Rock Hill school district asks voters to OK $294.8M for new schools, upgrades

The Rock Hill school district has proposed a $294.8 million bond referendum to pay for safety and security projects and updates to schools and other facilities.

The vote will be March 31.

The district cannot borrow the money unless voters approve the referendum.

A public meeting on the referendum is 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Kenneth Monroe Transformation Center, 745 Saluda St. in Rock Hill.

The referendum would include a tax increase. If approved, homeowners would pay about $106 more a year in property taxes on a $100,000 house, according to the district. Business owners would pay $159 more a year on a $100,000 business.

School district officials project tax millage rates related to operating debt, said Mychal Frost, Rock Hill school district spokesperson. The district plans to retire current bond debt while taking on new debt. Taxes are projected not to exceed 78.5 mils. The district had a millage projection developed by Compass Municipal Advisors, LLC.

Under state law, the York County auditor sets millage rates, said Trish Startup, spokesperson for the county. School district officials provide information on millage rates to the auditor.

The Rock Hill school district last passed a bond referendum in 2015, for $110 million. That referendum did not include a tax increase.

If approved, the money would fund projects outlined in the first five years of the district’s 10-year facilities plan through 2030. A full list of projects is included on the district’s facilities plan website.

The referendum projects fall under three categories: $227.3 million for upgrades to schools throughout the district; $32.3 million for safety, security and savings investments; and $35.2 million for renovations to playgrounds, stadiums, auditoriums and arts classrooms.

The plan includes replacing some schools and upgrading others. The Rock Hill school district serves more than 17,500 students.

The Rock Hill school board voted in December 2019 to move forward with the referendum.

For more information, visit rock-hill.k12.sc.us/oneplan.

School replacements, upgrades

• Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies ($17.3 million): Upgrades to floors, painting, HVAC and lights, replace F and D wings with single-story addition that will hold the media center, restrooms and 12 classrooms and expand the multipurpose room, install key card access hardware
• Replace York Road Elementary School ($31.2 million): York Road, built in 1971, would be replaced with a school on West Main Street. The 106,000-square-foot building would accommodate about 900 students, up from the current capacity of 644 students. The current school would be demolished and used for playgrounds, parking and access roadways.
• Ebenezer Avenue Elementary upgrades ($6.5 million): Updates to floors, ventilation, HVAC, lights, add new full-size multipurpose room, renovate media center, expand and renovate cafeteria, replace water foundations, new elevators, install key card access hardware

• Northside Elementary upgrades ($14.4 million): Floors, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, update front entrance, install key card access hardware, new bus entrance and parking for visitors and staff

• Independence Elementary upgrades ($3.6 million): Floors, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, install key card access hardware, expand art, special needs spaces and media center, expand multipurpose room, add fire road access

• Mount Gallant Elementary upgrades ($3.7 million): Floors, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, expand special needs spaces and multipurpose room, install key card access hardware, plumbing system and fixtures replacements

• Belleview Elementary upgrades ($3.3 million): Replace A and B wings with new addition, expand multipurpose room, media center, administration and special needs spaces, upgrade floors, painting, HVAC, lights and hardware, add fire road access

• New elementary school ($32.6 million): The 103,000 square-foot school would have capacity for 900 students. The site for the new school in Northeast Rock Hill has not been determined. The school would be built to accommodate growth in the Riverwalk and Celanese Road area.

• Applied Technology Center ($4 million): Upgrades to floors, painting, lights and hardware, refurbish and replace pavement.

• Replace Sullivan Middle School ($50.5 million): The new 160,000-square-foot school would serve up to 1,100 students. The site for the new school has not been determined. The district can demolish the existing school and build a new one on the same site or purchase land for the new school. Sullivan Middle was renovated in 2018 to house the fourth and fifth grade wing of Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion, according to the district. With that renovation, Sullivan’s capacity is currently 1,052 students. “The facility is very inefficiently designed with segregated, single loaded two-story buildings, and it is not cost effective to continue to renovate beyond its current remaining life cycle,” reads the district’s website.

• Rawlinson Road Middle upgrades ($7.6 million): Floors, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, renovate and expand special needs spaces, new elevators, install key card access hardware

• Saluda Trail Middle upgrades ($3.2 million): Floor, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, replace fire alarm system, install key card access hardware

• Castle Heights Middle upgrades ($3.9 million): Floors, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, plumbing system and fixtures replacements, install key card access hardware

• Northwestern High School upgrades ($3.6 million): Floors, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, replace second floor walls in A building, additions and renovations to classrooms and other spaces to meet needs, add fire access roads, new elevators, install key card access hardware

• Rock Hill High School upgrades ($2.7 million): Floors, painting, HVAC, lights, hardware upgrades, additions and renovations to classrooms and other spaces to meet needs, add fire access roads, new elevators, install key card access hardware

• $11 million to upgrade furnishings, fixtures and equipment such as whiteboards, P.E. equipment, and wall hangings.
• $2 million to relocate programs from the Flexible Learning Center on Flint Street Extension. The new location of programs are not yet determined. The Flexible Learning Center is housed in a former middle school that is not efficient to run and is not the best fit for the programs, Frost said. The center houses the Phoenix Academy for students who need or want to earn credits, the Raven Academy for middle school students who had issues at their school and need to learn academic and social skills, the Renaissance Academy for students who cannot attend their home school due to discipline problems, and adult education classes. The district would close the current facility, Frost said.

Safety and security upgrades

• $4.6 million for Safety and security improvements. Includes upgrades to front access and office reception areas, fences and gates at vulnerable areas throughout the district, electronic access systems for facility and classroom doors, upgrades to audio and video surveillance systems, updates to emergency radio systems and alarm systems
  
  
• $10.2 million for improvements to safety systems. Includes installing automated fire sprinkler systems in some school buildings, upgrading fire alarm and reporting systems and installing access roads for first responders in locations required by the local fire Marshall or the S.C. Education Department’s office of school facilities.
  
  
• $4.8 million to ensure facilities comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act
• $625,000 to upgrade storm water systems at needed sites throughout the district
• $400,000 for repairs and replacement of water supply infrastructure at needed sites throughout the district
• $1.4 million for asbestos abatement
• $2.25 million for projects related to saving energy and utility costs. Projects include replacing windows, improving wall and roof insulation and weather-stripping and upgrades to lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
• $1.1 million to replace equipment used for maintaining and repairing grounds, buildings and structures in the district.
• $2.3 million for new school buses, maintenance trucks and other district vehicles
• $1 million to install solar power and other renewable energy systems at select district sites

Arts, athletics upgrades

• $2.3 million to renovate related arts classrooms. Includes physical education, art and music rooms at certain elementary schools along with band and drama spaces at some middle and high schools.
• $3.1 million to install artificial play areas at select elementary schools and update playgrounds to meet access and safety needs
• $17 million to improve and expand capacity of auditoriums at Rock Hill and Northwestern High School. Both high schools’ auditoriums hold 550 people. South Pointe High School’s auditorium has a capacity of 1,500.
• $6.1 million to upgrade athletic facilities
• $2.6 million to upgrade district stadiums

NOTE: Number estimates have been rounded. Project costs do not include contingencies also factored in the total referendum amount.

This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 12:54 PM.

Amanda Harris

The Herald

803-329-4082

Amanda Harris covers issues related to children and families in York, Chester and Lancaster County for The Herald. Amanda works with local schools, parents and community members to address important topics such as school security, mental health and the opioid epidemic. She graduated from Winthrop University. Support my work with a digital subscription