Anderson School District One planning new building program – Beginning 2023

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The Anderson School District One Board recently approved a $20 million bond issue which will be combined with $23.4 million from Local Option Sales Tax funding and $2.3 million from the General Fund to fund a new building program beginning in 2023.

District One has just finished a $132 million building program that included construction of two new middle schools, classroom additions, renovations and safety improvements throughout the District. According to Superintendent Robbie Binnicker even with sixty-six rooms added since 2019, they are already running out of space.
Currently three elementary schools are already operating over capacity.
Concrete Primary is over capacity and has three portables. Concrete had an eight room addition in 2018 and a 10 room addition in 2010.
Spearman Elementary is over capacity and also using three portables. Spearman had an eight room addition in the recent building program in 2020.
Powdersville Elementary is at capacity and had an eight room addition in 2020.
Powdersville Middle is at capacity and is using one portable. There was a ten room addition in 2020.
Other schools in the District added classroom additions with the recent building program and have classroom space available.
West Pelzer Elementary had four rooms added in 2019 and currently has two available.
Cedar Grove Elementary had an eight room addition in 2021 and has three classrooms available.
Wren Elementary had a twelve room addition in 2010 and has four classrooms available.
Palmetto Elementary had a ten room addition in 2011 and has five classrooms available.
Wren Middle had a ten room addition in 2020 and has five classrooms and three labs available.
Powdersville High had ten rooms added in 2020 and currently has two classrooms available.
Palmetto High had seven rooms added in 2010 and two roooms added in 2021. Palmetto High has one classroom available.
According to information presented at a recent Board meeting, AD1 has grown over thirty percent in the last fifteen years, and if the growth rate continues, the District will add more than 3,000 students over the next fifteen years.
District One bagan the year with 10,636 students.
The new two building program will be a two phase program beginning in 2023. It will include construction of a new elementary school in the Powdersville area to relieve overcrowding at Concrete Primary and Powdersville Elementary schools. Approximate cost is $35 million.
The plan also calls for a 10 room additon to Powdersville Middle, which will be built on top of the current addition at an estimated cost of $3.5 million.
A 6-8 room addition is planned for a Palmetto Area Elementary School at an estimated cost of $2 million to $4.6 million.
A 10 room addition is also being planned for the new Wren Middle School. Estimated cost is $2.6 million.
Phase 2 of the building program will be 2027-2030 and will include a new elementary school in the southern end of the Spearman Elementary attendance area to relieve overcrowding at Spearman. Cost is estimated at $40 million.
The plans are tentative and are subject to change, Binnicker said.