SALUDA COUNTY, S.C. — The Saluda County School District received a big check from the state on Thursday aimed at constructing a new school and renovating several others.
South Carolina School Superintendent Molly Spearman announced that morning that the school district would be getting $38 million toward major infrastructure improvements.
An independent review ultimately led to a recommendation that the school system replaces one elementary school with a brand new one. It also suggested the school make considerable improvements to others.
The assessment team recommended a new school on the campus of Saluda Elementary School that would consolidate it with Saluda Primary. The same team also suggested "additions and renovations" to Hollywood Elementary, Saluda Middle School, and Saluda High School.
The Saluda County School District is composed of five schools with a student population of about 2,400 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. The state's review found that the average age of schools in the county was more than 50 years.
Superintendent Spearman explained that the money is a portion of a special proviso by the state legislature that gave the South Carolina School System $100 million to assist what it described as some of South Carolina's poorest school systems.
“With the generous support of the General Assembly, we are pleased to be able to provide the additional funding that these districts need to provide safe, state of the art facilities that students, families, and educators need and deserve,” Spearman said.
Locals are also happy about the decision.
“This investment by the State will help us provide the resources that our students and teachers have needed for decades,” said Saluda County School Board chair Dr. Kathy Coleman.
Superintendent Harvey Livingston the importance of the momentous day and thanked Spearman.
“We are extremely grateful for the investment made by the State of South Carolina to improve the educational environment for our students, teachers, and community,” Livingston said “We commend Superintendent Spearman’s leadership in her continued fight for improvements in public education, especially in rural districts such as ours.”
