FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Florence School District One is discussing a plan to split school buildings into kindergarten through fifth grade and sixth through eighth grades.
Florence School District One board members have talked about restructuring for some time.
“We will have to move some students yes, but it’s not a redistricting or rezoning plan,” mentioned Florence District One Superintendent Dr. Randy Bridges.
The district would like to move towards a true middle school model.
“Thirteen K-5 schools and then four true sixth through eight middle schools…we haven’t decided if we’re going to do it next school year or the following school year,” added Bridges.
Classes are being held in 185 mobile units in Florence District One, according to Bridges.
“Which means our kids will move into the brick and mortar buildings which is safer and it’s a better teaching and learning environment,” Bridges said.
So far the game plan has been discussed in two board meetings with a consultant out of Charleston. It will cost the district $10,000.
Superintendent Randy Bridges says the grade reconfiguration will be the start of a new partnership.
“So five years from now if we decide we would like to tweak this plan and move some things around they got our data and they can come in and make those adjustments very quick,” he said.
The school board made its first change to the kindergarten through fifth grade model in September.
According to the final grade reconfiguration outline shown this month, all elementary schools in Florence School District One could be impacted…some more than others.
“It’s hard to narrow it down because it will impact every elementary school because your either going to go from a k-4 to a k-5 or from a k-6 to a k-5,” Bridges explained.
With this plan, school leaders hope to get rid of most of the portable classrooms for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
School officials say if parents would like to give any input you can go to the next school board meeting on November 10th at 7 p.m.
Take a look at the link to the final models for kindergarten through fifth grades.https://www.fsd1.org/schoolboard/Pages/Reconfiguration.aspx
