Moving Washington St. Elementary a concern in Hartsville
By Melissa Rollins, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
During the May 8 meeting of the Darlington County Board of Education, two Hartsville pastors expressed interest and concern about where the district will build the new elementary school in Hartsville.
Pastor Chris Frazier said that several pastors were in attendance at the meeting.
“The reason we are here is because we all have parishioners and children that attend Washington Street School,” Frazier said. “We are in agreement that the schools need to be updated and replaced. The real reason we are here is we want to ask an update, if there have been recommendations from the architect, any sites that have been selected for the new schools.”
Frazier said that Washington Street is ‘near and dear’ to people in the neighborhood. He suggested that the school district look at purchasing 75 acres of land on Washington Street to build the new school.
“What we are saying is if there is a possibility that the school can relocate and still be built in the Washington Street area we would be all for it,” Frazier said. “We want the best education for our children…We know that we’ve to go to the 21st century. I think a lot of sacrifice has been made on the south side of Hartsville…We’ve done what we had to do and it was better for the community. That is the only educational institution that is left in the south side of Hartsville.”
DCSD Board chairman Jamie Morphis told Frazier that community meetings would be held to get input from the community before any decisions are made. He said decisions would also be informed by the Department of Transportation, construction management and the project architects.
Rev. J. D. Blue of Second Baptist Church spoke next.
“A lot of our children and grandchildren attend that school and it means a lot to south Hartsville,” Blue said. “All around the world, if a school closes the first to close is on of ours. The only thing we have in our community now is Washington Street. Some might say we have Butler, well we really don’t have Butler. Now that we are moving forward in the process…the community of south Hartsville is shaken up; there is no need to beat around the bush about it.”
Blue said that the school board needs to look after the interest of all students when making building decisions.
We pledged a few minutes ago and when we did we talked about justice for all,” Blue said. “If we really mean what we pledged, sometimes we have to get our ego out of the way and do that which is right, not only for a particular group of people but for all people…I am here tonight to tell you that it is going to be a fight because we are really concerned and we are tired of every time a school has to close, it has to be one of ours.”
In other business, the board recognized three students for perfect attendance. Akalah Baretta Hall from Brockington Elementary Magnet School has perfect attendance for five years. Jarell Quintin Williams, Darlington Middle, and Caleb Allen Poole, Spaulding Middle, had perfect attendance for eight years.
The board will hold public hearings on the budget May 24 and May 25 at the district office and Hartsville High School respectively. Dates will be announced for the community meetings on school site selection once they have been set.