On Sunday May 1, 2022 at 2:00 pm the Jacksonville City Schools Central Office was officially dedicated and opened. While the building has been in use for several months, it was only recently completed. The Calhoun Journal had the opportunity to speak to Board of Education member, Marita Watson who shared that the building was originally used as medical facility and needed many improvements to make it ADA complaint. One issue was that the second floor could only be accessed from the outside. There is now an elevator and indoor stairs. Many of the delays were due to COVID and the inability to get materials in a timely manner.
The dedication was also the last official duty of former Superintendent Mike Newell who announced his retirement earlier this year. The dedication was also attended by Eric Mackey, Alabama Board of Education superintendent, K.L. Brown, District 40 Alabama House of Representative, Jacksonville Mayor, Johnny Smith, and council members, Tony Taylor, Terry Wilson, and Sherry Laster.
The central office, which is located across from the Public Safety Complex, is the administrative building for all Jacksonville city schools. The building houses the offices for the superintendent, director of special education, curriculum coordinator, human resources, the technical department, and the board of education (BOE). It is also a training facility where teachers and the board can get professional development as well as technical training. It is also the location for all BOE work sessions and meetings.
Mrs. Watson explained that when making decisions on the building selection and renovations the board tried to keep future needs in the forefront of their minds. They didn’t want to invest in this building only to have additional needs become an issue a year or two down the road. She also explained that the central office serves and a sort of archive for the schools history. Kitty Stone’s original desk from the twenties is located there as well as a wall of photos of every superintendent to serve. 
