and high school facilities.

The board voted in favor of leveraging $175,000 of capital outlay money to obtain more than $2.4 million for both the construction of the new cafeteria as well as the conversion of the old cafeteria into four new classrooms for the elementary school – a process that will begin upon the completion of the new cafeteria. The abstention came from Chairman Mike Shewbart, who emphasized his concerns that the new cafeteria/four new classrooms are not a sufficient fix for the problem, when considering the potential for continued enrollment growth.

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Veteran Spotlight – Mousey Brown

News

Russellville First Baptist Church receives historical marker

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Meeting a higher standard – Russellville High School JROTC

News

RCS BOE announces new superintendent  

News

Miss Dream Girl Pageant names winners

Franklin County

First Metro Bank hosts FAME Girls’ Ranch donation drive

News

PCHS holds annual Shelby Grissom Memorial Fashion Show

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: VFW Post 5184 – ‘No One Does More For Veterans’

Features

Supporting students’ futures

Features

Red Bay Garden Club discusses amaryllis planting

Franklin County

UA announces local students for fall 2023 President’s, Dean’s, graduation lists

News

School news

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Veteran Spotlight – Troy Oliver

Franklin County

Appropriations bill passes, allots more than $3 million for new Russellville library/multipurpose center 

Franklin County

Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association names Cattleman of the Year 

Franklin County

Franklin County votes: Unofficial March 5 primary election results 

Franklin County

Funding for new Russellville library, multipurpose community center expected this week

Features

Faces of Franklin County: BTCPA

News

GFWC Russellville Book Lovers Club sponsors downtown art crawl

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Veteran Spotlight – Cody Bragwell

Franklin County

42nd annual Miss RHS pageant names winners 

News

Miss RHS pageant takes place Friday

Franklin County

Political announcement: David Hester speaks about run for reelection as county commissioner

Franklin County

BTCPA auditions for final production of season take place March 3-4 

x