Muscle Shoals school board approves $60 million bond for new elementary school

The Muscle Shoals Board of Education unanimously approved issuance of a $60 million bond on May 7, clearing a major financing step for a planned new elementary school.

The action came during a special-called meeting. The bond is structured over 30 years at a 4.5% interest rate, making the project part of the school system’s long-term public debt obligations.

Planned site behind Webster Elementary

The new campus is planned for 11 acres behind Webster Elementary School. The property currently includes sports fields, which are planned for redevelopment as part of the school campus.

The Muscle Shoals City Council approved transferring the property to the school system during an April 2026 meeting. That transfer gave the school system control of the site before the school board approved the bond financing.

The location will place the planned elementary campus next to an existing elementary school and change the current use of the property. The project therefore affects both future school facilities and the sports-field space now occupying the site.

What the vote does

The unanimous vote authorizes the financing mechanism for the planned school. It does not, by itself, provide a construction start date, opening date, contractor or final design for the campus.

For Muscle Shoals students, parents and school employees, the decision advances the district’s plan for a new elementary facility. For the broader community, it commits the school system to a 30-year borrowing structure tied to a $60 million project.

Superintendent Frazier Lanier described the approval as a major step toward the project. The bond action follows the city’s April land transfer and moves the proposal from site preparation and financing planning into an approved borrowing phase.

The bond’s stated terms are $60 million, 30 years and 4.5% interest. The school board’s May 7 action was approval of issuance; additional project milestones will determine when construction begins, how the campus is designed and how the existing sports-field area is ultimately redeveloped.