INDIAN LAND, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – Lancaster County school board members and district staff meeting recently for several hours to talk through options when it comes to how to handle growth, especially in the panhandle.
District leaders say just in the Indian Land area they average about 500 additional students a year, most elementary age.
In the video above, CN2’s Renee O’Neil joins us from Indian Land Elementary with more on possible options.
Official release from Lancaster County Schools:
“The Lancaster County School Board met for almost six yours in a work session on Friday, April 29th. The agenda was dedicated to capital needs, athletic facilities and growth. The board received updates and information on a large number of related issues. The board discussed the growth study that was procured by the district and the areas where future construction of classroom space is needed. The board received information on the building costs of new schools as well as the costs associated with additions to existing schools. Presentations were made by district staff regarding optimal locations of where schools might be built and how this would impact traffic, attendance boundaries, and overcrowding. The area that was heavily discussed was the Indian Land attendance zone. The board also received ideas and options from staff in reference to managing student population needs in the near future. One idea that is being explored is to give district staff the option to reassign schools for neighborhoods that are under construction but have no residents yet. This would allow the district to prevent overcrowding at schools while utilizing our space at all schools to its fullest potential. The idea would not affect current students who are already living in established neighborhoods. It would only affect future neighborhoods. This is only an idea for exploration and the board has not taken any stance on this suggestion. The second part of the work session centered around the capital needs of all schools around the county including the recommendations contained in the athletic facilities study. The board had the opportunity to discuss these recent studies in great detail. Board members spent a tremendous amount of time looking at each school’s capital needs in all categories and then attempted to rank those needs. A common theme throughout all the schools was improved LED lighting and ADA compliance upgrades. The board plans to soon prioritize the list of needs for funding and implementation as a part of the budgeting process. Dr. Jonathan Phipps said, “The board work session was an extremely productive meeting. Lancaster County is a fast growing area and our school district is certainly feeling the impact of growth. The work session by board members demonstrated their commitment to the best facilities possible for children to learn and grow in.” The board will now move through the budgeting process and work to find the necessary funding to make sure these important needs are met.”
