Board seems in favor of vacating schools

Charleston County School Board members seem to be falling in line to support the superintendent's recommendation of possibly relocating downtown students into safer buildings that wouldn't collapse during an earthquake.

Even board members who frequently criticize the district, such as Elizabeth Kandrac, Arthur Ravenel Jr. and Vice Chairman Ray Toler, said they didn't want to keep the more than 1,300 students and their teachers in seismically deficient buildings and would get behind a plan to move them to temporary sites.

Engineering reports given to the board on Thursday showed six peninsula school buildings couldn't withstand a 5.0 or greater earthquake, and Superintendent Nancy McGinley plans to give the board options and cost estimates for the move by March 22. The schools could relocate as soon as this summer. Possible locations have not been determined.

Only four of the six downtown schools with seismic problems house students: Buist Academy, Charleston Progressive Academy, James Simons Elementary and Memminger Elementary.

The two others are Archer, which Sanders-Clyde used until a couple of weeks ago, and Fraser Elementary, which the board closed at the end of last school year.

The only other school buildings with as serious seismic problems are the former Rivers Middle School and Sullivan's Island Elementary. No one is using the Rivers building, and officials may consider moving Sullivan's Island students this summer.

Ravenel initially fought the district's leadership on whether they needed to make seismic repairs to the Rivers building, but he now supports that effort. He said he tries to be a responsible board member, and he's not going to put children's lives at risk when he knows the extent of downtown schools' seismic problems with the potential of an earthquake striking.

It's not unusual for the district to relocate schools to temporary sites during a period of construction, but the difference this time is the board doesn't have money set aside to make the seismic repairs. And it doesn't know when it would have that money available.

The board seems to be leaning toward asking voters this fall to pass a property tax or sales tax increase for its next round of building projects, but it hasn't decided to move forward with either option yet. It also hasn't decided what schools would be included, but the superintendent has said the seismic repairs would be a top priority.

If the bond referendum or sales tax increase weren't passed, McGinley said, the board has the ability to issue bonds worth up to 8 percent of its total assessed property value, known as a state-set debt limit. As of this fall, Charleston had about $100 million available, and some could go toward seismic repairs. But the construction work would take longer because the district wouldn't have a major capital budget to cover all the projects at the same time, she said.

The uncertainty about when downtown school buildings will be repaired or replaced has stirred up parents and community members' concerns. Downtown constituent school board Chairman Marvin Stewart said he doesn't believe district leaders intend on reopening some downtown schools, James Simons Elementary in particular, once students are moved out of them.

County Board Chairwoman Ruth Jordan said she doesn't like the indefinite nature of the moves either, but students must be moved if the buildings are unsafe.

McGinley said she wouldn't use the seismic problems as a reason to close schools, and she wants neighborhood schools on the peninsula. Still, school leaders need to consider the long-term, big picture for downtown and make decisions about schools' grade configurations and program offerings.

"If it does mean temporary inconvenience for two years and it saves lives, then it's worth it," she said.