School sale advances
Board taps Stephenson Realty to auction current campus
Clinton auctioneer Bear Stephenson speaks during the October 2025 dedication ceremony for the new Anderson County Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Clinton. Stephenson has been chosen by the Anderson County Board of Education to hold the auction to sell the current Claxton Elementary School property. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The board selected the company from a list of three firms at its Thursday, Aug. 13, meeting.
The other two applicants were JD’s Realty & Auction and Powell Auction & Realty.
Board member Don Bell made the motion, and board member Dail Cantrell seconded it.
David Miller recused himself from the vote. All other board members voted in favor.
Anderson County Schools hopes to sell the property at 2218 Clinton Highway for at least $4 million to help pay for the new Claxton Elementary School, which is under construction nearby at 105 Fellowship Lane.
Stephenson will receive a 10% buyer’s premium but will give 5% of that amount back to the school system, an arrangement JD’s Realty & Auction also offered.
Ryan Sutton, the school system’s public relations and communications representative, and School Board Chairman Scott Gillenwaters confirmed that the current plan is to hold the auction in early 2027.
Students will remain in the current building through the end of the school year.
The new school is expected to open in fall 2027.
“I have nothing but good things to say about all of them,” Cantrell said of the applicants.
Bell praised William “Bear” Stephenson, the company’s owner and broker, for his experience and contributions to the community.
“He’s helped Anderson County as a whole,” Bell said.
The current Claxton school property totals 1.75 acres, Director of Schools Tim Parrott has said.
According to the Tennessee Assessor of Property, the site has an appraised value of $7,843,100. A private appraisal in 2024 valued it at $4,165,000.
At an earlier meeting, Parrott outlined several problems with the current school that led to plans for its replacement.
Those included buildings that are not accessible to people with disabilities; structural, electrical and water issues; insufficient parking; and flooding.
“We have a classroom that, sometimes it’s a good classroom, sometimes it’s a pond,” Parrott said of the school.
Parrott also said pending road construction will take a nearby road “right up plumb to the door of the cafeteria” of the current building.