Board votes to close Tamassee-Salem Middle/High School

Despite some last minute impassioned pleas, the Board of Trustees for the School District of Oconee County voted unanimously Monday night to close Tamassee-Salem Middle/High School at the end of the current academic year. Oconee County Schools Assistant Superintendent of Operations Steve Hanvey gives details. “Last night at the Board meeting there was two and half hours of public comments from 32 different speakers. The majority of them, all but two really, spoke on behalf of Tamassee-Salem Middle/High and keeping it open. We understand their passion for their school and would not expect anything different from their school or any other school, but in the end the Board, they emphasized that they had to do what was best for the entire district and all 10,500 students in the district not just 250 at one school. The Board voted 5-0 to accept the recommendation to close Tamassee-Salem Middle/High School at the end of this school year.” Next year, former Tamassee-Salem Middle/High Schools students would consolidate with Walhalla Middle and Walhalla High. Hanvey says administrators now begin work on a transition plan. “We are looking at a transition plan. We will have the principals from the main schools involved and of course, the kids can choose to go to any school as long as they are eligible for School Choice. The main schools involved obviously are Tamassee-Salem Middle/High, Walhalla Middle and Walhalla High. We have begun meetings with those principals in looking at a transition plan. We will meet with the students involved, we meet with the Student Advisory Group from Tamassee-Salem after our regular Student Advisory Meeting on Friday and had some good discussion and got some good ideas from them. So, I am very confident that our Administrative Group will do all they can to make the transition a smooth one and give those students the best opportunities to be successful.” District officials said closing Tamassee-Salem Middle/High School would help with a $750,000 budget shortfall.