Blue Ridge School Principal Kheri Cowan was named Jackson County’s Principal of the Year during a surprise announcement last week. In JCPS, The Principal of the Year award is selected by a vote of their peers. Cowan has been with JCPS for six years, with four of those years as principal. All six of her years have been at Blue Ridge School. 

Finding enough bus drivers to operate all necessary routes has become a common issue for school systems across North Carolina and districts in the westernmost part of the state are not immune.

Jackson County Schools will continue to increase its capacity for early childhood education with the opening of an infant/ toddler classroom at Scott Creek School this fall. 

Jackson County Public Schools announced it is officially going out for construction bids to install lighting systems on its baseball and softball fields. This significant project aims to enhance the athletic experience for student-athletes, improve safety, and support the broader community.

Jackson County Public Schools announced that current assistant principal Joey Robinson has been named the new principal at Smoky Mountain High School. Robinson will step into his new role on July 1. 

The Catamount School, a laboratory school operating on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School, will relocate to the campus of Western Carolina University next school year after Jackson County Public Schools approved a relocation plan due to the need for more space at Smoky Mountain High School. 

The memorandum of understanding between Jackson County Public Schools and the Catamount School is up for annual review, and this year, JCPS is reconsidering the agreement that permits the Catamount School to operate on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School, where it occupies valuable classroom space in a system that needs all the room it can get. 

A facilities study for Jackson County Schools that will help inform capital improvements for years to come found several schools in the county are overcrowded, something administration and school board members hope a traditional middle school will help alleviate.  

In order to fairly compensate non-certified employees with several years of service to the school system, Jackson County Public Schools has instituted a new local salary decompression schedule. 

The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has awarded 14 grants totaling over $1.4 million in the 2023 grant cycle.