CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Another elementary school may be coming to Carolina Forest, but the renewed look at a school there comes as some parents want another elementary school in Horry County to be replaced.
Parents of students at St. James Elementary School near the Burgess community say they’re worried the building is too old, hurting their kids and staff members.
“There are several concerns, health-related, concerning mold in the school, inconsistent heating and air, students are sitting in classrooms with jackets on,” said June Johnson, a grandmother of kids at St. James elementary.
Several St. James elementary parents are upset the Horry County Schools board did not select replacing their school when narrowing down potential projects in the district’s $750 million capital plan.
“It seems that Band-Aids are put on the school, instead of a resolution,” Johnson said during Monday night’s board meeting.
Another project that also was eliminated in December was a new elementary school in Carolina Forest, but it may be revived. It would be the sixth elementary school in the Carolina Forest attendance zone.
HCS executive director of facilities Mark Wolfe says the district has until the end of the year to buy land off Ronald McNair Boulevard.
“According to facilities, that’s a growing area and we need the property,” said HCS board chair Ken Richardson. “I think we found the money for that property and we don’t want to lose it because we’ve had an option on it.”
The HCS board has not decided whether it will buy the land for $2.5 million.
As for St. James elementary, Richardson says he wants to make sure that building is safe.
“I don’t want to put anybody’s children at risk,” he said. “We’re going to get that addressed, looked at and make sure if there’s anything there we need to take care of, that we take care of it.”
HCS had air quality testing done at St. James elementary on January 21.
A district spokesperson says it takes seven to ten days to get the test results, so they’re expected to come back this week.