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Board adopts East-side elementary realignment; students reassigned to new Eastlake and Ellery schools
Summary
Following two town halls and a demographer study, the board approved a realignment for eastern Orangeburg elementary schools that assigns Holly Hill and St. James Gilliard students to the new Eastlake Elementary, keeps Ellery students at Ellery and splits Vance Providence students between Ellery and Eastlake.
The Orangeburg County School District Board on March 11 approved an administration recommendation to realign elementary school attendance zones in the district’s eastern area in advance of the new Eastlake Elementary School opening.
Superintendent Foster told the board the district had held two town-hall meetings and commissioned a demographer to geocode student addresses and recommend assignments. Under the approved plan, students from Holly Hill Elementary and St. James Gilliard Elementary will attend the new Eastlake Elementary; Ellery students will remain at Ellery; and students currently zoned to Vance Providence Elementary will be split between Ellery and Eastlake using Highway 210 (Vance Road) as a primary dividing line.
The district presented capacity estimates and travel distances based on current address data. Staff said estimated enrollment figures for the coming year would be about 650 at Eastlake and about 350 at Ellery after accounting for fifth graders who would leave for middle school and projected pre-K counts. District staff also showed photos of improvements made at Ellery — including roof, flooring and HVAC work — noting the district had invested roughly $4 million in upgrades.
Board members asked about bus logistics and the location of bus storage; staff confirmed buses are staged at the Lake Marion bus shop and that current operations will continue. The board also discussed community outreach; the superintendent said the recommendation reflected input from residents who attended the town halls.
A motion to accept the administration’s recommended realignment was moved and seconded and carried.
Ending: Staff said they will begin family notifications and finalize transportation plans as the district prepares for the new school openings and boundary changes.
