Official wants Bolton High School considered for agriculture tech

Bolton High School, founded as an agricultural college, could return to its roots if a Shelby County commissioner’s plan gains support.

Commissioner David Reaves will present a resolution to the commission’s education committee today “encouraging” Shelby County Schools and Agricenter International to study the feasibility of converting Bolton to a regional agriculture career technical education school.

“I’m looking for a longterm plan for the school because the problem now is it doesn’t fit into any plan. It’s remote. It’s expensive to operate,” said Reaves, who chairs the education committee.

Agriculture programs are disappearing from schools, he said, but this could present an opportunity to create something unique that could extend to students outside the county.

Bolton is located on Brunswick Road in northeast Shelby County.

In the past it drew students from areas that are now served by the municipal school districts and for a while, students were bused from the Millington area, Reaves said.

Although the school may never again have a population of 1,800 or 1,900 students, this concept could help the school meet the needs of both rural and urban communities by focusing on issues like blight and the need for urban farming, Reaves said.

“The timing is right,” said John Butler, president of Agricenter International. Recent trends, including the eat-localfood movement, have given agriculture “a new breath of life,”

“The most important thing you do every day is feed yourself and feed your family,” Butler said.

Shelby County Schools board member Chris Caldwell said the idea, on its surface, has merit.

“Any legitimate suggestion to help improve Shelby County Schools and schools that are in our district, I think we ought to seriously vet them and give them consideration,” Caldwell said.