See the new Habersham Central High School!
Virtual Tour of the new Habersham Central High School
Construction is underway!--Construction Cam 1
Construction is underway!--Construction Cam 2
In the year 2011, our students, parents, teachers, and community partners will witness a historic event in Habersham County. In the fall of that year, the brand new Habersham Central High School will open its doors, and our student body will enter a state-of-the-art facility in academics, fine arts, and athletics. Our students and community deserve the best, and it is our dream that the new HCHS will stand as a beacon of our school system’s commitment to a world-class education for our students.
Your new high school will boast enough classroom space to meet the challenge of population growth in our community, and it will provide modern instructional technology to make sure our young men and women are on equal ground with any other student body in the state of Georgia when it comes to being prepared for college and the work place. In addition to our academic classrooms, our young men and women will enjoy a fully-equipped fine arts and theatrical center, a 21st-Century Career/Technology/Agricultural facility, and a modern indoor athletic center.
How will we be able to pay for such a wonderful facility? Won't this increase our property taxes?
The answer is a wonderful "No!"
That's the great news! Your new Habersham Central High School will be constructed using SPLOST funds. This means that local property tax owners will not carry the burden of funding this wonderful project. Instead, a one-cent sales tax will pay for construction, and that means that every outside visitor to our community from all over the nation will actually contribute to the cost. When a family from White County or Macon or even North Carolina stops by our county and spends money in our restaurants, shops, and hotels, the school system keeps a penny of every dollar they spend. This means that other people from the state and nation help to build our schools without increasing property taxes! What a great deal for Habersham County!
As we prepare for construction of this community project which will span over the next couple of years, you may have many other questions about the school system’s plans. In order to help our community with these questions, our Board of Education would like to take this opportunity to answer many of the common questions we have heard in recent months:
Question:
What will you do with the old high school once you move into the new building?
Answer:
The old high school will be undergoing renovation over the next couple of summers, and it will become the new 9th Grade Academy in the fall of 2011. This will finally allow our freshmen and ninth grade teachers to be in the same proximity with the rest of the high school students and staff.
Question:
What will then happen to the current 9th Grade Academy in Demorest?
Answer:
That facility will become our third middle school. Our sixth grade academies will transition back into the middle school setting. Students will be isolated for the most part, so they may still have a transitional experience between elementary and middle school. Because we will be able to use the current 9th Grade Academy as our third middle school, we will not have to build a new one.
Question:
There has been a lot of talk in the community about safety concerns with Camp Creek Road running between the new high school and the athletic fields. Will our kids be safe?
Answer:
Yes. Students will not be allowed to walk on foot between the campuses during the school day. After school, we will use a crossing guard and crosswalk system to stop traffic and allow our athletes to travel to the Athletic complex. The two campuses will be fenced and gated, and students will only be allowed to cross in a single location under security and administrative supervision. Band students at the 9th Grade Academy needing to cross to the new high school will simply ride the normal busload over to the new campus just like the rest of the students.
We respect the concerns of community and parents regarding safety issues. Because the Board is not permitted by law to construct or close county roads, our staff collaborated with public safety members, the county engineer, a private traffic consultant, and a civil engineering firm to develop a sound safety plan for our students in crossing Camp Creek. Throughout the construction of the high school, the Board will continue to refine and enhance this plan so that all aspects of student safety have been considered before we open the doors of the school. The board truly believes we have a workable and safe plan in place to ensure student safety.
Question:
Some people say it would have been better to build two smaller high schools instead of one larger one. Why did you choose to build only one?
Answer:
We are proud to say that we had a great deal of input and committee discussion from the public as we made this decision. What we determined was that to open two smaller high schools concurrently would be significantly more expensive to run in terms of personnel, equipment, and athletic needs. With the downturn in the economy recently, this has proven to be even more of a concern. However, the truth is, we will have two high schools eventually. Last year the Board developed a long-range study plan that resulted in a state-approved, ten-year facility plan that does include the construction of a second high school as our population continues to grow. The Board has already purchased a tract of land for a possible future second high school site. Just as with our current project, we will make sure that we provide many opportunities for community input as we plan that project.
Question:
Is there anything else we should know?
Answer:
Our school system is committed to being transparent and open to all public questions and feedback as we plan this exciting project for Habersham County. If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, we are always ready to listen. You can contact any member of the Board of Education, or you can contact our Superintendent, Mr. Robert Costley, at the Board office. Please visit our website at www.habershamschools.com for continuing updates and information.
