Pritchardville rezoning goes up for a vote at Tuesday’s school board meeting

A plan to transfer some 120 Pritchardville Elementary School students into two other schools next year will be up for consideration when the Beaufort County school board meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Beaufort City Council chambers.

Also on the agenda is a review of the district’s five-year capital plan, as the board begins to look at ways to structure a bond referendum that would meet voters’ approval in the wake of last November’s ballot defeat.

The capital plan is included as one point of superintendent Jeff Moss’ biweekly report to the board, with no action expected.

Redistricting around Pritchardville Elementary is needed to alleviate overcrowding in Bluffton’s fast-growing New Riverside area. The school is 52 students beyond its capacity this year, with that number projected to more than double next year.

Under the proposal, some students would be shifted to Bluffton Elementary and others to M.C. Riley Elementary. In some cases, Moss told board members, families already are closer to their proposed new destination than to Pritchardville Elementary.

Two options were discussed with affected families as Moss visited last week for a previously scheduled “town hall” meeting at Bluffton High. The other would have moved all the affected students to Bluffton Elementary.

The capital plan returns to the forefront as the district prepares for continued growth in southern Beaufort County. Two new Bluffton schools were part of the November referendum, and Moss has spoken several times of the need for more classrooms at 2-year-old River Ridge Academy.

Several roof replacement and waterproofing projects also were on the November referendum, along with HVAC upgrades to a dozen schools.

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Pritchardville rezoning goes up for a vote at Tuesday’s school board meeting."