Burks Elementary School

Burks Elementary School is named in honor of Tennessee State Senator Tommy Burks. Senator Burks was a long-time state representative and senator for the Monterey area. He was also an avid supporter of the public schools in our area.

Burks first opened its doors on September 10, 2001. Our original name was Burks Middle School and we were comprised of grades 5-8. Mr. Mike Goolsby was the 1st Principal of Burks Middle School, and his vision helped to establish the school culture during those formative years. In the 2006-07 school year Ms. Denette Kolbe became the 2nd Principal of Burks Middle School. In the 2007-08 school year PreK moved into the Burks building. In the 2008-09 school year 4th grade also moved into the Burks building. This made us a PreK, 4-8 middle school. In the 2011-12 school year, Mr. Kevin Maynard became the 3rd Principal of Burks Middle School. In the 2012-13 school year, the old elementary school, Uffelman, was closed. All of K-3 was moved into a newly constructed wing at Burks. The name of Burks Middle School was changed to Burks Elementary School and Burks became a K-8 elementary school. In the 2016-17 school year, Burks changed grade structures once again by having the 7th and 8th grades move out of the building and into Monterey High School. Also, PreK moved back into Burks making us the only PreK-6th grade school in Putnam County. In the summer 2021, Heather Tinch became the 4th  principal of Burks Elementary School.