Board authorizes community feedback on South End boundary options as survey opens
Summary
The Berkeley County Schools board authorized the superintendent to present updated South End boundary and grade‑configuration options to families for feedback Dec. 2–9, after hearing a consultant explain four redistricting options and community leaders’ concerns about student transitions and Mill Creek overcrowding.
The Berkeley County Schools board on Dec. 1 authorized the superintendent to present revised boundary and grade‑configuration options for the South End to community members for feedback during a Dec. 2–9 input period, with a summary to return to the board before a planned Dec. 15 action.
Scott Leopold of HPM, the district’s consultant on the plan, reviewed four options that vary in how they reassign students to Mountain Ridge Primary, Valley View, Bunker Hill and Mill Creek. Leopold said the online survey will include maps and an address lookup to show current and proposed assignments and that "the survey will be open through the ninth of this month, and then we'll come back with more discussion and action on the fifteenth." The consultant also outlined tradeoffs: k‑5 configurations shorten bus routes but may reduce staffing efficiency; split models can add transitions but allow heavier grade‑level cohorts.
Community members and several South End principals told the board they are weighing two risks: the cumulative disruption to students from multiple reassignments if changes are phased, and the urgency of relieving overcrowding at Mill Creek, which remains well above the district’s target utilization. Mark Ferguson, a principal who spoke at the meeting, said proponents favor a faster switch to k‑5 to reduce repeated transitions and to improve continuity in literacy and social‑emotional supports.
District staff said the survey will include explanatory videos and data tables. Leopold described a "school locator" tool so families can enter an address and see proposed assignments under each option. Board members and staff committed to supplemental outreach: principals will host staff Q&As and the district will provide an email contact for technical questions.
What happens next: the district will keep the survey open through Dec. 9, gather input, and present summary findings to the board at its Dec. 15 meeting, when members could vote on boundary changes or revised timelines. The board vote on Dec. 1 authorized only outreach and did not adopt any boundary scheme.
