The County School Board on Thursday unanimously passed a priority list for a major school building program.
The list goes to the County Commission, which is expected to approve a bond issue for the project.
The projects, listed in years 1-3 of a long range plan, are due to cost well in excess of $200 million.
The new Gateway School off W. MLK Boulevard, which is to include a new location for Center for the Creative Arts, is at the top of the school board list. The county paid BlueCross $10 million for the facility that was built as part of the Golden Gateway development.
Tied for second were a new Clifton Hills Elementary and a new elementary school for students at Alpine Crest, Rivermont and Dupont Schools.
Next was moving Dalewood Middle School to the Brainerd High campus and then a new Soddy Daisy Middle School. A new school for Soddy Daisy Middle at its current site was preferred by board members over the option of combining the school with Soddy Daisy High School.
Lower on the priority list were an addition at Thrasher Elementary on Signal Mountain and renovating the former Cigna headquarters directly across from East Brainerd Elementary as an addition to that school.
The location for the merger of the three elementary schools is expected to be on the Dupont campus on Hixson Pike. However, board members said that could change if a better option is brought forward prior to the time for starting construction.
Red Bank officials have called for the school to be built there, saying otherwise there will not be an elementary within the Red Bank limits. Red Bank Elementary is just across the line in Chattanooga.