For months, the snakes kept coming.
They slithered into Soddy-Daisy Middle School through cracks and doors and aging infrastructure, startling staff and underscoring what many in the community already knew: The building was long past due for serious attention.
“At one point, (then–District 1 school board member Rhonda Thurman) even threatened to send a snake in a box to my office if something didn’t get done,” Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson said. “So Rhonda, this day belongs to you.”
Dec. 16, after more than two decades of advocacy, repeated school board pleas and more than a few snake jokes, county and school officials officially unveiled renovation plans for Soddy-Daisy Middle School – a $34 million investment local leaders described as both overdue and deeply meaningful.
What’s planned
The project, announced by Hamilton County Schools in partnership with the Hamilton County Mayor’s Office, will modernize the existing campus rather than replace it with a new building. Funded through the Hamilton County Commission’s facilities bond, construction is scheduled to begin in October 2026 and conclude in fall 2029.
Once completed, the renovated school will accommodate up to 650 students, addressing current capacity challenges and projected growth in the Soddy-Daisy area. Plans include updated classrooms and learning spaces, a new gymnasium and upgrades to the existing cafeteria. Construction will be phased to minimize disruption, and officials said daily school operations are not expected to be affected.
Two decades of pressure
For those who have spent years pushing for change, the announcement marked far more than the release of an architectural rendering.
“This is a great day,” Thurman said. “For 20 years, I’ve been talking about Soddy-Daisy Middle School, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Thurman, who represented District 1 on the school board for two decades before stepping down in 2024, became a central figure in the school’s long campaign for improvements. Over the years, she raised concerns about flooding entrances, deteriorating athletic fields and the overall condition of the aging facility – often with humor.
“There really were snakes in this school,” Thurman said. “They kept showing up, over and over again.”
She recalled an assistant principal who regularly wrangled snakes into a Rubbermaid tote, and her own readiness to escalate matters if needed.
“As someone who hates snakes, I was fully prepared to carry one straight to Dr. Johnson’s office if that’s what it took,” she laughed.
The jokes, she said, were a way to keep attention on a problem that too often felt ignored.
“I don’t think there was a single school board meeting where I didn’t say something about Soddy-Daisy Middle School,” Thurman said. “It felt like we were overlooked again and again.”
A community pushes back
That sense of being passed over played heavily into the debate over the school’s future.
Initial plans presented in August 2023 called for building a new middle school on a shared campus with Daisy Elementary and Soddy-Daisy High School. The proposal sparked strong reactions from residents concerned about location, traffic and the loss of the existing school’s place in the community.
After months of listening sessions and public feedback, the Hamilton County Board of Education voted Nov. 21, 2024, to abandon the new-build plan and instead renovate the existing campus – a decision officials repeatedly described as a direct response to the community’s voice.
“This project reflects the voice of our entire community,” said Steve Slater, the current District 1 school board member who replaced Thurman. “I’m proud and grateful to the school board and to my colleagues for listening to that voice and for making decisions that support Soddy-Daisy.”
A school that shaped lives
For Slater, the moment was also personal.
“When I was a student here, this space was the library,” he said, gesturing during the announcement. “Over there was the study hall. I had first-period study hall, so I had to hurry in and get my homework done for the day.”
“This school has always meant a lot to me,” Slater continued. “Back then, it was a junior high, but it was still a place that helped shape who I am.”
Slater said the renovation strikes a balance between honoring that history and preparing for what comes next.
“Today, we’re making decisions that honor that legacy while preparing for the future,” he said. “Our students and our teachers deserve a building that meets the needs of today and anticipates the needs of the students who are still coming.
“The world is modernizing, and if we don’t keep pace, we risk falling behind.”
More than a renovation
County officials framed the investment as both practical and strategic.
“I want to talk about the deeper meaning of this investment and what this community represents for the future of Hamilton County,” County Mayor Weston Wamp said.
Wamp described Soddy-Daisy as one of the county’s most reliable long-term bets – a place defined by stability, civic pride and a deep commitment to public education.
“I often say that if it were possible to buy futures in one part of this county, I’d buy futures in Soddy-Daisy,” the mayor began. “I’d invest here for a number of reasons. This is a community that’s stood the test of time. It’s the product of two strong communities, Soddy and Daisy, coming together, and for generations there’s been a deep commitment to schools and to partnership with the county.
“That history is evidence of something important. These are high-quality communities that know who they are.”
Closing the gap
Beyond aging infrastructure, Wamp acknowledged that Soddy-Daisy Middle School has not kept pace with comparable schools in North Hamilton County, even as the surrounding community has continued to thrive.
“Loftis Middle School is also a high-performing school,” Wamp said. “Soddy-Daisy Middle School has lagged behind Loftis, even though the communities they serve are nearly identical demographically.”
That disparity, he said, has stood out in an otherwise strong K–12 pipeline in the region.
Whether students attend Daisy Elementary, Allen Elementary, Soddy Elementary, North Hamilton Elementary or McConnell Elementary, Wamp said they receive “an outstanding educational experience” before moving on to high schools that consistently perform at a high level. He pointed to recently released ACT data showing Soddy-Daisy High School as the second-highest performing zoned high school in Hamilton County.
In that context, the middle school became the weak link – the one place where families could reasonably question whether facilities and resources matched the community’s expectations.
“Our hope is that this new facility not only reflects our commitment to the community and our confidence in its educators, but also our expectations,” Wamp said. “This investment signals that the one part of the K–12 experience in North Hamilton County where parents might reasonably say, ‘There’s room for improvement,’ is about to change.”
Wamp emphasized that the goal is consistency across the entire educational experience in North Hamilton County.
“It allows us, as a public sector, to say with confidence that a family can land anywhere in this region and know that from kindergarten through high school graduation, their child will have every opportunity to prepare for any future they choose,” he said.
Against that backdrop, Wamp said, the Soddy-Daisy Middle School renovation represents the kind of investment that rarely makes headlines but shapes daily life.
“Too often, what gets the headlines – and unfortunately what gets the attention of elected officials – are the shiny new projects,” Wamp said. “What we fail to do is shine a light on the investments that quietly but profoundly shape people’s lives.
“This project is one of those investments.”
How it got funded
District 1 County Commissioner Gene-o Shipley called the announcement “a day that’s been a long time coming.”
“This is something people here have fought for, advocated for and believed in for many years, and it will have a lasting impact on the future,” Shipley said.
He credited Thurman for never letting the issue fade.
“Rhonda was a fighter for more than 20 years,” Shipley said. “She started this conversation, and today we’re standing in the result of that work. Rhonda, we made it.”
Shipley also pointed to the broader facilities bond that made projects like this possible, describing it as a turning point for public education infrastructure in Hamilton County.
“About a year and a half ago, County Mayor Weston Wamp came to me and said, ‘There’s no way we can build new schools. We’ll never be able to save the money to do it,’” Shipley said. “He asked what I thought about issuing a bond – $250 million.”
Shipley said Wamp took that proposal to the County Commission, which ultimately approved what became the largest facilities bond in Hamilton County history, unlocking long-deferred school construction and renovation projects across the county.
“That decision is what brought us here today,” Shipley said.
The bond, he said, has already translated into visible improvements at schools throughout Hamilton County – from new roofs to heating and air systems and long-deferred facility upgrades.
“These are the kinds of investments that make schools better places for children to learn,” Shipley said.
Robertson said the results of that investment are already evident.
“At the time, some people rolled their eyes,” he said of the bond. “But today, we’re seeing the results – not just here, but in schools across the county in projects that are already making a difference for kids.”
Robertson returned repeatedly to Thurman’s role, calling her “a legend” and recalling her persistence with a mix of affection and relief.
“If it wasn’t the back entrance flooding, it was the front flooding,” he said. “If it wasn’t that, it was the fields being in disrepair.
“That summer, when we were voting on these projects, one of the last phone calls I got from her as a board member ended with her saying, ‘You’d better not mess this up.’ I told her, ‘We’re good.’”
What it enables
For Robertson, the renovation’s true value lies not in bricks and mortar but in what it enables.
“What this represents is more than just a building,” he said. “What really matters is the experience our kids are having every single day.”
He pointed to fine arts programming already underway at the school, sharing that Principal Karyn Cox recently sent him video from a student production.
“Soddy-Daisy Middle School might not always be known for fine arts,” Robertson said, “but if you’ve seen what these students are doing, you know how impressive it is.”
The new facility, he said, will only expand those opportunities.
“This new facility is going to improve outcomes in the arts for our kids,” Robertson said. “It’s also going to strengthen connections through athletics – whether that’s better fields or a new gymnasium – and help create a place where students want to be.”
Vindication at last
For Thurman, watching the plans finally move forward was both vindicating and bittersweet.
“The only person who’s not excited is my grandson; he’s going to miss it by one year,” she said. “But my granddaughter is coming right behind him, and she’ll get to enjoy every bit of it.”
After years of being told to wait, of watching the school slide down priority lists and of joking about snakes to make a point, Thurman said seeing the project take shape feels surreal.
“If that’s what it took,” she said, “I probably should’ve done it a whole lot sooner.”
Now, with construction on the horizon and renderings in hand, Soddy-Daisy Middle School’s long-awaited transformation is no longer a punchline – it’s a promise finally set in motion.
Renovation Timeline
November 2025 – February 2026
CM-R selection
Hamilton County Department of Education selects and approves a construction manager at risk.
February 2026 – March 2026
Design development
Project team refines the program, resolves existing conditions and coordinates building systems.
April 2026 – July 2026
Construction documents
Design and documentation phase is completed, allowing the project to move into permitting and procurement.
August 2026 – October 2026
Permitting
Project permits are obtained through Soddy-Daisy and Hamilton County, with the SMO serving as the primary authority having jurisdiction.
October 2026 – June 2028
Construction – Phase 1
First phase of construction begins as part of a two-phase delivery plan.
June 2028 – August 2029
Construction – Phase 2
Second phase of construction continues through substantial completion.
August 2029 – August 2030
Closeout and warranty period
Standard 12-month construction warranty period begins following substantial completion.