ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Orangeburg County voters decided in favor of the school district's $190 million bond referendum in Tuesday's election.
“The intent behind this plan was always to be comprehensive and that there were pieces that had to go together so that we can address as many needs across every facility for every single child that we could possible," said Orangeburg County School District Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster.
According to Foster, the primary mission of its school improvements plan is to enhance the educational experience of its students. Among the approved projects include a Clark Middle School expansion.
This will combine the student bodies of both Clark and Howard Middle Schools, allowing Howard's campus to be renovated and repurposed as an elementary school.
It will also start construction of a new Orangeburg-Wilkinson (OW) High School.
Francis Vilme voted in favor of the referendum and is the parent of a student at Clark Middle School who will be attending OW High after graduation.
“I think it’s gonna be very interesting for Howard Middle to converge and everybody’s at the same middle school. It’s gonna be a little rough in the beginning, but I think all the children will be good with it," said Vilme.
Vilme's son DJ will start his freshman year at OW around the time construction is slated to be complete in August 2024.
There will also be a middle school wing added to Lake Marion High School's campus and a new Holly Hill elementary school. The district is in the first of three phases, including thematic design, design development, and final construction.
“It’s about the opportunities to enhance our instructional programs, our academic programs to make sure teacher vacancies are there. That every child has a highly qualified, certified teacher in front of them each and every day so this helps comprehensively address a number of issues," Foster said.
The district says starting in January, it will enlist the help of a community oversight committee to track the progress of the projects and monitor funding. It plans to start breaking ground on several of the new campuses as early as February 2023, with all the upgrades to be completed by 2025.