‘Safety is not cheap’: New Horry schools to cost millions with big chunk going to security

Caroline Williamson
·4 min read

Horry County Schools is heavily investing into school safety for future schools as well as existing schools.

The school district is getting ready to build two new elementary schools in the Carolina Forest area as well as a replacement school for St. James Elementary. The projects will cost millions of dollars, and a good chunk of that will go toward school safety.

In addition, the school district is working with local law enforcement to implement safety upgrades at its schools.

In May, the Horry County Board of Education approved a grant-funded plan to implement gunfire sensors at Myrtle Beach area schools, which includes Myrtle Beach Elementary, Middle and High School.

The 19 sensors, also called ShotSpotters, connect to a database which picks up gunfire in the immediate area and sends an alert to law enforcement. The sensors are expected to be installed by next school year, according to Christopher Starling, a spokesperson for the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

Security upgrades set for new schools

The two new Carolina Forest elementary schools are currently undergoing the design process. Some design features include upgrades to school security.

“Everybody has had to change,” because of school safety, Lisa Bourcier, a spokesperson for the school district, said.

Each school is estimated to cost $64 million each, she said. Part of that is largely because the schematics are different to account for such safety measures as having the windows higher than down low, which is how many of the older schools that were built in the 1950s look like.

“Safety is not cheap,” Bourcier said.

Pam Dawson, a board member whose district represents a part of Carolina Forest, declined a request for comment. Debbie Edmonds, whose district also represents a part of Carolina Forest, did not respond to a request for comment.

While these cost estimates are a mere starting point, an additional $15 million allocated for security was also approved in the 2021-24 Facilities Plan, according to Bourcier.

A replacement school for St. James Elementary is in the early stages as well and is estimated to cost $66 million. It will have the same prototype design of the other elementary schools, Bourcier said in an email.

The two elementary schools would address the current overcrowding at the three Carolina Forest elementary schools.

As Horry County continues to grow in population, the school system is seeing an increase in students. That means schools are also seeing a rise in school incidents, according to Bourcier. This year the district reported an enrollment of more than 47,000. That is nearly 2,000 more students than the previous school year enrollment of 45,496.

Construction on the new elementary schools are anticipated to begin during the first quarter of 2024 with opening dates in August 2025. Construction is still “to be determined” for the St. James Elementary replacement school.

Existing schools also are getting safety upgrades

Multiple schools are also receiving renovations and annual funding to address emergency maintenance repair, miscellaneous equipment and security.

That includes more than $20 million in security upgrades, according to plans approved last month.

Metal detectors and wands are already in place for all schools, Bourcier said.

The current procedure for crimes committed on school grounds is a line of contact between school administrators and local law enforcement.

The school system has either School Resource Officers or School Security Officers. Both are armed officers. SROs are law enforcement officers that are employed by a municipal police department and SSOs are officers that are employed by Allied Universal Security Company. SSOs do not conduct criminal investigations.

In addition to security upgrades, the school district is receiving annual funding to renovate schools.

Projects and annual funding for the 2024-2029 improvement plan were approved at the beginning of May. Here is a breakdown of those estimated costs.

  • Emergency maintenance Repair: $9 million ($1.8 million annually)

  • Miscellaneous equipment: $11 million ($2.2 million annually)

  • Security Upgrades: $20.25 million ($4,050,000 annually)

  • Technology: $79.75 million ($15.95 million annually)

In addition, several projects were approved in May.

  • Renovations to Aynor High: $14 million

  • Renovations to Myrtle Beach High: $24 million

  • Renovations to Daisy Elementary: $15 million

  • Renovations to Carolina Forest High: $33 million

  • Tennis court replacements: $5 million

What schools need the most work?

Here are a few of the schools that are in need of the most work, according to the latest Facility Condition Assessment, done in October. Daisy Elementary School and Myrtle Beach High School were approved for renovations.

  • Daisy Elementary School

  • Myrtle Beach High

  • South Conway Elementary

Breaking News Editor Terri Richardson contributed to this story.