Huntingdon Special School District has reached the highest student enrollment in its history. That’s what Director of Schools Dr. Jonathan Kee reported to the school board during its meeting on Wednesday, August 20.
“We are funded this year based on last year’s enrollment of 1,269 students,” Kee said. “Right now we have 1,305 students. As far back as I can look, that’s the highest number we’ve had”
Kee explained a reason for the increase.
“Part of that [is from] open enrollment students who do not live in our district,” he said. “And that is double this year.”
Dr. Kee noted that the district has 73 students so far who live outside the district.
“That’s encouraging to me, that we do have people outside our school systems, and [it’s a] testament to our students, our family, our staff,” he said.
New Middle School Position
With that growth came an immediate need for additional support at the middle school.
Dr. Kee explained that the higher-than-expected numbers created staffing challenges.
He requested approval for an additional educational assistant position at Huntingdon Middle School. The board unanimously approved the position.
Graduation Date
Additionally, the board approved the 2026 graduation date for Saturday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at Paul Ward Stadium, with May 17 reserved as a weather backup.
Student Representative Updates
Student representatives Paige Costello and Madison Dill reported that the first three weeks of school have gone smoothly and that many extracurriculars are already underway.
“We have started a lot of sign ups, not just for FFA but also math club and the book club,” Costello said. “Right now, we’re kind of just getting people excited and involved.”
Dill added a personal highlight from the start of the year.
“Everyone’s really excited to earn back break,” she said with a laugh. “I’m really happy I got my parking spot back!”
She also described the new student-led book club.
“[Students who are interested are put] in a Google Classroom, and [they] read an [assigned] book by the next meeting,” she said. “Then [we discuss the book].”
“It’s pretty cool. It’s really low key, though. It’s not anything like FFA,” Dill added.
The two also reflected on their recent trip to the Tennessee State Fair, where students competed in events such as veterinary science, livestock, and floral arts.
“I think we did pretty good,” Costello said of the veterinary tools competition. “Me and [my partner] scored 50, but then most teams did, so it was just the matter of rankings”
Board Chair, Dr. Lee Carter, encouraged the students to look for opportunities to connect the new book club with community events. He mentioned that author Mary Dixie Carter will be speaking at The Dixie in the spring, and suggested the group might be able to engage with her during her visit.
Other Business
Dr. Kee highlighted several facility improvements completed over the summer.
Renovations at the field house included fresh paint inside and out, new carpet, restroom upgrades, and a newly designated locker room space for visiting and soccer teams. Security enhancements such as card readers and additional cameras were also installed.
Kee reported that construction continues on the new baseball press box, and paving is complete on the high school parking lot.
The district will soon announce a one-time all-sports pass for fans, which will cover admission to all home athletic events this school year.
Kee also reminded the board of upcoming dates.
Parent-teacher conferences will take place the afternoon of Thursday, September 11, following an early dismissal at 11:30 a.m. Staff development day is scheduled for Friday, September 12.
Huntingdon Special School District’s next meeting is Wednesday, September 17 at 5 p.m.
