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Superintendent Jason Johns outlines $65 million plan for unified middle school serving Belton-Honea Path area
Summary
In a brief video, Superintendent Jason Johns answered frequently asked questions about a proposal to replace two aging middle schools with a single unified school estimated at $65 million, describing capacity, traffic, athletics, staffing assurances and funding constraints.
Jason Johns, the district superintendent, said in a brief video that the district is exploring a plan to replace two aging middle schools with a single unified middle school that would seat about 1,000 students and serve the Belton-Honea Path area.
Johns said the district arrived at a $65 million estimate after consulting an architect partner. "For a thousand student middle school, that cost is $62 million," he said, and added that about $3 million more would be required to furnish the building and cover permits and consultant fees.
The superintendent described possible ways to add value to both communities if the district builds a new facility, including on-site child care centers and office space for city governments. He said the new school’s car-stacking lane would have capacity for 283 20-foot cars to address pickup and drop-off congestion.
Johns said the decision to explore a unified middle school followed a 2022 district-wide facility study and a 2025 comprehensive facility audit, both of which identified the middle schools as the district’s most immediate infrastructure need. The audits concluded it would be cost-prohibitive to continue sinking capital into two aging buildings, prompting the board to explore consolidation.
On athletics, Johns said the district’s current middle-school average daily membership is about 750 students. "With a school that size, that's really the average size for a South Carolina middle school," he said, adding that a 1,000-student school would typically support separate seventh- and eighth-grade teams and increase participation opportunities.
Addressing staffing concerns, Johns stated, "the district is committed to no middle school employee losing their job," and emphasized the new facility would serve the same number of students overall.
On funding, Johns said the district explored grants but its poverty percentage does not meet grant requirements. He said current South Carolina legislation does not provide districts with significant capital-improvement funding and that selling general obligation bonds is the only route for a South Carolina district to build a new school or make major upgrades.
The video closed with Johns thanking viewers; he did not provide a timeline for next steps or say when, if ever, a bond referendum might be held.
