Aiken County Public Schools receives community feedback on building new Wagener-Salley High School

Shakailah Heard, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·3 min read

Dec. 3—WAGENER — The Aiken County Public School District opened the floor for discussion Thursday night on the idea of a new Wagener-Salley High School.

Members of the community were able to voice their comments and concerns regarding the school district's plans for a new school and the timeline being discussed.

"This is going to be a state-of-the-art high school. This is going to be a high school that has all of the bells and whistles and the excitement of a new recognized school," Aiken County Superintendent King Laurence said.

Dr. Corey Murphy, the chief officer of operations and student services for the school district, announced the plan for a new school with details of a layout and how much it costs.

Currently the school has problems with its HVAC system and there are no air-conditioned hallways. There are limited electrical outlets, poor ventilation and moisture that causes mold, Murphy said.

"The school is safe, don't get me wrong, but it's one of those things when we constantly have to maintain," Murphy said.

Murphy added "the students deserve better." He offered two plans to the community.

"With this ESSER money we have the opportunity to add $25 million to the $20 million (already set aside) to build this school right now," Murphy said.

Building the new school where the original school is located would mean losing a portion of the ESSER III money and pushing the date out to Spring 2028 if the renewal for the penny sales tax is approved in November 2024. The current proposal is using the Busbee-Corbett Campus for the new Wagener-Salley High School to be build and completed by fall 2024.

"If we are to use the ESSER $25 million it must be decided prior to the next school board meeting, that's Dec. 14. If not, we will still have approximately $20 million allocated for visions of the original school, the bulk of that money will go towards roof and HVAC upgrades," Murphy said.

The ESSER money must be spent by the middle of 2024, Murphy added. He explained further this meant the school would need to be completed and construction companies paid.

The district is proposing a two-story, brand new building with extra parking lots, on-campus baseball and softball fields, and a regulation competition track around the high school practice football fields. A greenhouse will also be added after there were members of the community requesting it.

The current football field at Wagener-Salley will be refurbished, adding a video scoreboard and locker rooms for the players. The auditorium will also remain for the school to use after relocating, Murphy said.

Overall, the crowd was excited for the new school to be built and did not want to miss out on this opportunity.

"I have heard 'we want a new school, we want a new school, we want a new school' here's your chance," said Rhonda Poole, community member.

"I cannot even begin to tell you how excited, it's time for a change, we cannot move forward in a rut and looking back," said Samuretta Muldrow, a 1976 graduate of Wagener-Salley High School. "It's time to put any personal feeling aside and let's go. Let's go War Eagles, let's go."