Jefferson County Schools open to increased enrollment, completed construction

Across Jefferson County, students began the 2024-25 term Thursday, Aug. 1, and just as they were settling in, Tropical Storm Debby canceled school Tuesday, Aug. 6.

“Overall it has been a smooth start to the school year. It’s almost as if we never left. Kids came back with renewed enthusiasm. Parents have been very supportive. Our teachers have been very enthusiastic about getting kids back in the classroom,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sam Dasher. “The only snafu has been Tropical Storm Debby. This is the earliest we’ve had to cancel schools ever.”

Students and teachers returned to class Wednesday.

“We actually saw numbers go up at all five schools, which is encouraging,” Dasher said.

Before school started, Dasher said, they expected numbers to be under 2,000 for the first time in “a while” but after the first day the district was pleased to see more students enrolled this year than last year.

“The goal is to maintain that and to be the choice for where people choose to send their children to school,” Dasher said.

While there have been some new teachers added to the county rolls, leadership mostly remained the same this year.

“The only real change this year is Ke’Kenyette Heath is the new assistant principal at Wrens Elementary School,” Dasher said.

Also at WES, Brittany Jones-Turman has taken over as the new math instructional coach, taking the place of Rachel Simpkins, who is now the school’s new media specialist.

Carver Renovations Completed

Carver Elementary students who have been attending class in mobile units since the Fall of 2022 returned this year for the first day in their newly renovated buildings.

“The students moved in and we started the first day of school at the new Carver,” Dasher said. “It’s a beautiful building. We will have an open house soon to invite the public in to see it.”

The Jefferson County School Board utilized COVID relief fund to do extensive remodels on the school’s classroom wings, build an entirely new gym and completely redesign the front office suite.

“It was pretty much a gut overhaul,” Dasher said. “We took everything out of the inside and remodeled it. We moved and enlarged the media center and the dance studio and gave them a state-of-the-art front office.”

Carver now has a security vestibule and other safety features such as cameras throughout the building and in every classroom and shatter-resistant film is being added strategically to windows.

The classrooms are a little larger than they were and the school also has a new air filtration system and HVAC.

JCHS Turf and Track Completed

Jefferson County High School’s Warriors started the 2023 football season on a brand new artificial turf field and in May of this year construction was completed on the school’s new eight-lane running track and field events area.

“Sports Turf is honored to complete the renovations at Jefferson County High School,” said Sports Turf Company President Todd Wiggins. “The Warriors deserve a facility with the best of the best in terms of playing surfaces, and that’s exactly what they have now. We can’t wait to see how these renovations propel the local athletic teams and community forward.”

The school replaced its natural grass field with an artificial turf system designed for durability and better shock absorbency, specifically engineered to optimize athlete’s safety during impacts.

Renovation of the track included milling the existing asphalt track, adding new paving, new interior and exterior curbs, installation of the synthetic track surface, a new shot put pad and landing area, a long jump/triple jump runway, pole vault and discus cage.

Dasher said that JCHS is excited to host its first track events in years this coming Spring.

Plans for renovation of the Warrior field house are underway and Dasher said he hopes to be bidding out and starting construction on that project in the coming months.

What Is Next

Dasher said that the school system is looking at Wrens Elementary for its next projects.

“We're going to attach the gym to the building so children don’t have to go outside,” he said. “The students there will also get a new gym, because that one is old and has seen better days.”

Dasher said that the school board will also be looking at renovations for Jefferson County High which will be 25 years old next year.

“It still looks wonderful and doesn’t look anything near the age it is,” he said. “The custodial crews and faculty do an excellent job of keeping that building up, but it is due for some major renovations in the next 18 months to two years.”

Dasher said that they would be looking at painting, replacing the flooring and hardware and air conditioning, along with “probably” upgrading the building’s digital infrastructure.

“We’ve managed to come in under budget on most of our construction and renovation projects,” Dasher said. “We want to be good stewards of taxpayer money while at the same time providing the best facilities we can for our students to learn in and play in. Our kids deserve the best.”

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Jefferson County Schools open to increased enrollment, completed construction