Anderson superintendent lays out Oak Hill opening, school conversions and attendance-line plans

Seth Young, superintendent of Anderson School District 1, told a community meeting that Oak Hill Elementary School is scheduled to open in the 2026–27 school year and described plans to convert nearby schools, reassign students and complete construction work ahead of that date.

The district is changing the feeder structure: Concrete Primary will be reconstituted as Concrete Elementary and Powdersville Elementary will become a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school to accommodate the new Oak Hill campus. Young said the district will finalize attendance lines with the school board in the coming months and will survey families—especially about whether current fourth-graders should remain at Powdersville for fifth grade or move to their zoned school.

Young emphasized operational details that will affect families and staff. "For the 26 27 school year, so not not next year, uh but two school years from now, uh that is when Oakill Oakill Elementary School will open," he said, and described plans to keep enrollment balanced across Powdersville, Concrete and Oak Hill. He said the combined enrollment for Concrete and Powdersville K4–5 is about 1,600 students and that Oak Hill is being built with a core capacity of about 1,000 students to allow room to grow.

The superintendent outlined a staggered schedule: more construction at Concrete this spring and summer, classroom remodels to be completed so teachers can move in by June 2026, and parent visits planned before the 2026–27 school year. At Concrete, Triangle Construction will remodel classrooms; Young said teachers will pack classroom contents this spring so crews can renovate over the summer.

Powdersville will need modifications to make primary classrooms functional, including restoring classroom restrooms that had been used as storage and preparing playground space appropriate for kindergarteners, Young said. He also introduced Kelly Martin as Powdersville Elementary’s principal starting this summer and named Miss Pageant as the point of contact for Concrete.

On funding, Young said the district is building the Oak Hill facility without a bond referendum. "We're building a $44 million facility in Anderson School District 1 and we're doing it without doing bond referendum," he said, adding that the district is using local-option sales-tax revenue and other district funds to pay for the project.

Young asked families to give feedback via a QR code and email the district provided and said the district will publish an FAQ and post construction photos on school social media. He said staffing decisions will be made this year, with spring 2026 planning meetings for PTSO and SIC groups and hiring to fill any gaps prior to the 2026–27 school year.

No formal decisions or votes were taken at the meeting; Young described the plan, invited public input and said the district and school leaders will return with attendance-line proposals for board consideration.

The district plans to keep families informed with timelines and social-media updates and to hold additional meetings as planning continues.