LEE COUNTY, S.C. — A new elementary school is coming to Lee County. It comes as the district looks to upgrade old facilities and consolidate some of the schools they already have.
“This is something that was needed,” said parent Terrance McDonald, whose son will be attending the new school in the future.
He and his mother Ruth McDonald have both gone to school in Lee County their whole lives and are excited about the new state-of-the-art building.
Many of the current elementary schools, like Lower Lee, Westly, and Dennis, have aged with some having been in use since the 50s.
The facility is being built thanks to the $42 million from the South Carolina Department of Education to replace and upgrade old facilities in the district.
Now, the three schools will consolidate into one brand-new building.
“I like that design, I like what l see,” said Ruth McDonald.
“K-5 are being educated in buildings that were built in the 1950s so they are our most vulnerable and we needed a new space for them and a modern facility that can handle the tough challenges of technology, and the demands of the technology,” said Lee County School District Superintendent Bernard McDaniel Sr.
The school will be built alongside Lee Central Middle and Lee Central High in an effort to make it one large campus.
“I think it benefits a lot of us in a lot of ways, in a parent's perspective, if they have car riders and they have elementary, middle students, they can just take this road, drop the elementary off, hit the roundabout loop, and drop a middle school student off or if they are riding with an older sibling at the high school they again can do the same, so having everyone here together is just going to be great," McDaniel said.
Leaving Ruth McDonald excited for the change. “I'm glad I lived to see this, this is good, this is good."
The school has not yet been named and is expected to be opened in August 2024.