Could Gettys Middle Become STEM School?

A local grassroots education group hopes that the Gettys Middle School site can see new life as a STEM School.

School board members voted Thursday to go forward with plans to have one middle school in Easley. That school, located at the former Easley High School site, had originally been slated to be named J.C. Brice Middle School, but trustees voted to keep the Gettys Middle School name Thursday.

All Easley middle schoolers will attend Gettys Middle School at its new site in the fall.

Several people at the board meeting Thursday asked district officials what they plan to do with the former Gettys Middle School site.

Voice of Pickens County has released a proposal to create a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) School at the former Gettys Middle School site.

Henry Wilson with Voice of Pickens County said the group had held a public opinion survey and received many comments from the public.

“This proposal for a second Middle School should cost approximately the amount the SDPC currently has remaining in their budget per the School Board's own public statements regarding the costs of a second Middle School presented at public session on 10/24/11,” Wilson said in a release.

“The community overwhelming opposes investing $7-8 million more at the old Easley High School location due to the limited facilities, traffic concerns and limited planning,” the proposal states. “The community has indicated a significant preference for two equal Middle Schools in Easley, but a large number of residents recognize that there are fiscal considerations limiting the full spectrum of opportunities for the Easley community.”

Wilson said the survey and comments show that the community demonstrates support for two middle schools with different remodeling plans – provided that the School District offers an innovative program at the less-developed school.

The proposal states that support for STEM program is growing at local, state and national levels.

20 percent of all US jobs require a high knowledge of STEM and each STEM job generates an additional 2.4 jobs, the proposal states.

Half of those STEM jobs do not require a 4-year degree.

“These jobs pay 53,000 per year,” the proposal states. STEM jobs are already a large part of the current economy in Pickens County, it states.

“The School District of Pickens County has a unique opportunity to create a world-class STEM program at GMS w/feeder programs from across the county,” the proposal states. “A successful K-8 STEM program centered on GMS could impact all of Pickens County. Now is the time to seize this opportunity to improve the educational and future employment opportunities for our students while creating a significant potential economic engine for Pickens County.”