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District lays out attendance-zone principles, staffing plan and planned $30M bond for three new schools
Summary
Clover School District presented a playbook for opening three new schools — attendance-zone principles, attendance-modeling tools, student-generation estimates and staffing steps — and finance staff said the board will be asked soon to authorize $30 million in remaining bond issuance to finish construction.
Doctor Hopkins, presenting the district’s school-opening "playbook," told the Clover School District Board of Trustees the district will start zone-building with each new school and then build outward, using ArcGIS and PowerSchool to model student distribution and growth. He listed guiding principles the district will use when creating attendance lines: avoid splitting neighborhoods, use major thoroughfares, aim for feeder continuity, leave capacity for future growth and minimize repeat student moves.
Hopkins presented residential-growth counts and a student-generation estimate tied to those permits: district modeling yields a potential 1,267 new students from approved developments as they build out, broken down in the presentation as about 548 elementary students, 302 middle-school students and 426 high-school students. Hopkins noted concentrated growth in the Lake Wylie area and several large approved developments; he said the district will present map models to the public and board and aim for finalization in the fall with community meetings in the spring and early next year.
On staffing, Miss Sauls (human-resources) outlined a three-phase process: needs assessment, voluntary-transfer windows and reassignment/recruitment. The district plans to name principals for the three schools this summer (some will assume duties earlier depending on work needed) and then run a transfer-interest period for current staff. Sauls said transfer/reassignment criteria will include total and district teaching experience, leadership credentials, certifications (including ESOL and AP), and equitable representation across schools. She also described grow-your-own partnerships with local universities for student-teaching and recruitment.
On construction and funding, Hopkins provided a construction snapshot: the high school field house and fine-arts wing are progressing and site work at Liberty Hill Elementary has begun after stormwater protections and clearing permits. Finance director Mr. Love told trustees the district has received about $26,000,000 year-to-date and recorded roughly $45,000,000 in expenses through November; he said the board will likely be asked in January or February for a resolution to authorize issuance of the remaining $30,000,000 in bonds to complete construction. Mr. Love noted the district spent about $11,000,000 last week, approximately $10,000,000 of which was construction-related.
District staff said community engagement on attendance maps and principal meet-and-greets will follow; trustees were asked for feedback on guiding principles and timelines but took no immediate vote on zoning during the meeting.
