New school coming to Jasper County in summer 2018

A second charter school will open in Jasper County in the summer of 2018 for 160 middle and high school students, according to a news release from the newly created school.

Polaris Tech Charter School will help train middle- and high-school students for careers in the area’s growing industries, such as aviation and the future Jasper Ocean Terminal, steering committee members said in December. The new port, though about 10 years away from completion, has the potential to create 1 million new jobs.

“We appreciate all the families and community leaders who came to us and enthusiastically endorsed our ideas for improving career education opportunities in Jasper County and the Lowcountry,” retired Gen. Lloyd “Fig” Newton, a member of the Polaris steering committee and native son of Jasper County, said in the release. “This region is poised for tremendous economic growth, and we need to start right now to prepare our population for those jobs. Polaris Tech is part of that answer.”

A decision on a facility location will be made soon, the release said.

Polaris Tech earned approval from the State Public Charter School District Board in Columbia on Thursday. The school’s board of directors will be responsible for meeting state charter guidelines and accountability measures, according to the release.

Polaris Tech is the second state charter school in Jasper County, joining the five-year-old Royal Live Oaks Academy in Hardeeville.

The area has two other state charter schools, Bridges Preparatory School and Lowcountry Montessori in Beaufort, and another charter school, Riverview, that is sponsored by the Beaufort County School District.

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 10:25 AM with the headline "New school coming to Jasper County in summer 2018."