Shown here is the future RSHS auxilliary gym, which is also provide enough classroom space to move incoming freshmen to the high school during the 2025-2026 school year. Scan the QR code for the full discussion from Richmond County Schools Superintendent Joe Ferrell Declining enrollment may be a motivator for moving freshman students to back to Richmond Senior High School.
While updating the Richmond County Commissioner during its most recent meeting, Richmond County Schools Superintendent Joe Farrell said he hopes to move students to RSHS once a campus construction project wraps construction.
“Enrollment is declining, just like it is in a lot of school districts. Not at a significant rate, but it is declining. There are a lot of reasons why we need to move the ninth-graders to the high school. Just the experience, for one, the expense of transporting them back and forth between the two buildings for the classes they are taking at the high school. This construction project, along with some decline in enrollment, allows us some space to do that,” Ferrell said.
The high school construction project is part of a $20 million construction package as part of bid agreement with Muter Construction. According to press release from Muter, Muter Construction is the general contractor for this $20.7 [million] project for Richmond County Schools, which includes improvements to three schools in the district: Mineral Springs Elementary, Fairview Heights Elementary and Richmond Senior High School. Improvements to Mineral Springs include the addition of six classrooms and associated site work. The Fairview Heights Elementary School work includes a new gymnasium addition in a stand-alone structure with an efficient layout. A covered pathway will connect the gym to the south side of the school. Richmond Senior High School will add a new 28,000-foot auxiliary gymnasium which will accommodate 400 spectators with bleachers on both sides. The facility will be situated between the existing gym and the CTE Building and includes a new entry and plaza area adjacent to the existing courtyard. The high school work also includes the construction of six new classrooms.
Ferrell said construction of the RSHS facility should wrap in January, but the building will not be ready to house students until at least the 2025-2026 school year. He added the district will likely repurpose the building currently housing high school freshmen.
“It will depend on what the board of education wants to do now that we have this facilities study. Certainly, that’s one of our newer building, so we are mostly likely going to repurpose that for something else. It could be an older elementary school with some redistricting or any number of things. We will start that discussion on August 27 on what to do about the Ninth-Grade Academy … That building should be finished this coming school year, but we will not be able to move the ninth grade in the middle of the school year. We can’t do that to teachers,” Ferrell said.
Commissioners also:
- Received an update regarding a lead-pipe replacement program
- Approved a resolution pertaining to the expenditure of opioid settlement funds
- Received their monthly update from County Manager Bryan Land
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