By: Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer
The Spartanburg County School District Four Board of Trustees approved a measure to allow district officials to begin the process of reorganizing the grade structure in the district in anticipation of building a new high school and moving other grades to new buildings to accommodate growth expected in the district.
“A lot of people have asked each of us about what we’re going to do to keep up with all the growth,” said Superintendent Dr. Rallie Liston in introducing the item to the Board. “What this does is move a grade out of each school and creates space in each school for growth.”
The item, approved unanimously at the September 13 meeting, allows the district to reorganize grades into new buildings. Under the new structure:
Grades Pre K – 1 will stay in the current primary school,
Grades 2 – 3 will stay in the current elementary school,
Grades 4 – 5 will move to the current middle school and become an intermediate school,
Grades 6 – 8 will move to the current high school building as the middle school, and
Grades 9 – 12 will move to a new high school building.
Dr. Liston indicated that the Board’s action at the meeting was to show their support for building a new high school to prepare for growth. District officials have also begun taking steps toward the new high school, purchasing land where the building would be located.
According to Facilities and Assistant Business Manager Clark Simpkins, Jr., the district already has some parcels in the area near Cross Anchor Road and Allendale Road under contract and is finalizing agreements on a few other parcels. In total, the district is looking to purchase approximately 95 acres for the site of the new school. Simpkins indicated the district could be prepared to issue a referendum to votes by September 2022 and have the new school ready for occupation for the 2025-26 school year.
In other news, Dr. Liston also provided a brief update on the COVID-19 virus in the district, telling the Board that Woodruff has been fortunate thus far.
“Our quarantine numbers are much lower than our neighbors. At this point, the district has not had to run double bus routes yet this year, while some other districts in the state are running triple routes,” he reported. “A lot of people have worked hard and together on this. We’re hoping we are going to be on the downside of this soon.”
Director of Federal and State Programs, Britt McKinney, who has been coordinating the district’s response to the pandemic, told the Board that the district has begun providing free testing for students and family members again. The district is using the BinaxNow Covid-19 rapid tests provided by DHEC. She indicated that the testing program has greatly benefited people in the district, providing them a convenient option to get tested without traveling to Spartanburg.
“Our testing is keeping our kids in school,” she said. She told the Board that the ability to be tested here in Woodruff allows students who show symptoms or test positive to get back to class sooner because they can get test results faster.
Simpkins also reported that the property the district owns on Barnham Road, which was deemed unsuitable for a new school, was set to close on selling. The proceeds of the sale would be added to the construction fund.
Author: Tracy Sanders
