DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – The Darlington County School District shared its plans on building three new schools at a community forum on Monday.
Cain Elementary School will merge with Brunson-Dargan Elementary School to become one, larger school next year.
President of Brownstone Construction Group, Dale Collier, said the school will be kindergarten through fifth grade.
He said, currently, Cain Elementary holds 4k through second grade, and Brunson-Dargan Elementary School houses second through fifth grade.
“In terms of the curriculum, some things that are specific to the community, and this particular school district,” said Collier.
Collier said the schools will have state-of-the-art technology, and that parents and students can look forward to new computers, as well as, a large music, and are space.
Collier said each of the three schools will hold 600 students, and that the current Cain Elementary is half of the size of the new school.
Leigh Hixson has taught first grade at Cain Elementary Teacher for 28 years. She said she doesn’t want to retire because she’s excited to see the two schools come together.
“I have a lot invested in this school it’s like my home” Hixson, said. “I want to see my children in first grade. I want to be able to see them in fifth grade.”
The new school will be built on the current Cain Elementary School site.
Collier said construction on the new school will start in July, and will be finished by the end of summer 2019. He said the old school will be demolished in Dec. 2019.
“The challenge for the Cain site is that the work will occur during the occupied school year,” said Collier. “We will work to make sure, and understand, that the curriculum, being the construction going on at this particular school, is being taken care of, and if we’re doing any disruption during that time then the district, and the staff have the right to talk to us about how we can adjust our activities to make sure we don’t disrupt instruction.”
Parents in the audience asked about the safety measures that will be taken at the new school.
“We know that there is an enhanced concern about security in schools nation-wide,” said Collier. “And that’s been taken into account in these particular schools.”
Collier said the school board has discussed things like a buzz-in security feature at the front office, security cameras, and a fence that would run around the entire school.
“We’ve talked about the secured entry,” he said. “We’ve talked about how we can get the SRO’s right in the front of the building to make sure he monitors all things. We’re going to make sure things are in place.”
Collier said school names have not yet been discussed by the school board.
The next community forum will be held in the Lamar High School cafeteria on Mar. 27 at 6 p.m.
The last forum held by the district will be in the Washington Street Elementary School cafeteria on Mar. 29 at 6 p.m.
