Home Care In Fort Mill, SC

Law allows students to attend the school district of their choosing

FORT MILL, S.C. (WBTV) - People have shared concerns about growth in Fort Mill, even before a new South Carolina law that could push the area’s population even further.

That new South Carolina law will allow students from any part of the state to attend the school district of their choosing, as long as there is capacity. People in this area say they’re already continuing to feel this town’s growth.

“You know, having people come from, you know, different towns and commute here will definitely make the already congested schools a little bit more congested,” said mother Julie Eplett.

School districts in South Carolina will be required to implement an inter-district transfer policy once the South Carolina Department of Education publishes its new guidelines for the law, which is currently being drafted.

Diane Johnson has concerns about what this will mean for traffic.

“Having more people on the road, at our schools, it’s gonna cause a major problem,” Johnson said.

Riley Forloine is concerned about what this will mean for the school’s resources.

" I think at that point resources need to be given to other schools in other areas," Forloine said.

The Town of Fort Mill is also considering a resolution at its next meeting and is expressing concerns about what the change will mean. Leaders say:

“The Fort Mill Town Council will discuss a proposed resolution at its Monday meeting expressing opposition to the mandates of South Carolina Act 11 (Senate Bill 62) related to inter-district school transfers. Council members have raised concerns that the legislation could undermine local control by limiting the authority of the locally elected Fort Mill School District Board of Trustees to manage enrollment and capacity based on community needs.

With the district serving more than 18,000 students and relying heavily on local property tax revenues, Council is also concerned about potential financial impacts on Fort Mill taxpayers, strain on educational resources, and increased traffic and safety challenges associated with out-of-district commuting.

The discussion is intended to affirm support for local decision-making and encourage state leaders to preserve the ability of local school boards to determine what is best for their communities.”

As the area continues to grow the district is waiting for more guidance on what “capacity” will mean -- whether it will look at building or program size.

“Well, in a rapidly growing district, you may have capacity one year and then you don’t the next year,” said. Chief Communications Officer Joe Burke said. “If you look at our history with having to build schools because of our rapid growth for our in-district residents, you know that can pose a lot of challenges for a district like ours.”

More clarity on the new law’s implementation is needed.

For example, costs. The district says state funding will follow transferring students. But in areas that rely on local businesses taxes — like Fort Mill — that could mean an additional burden.

“There’s a lot of questions still out there, but we’re hoping that our feedback provided to them and working with our state Department of Education is gonna help us have some things in there to limit those impacts on our local population,” Burke said.

This new law will not go into effect until the 2027-2028 school year.

FORT MILL, S.C. — A new study is taking a closer look at how an accidental chemical release at Silfab Solar could impact the Fort Mill community.

Neighbors, who paid for the study, have been fighting against the solar manufacturer for years.

Channel 9’s Tina terry spoke with neighbors and Silfab officials Wednesday about the study’s results.

The study shows how an accident at Silfab could impact new schools that are near the plant.

“Both of my kids were zoned for the new school, but they’re not going to go there next year,” said Carl Young, a parent.

Young bought a second house to keep his kids from going to Flint Hill middle and elementary schools that back up to Silfab.

“My wife and I went back and forth,” Young said. “We would rather have the financial risk of two mortgages than worrying about our kids being in schools adjacent to Silfab.”

Phase III of the study by the University of South Carolina was released late last month, which further highlighted the impact an accidental chemical spill at Silfab could have on the community.

The maps show yellow, orange and red zones of impact.

Researchers claim the results could be deadly in the red zones.

“There could be up to a four-mile impact of a release of one of those gases, especially anhydrous ammonia (pure ammonia),” Young said.

In a statement, Silfab said, in part, the study, “fails to include Silfab Solar’s actual processes, engineered systems, multiple approved risk mitigation systems and safety measures in its assessment of a worst-case scenario.”

It also says the USC School of Public Health did not engage with the Silfab study before publishing the report.

“My hope for this study is that Fort Mill Schools and administration takes a look and says, ‘This really is a danger to our schools. We should consult an attorney to find out what our next steps should be,’” Young said.

A spokesperson for Fort Mill Schools said Wednesday the district has a copy of the new study and is reviewing it.

The district also continues to work with a third-party environmental health company on health and safety initiatives and emergency response planning.

Silfab also stated that: “Silfab Solar is operating under the guidelines of the York County approved permits while it continues to work closely with local officials to complete all permit approvals.”

VIDEO: Parents express concerns about chemicals used at Silfab Solar near school

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Starting next school year, full-time Fort Mill School District employees will be able to enroll their children in district schools regardless of where they live.

The school board unanimously passed a policy update Tuesday that would allow new students from Charlotte, Rock Hill or other communities that surround Fort Mill. It’s only open to school district employees, and includes a $1,500 fee for out-of-state residents or $500 for in-state ones.

Those amounts are half of what the typical Fort Mill home pays in debt for school construction, according to the district.

The Fort Mill district consistently ranks at the top of statewide lists for student test scores.

Parents have flocked to the district, with enrollment about double today what it was in 2010. The more than 18,000 students attending Fort Mill schools now are about four times what the district had in 2000.

That rapid growth, though, has come with a near constant need to build new schools. Since 2004, district voters passed seven bond referendum campaigns totaling more than $900 million.

There’s been clear support for the policy change from teachers and potential hires who want to bring their children to the district, board members say. There’s also been concern from homeowners.

“This is a great opportunity for retention and recruiting for teachers,” said board member Michele Branning. “My concern becomes the strain or potential strain that it puts on our community. And what does a future bond request look like to our community?”

A new South Carolina law will mandate that districts establish interdistrict transfer policies by 2027. The policy adopted Tuesday is designed to get ahead of that requirement, said Assistant Superintendent Latoya Dixon.

“This is not a public transfer program,” she said, “but an employee benefit.”

An annual application window would open in early March, with approvals in April. Employees hired after that date each year could still apply, and enrollment would depend on available space in schools. Employees can list their top three schools, but class size and capacity will determine which school students attend.

Employees would be required to provide transportation for their students. The district could change the annual fee amount at any time.

“This approach supports recruitment and retention, and aligns our practices as a district with other... districts in our area,” Dixon said.

There’s no count on how many employees might use the benefit the first year, district officials say. Two years ago, the district surveyed employees and found the policy change would add about 390 students, said Superintendent Grey Young.

“A few years prior to that, it was 800 to 1,000,” said board Chairwoman Kristy Spears. “And that was when we knew it was just not something we could manage.”

The school district has about 2,600 employees, said spokesman Joe Burke. The district doesn’t have a breakdown of how many of them live inside or outside the district, he said, or how many have school-age children.

Impact of school enrollment changes in Fort Mill

Enrollment changes can have various impacts on schools. The new students would count toward aid to classroom funding, or state money for operational needs like hiring teachers. They’d also count toward formulas that determine school size classifications for sports or band.

High school sports in South Carolina use a multiplier in their formula that counts any student living outside of school boundaries as three students. The idea is to level the playing field among schools that do or don’t allow players from outside areas.

The South Carolina High School League is finalizing new size classifications and regions this month for the upcoming two school years, so the policy change likely wouldn’t have much impact for a while.

By the time it does, the statewide rule will be in place that could change the transfer landscape not only in Fort Mill but across South Carolina.

With continued growth likely to require future bonds in the Fort Mill district, board members understand the concern among people who already live here. But, they say, some level of transfer into the district will come regardless.

“We can take care of our teachers and our staff by allowing them and their students to attend, or we can take neighboring district students,” Branning said. “But regardless of which direction we go ... we have no choice but to take in essence those who apply.”

Two new Rock Hill hotels are planned for the city, part of a $30 million investment from one of the region’s most experienced hotel companies.

Primo Investments plans to build a Residence Inn by Marriott, President and CEO Hitesh Patel told The Herald in an exclusive interview Monday. Patel is in conversation with companies like Hilton and Marriott to determine which brand the second hotel will be.

Combined, the hotels will add 237 rooms and 50 jobs to the area. The hotels are planned near the city’s busiest interchange on Interstate 77.

Fort Mill-based Riverchase Realty applied to rezone more than 13 acres for the hotels at 1505 and 1515 Riverchase Blvd. That’s just off Exit 82 where Celanese and Cherry roads meet the interstate.

It’s also near several large apartment sites and an Atrium Health medical complex.

About Primo Investments and the Rock Hill hotels project

Riverchase Realty is affiliated with Primo Investments, a hotel ownership and management group that started in Rock Hill nearly 50 years ago. Primo Investments has properties across the Carolinas including several in Rock Hill and Fort Mill.

The company works with brands like Marriott, Hilton, Choice Hotels, Wyndham, Best Western and Red Roof.

Primo recently bought the Hampton Inn off Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill. Since 2019, it built a La Quinta in Rock Hill and a Tru by Hilton in Fort Mill. Older projects built by the company include Best Western and Red Roof sites in Rock Hill.

“We’ll have a pretty nice footprint in the area,” Patel said. “We take a lot of pride in being local to the area and building in the area.”

Construction should start this summer and take two years to complete. Both hotels will be four-story upscale options. They’ll combine for 145,000 square feet.

A couple of years before COVID hit, York County saw a hotel boom with new sites mainly in the Rock Hill and Fort Mill areas. There haven’t been as many new hotels since, due in part to the pandemic that limited overnight stays for a time.

“There was a lot of supply that came in pre-COVID,” Patel said, “and then there was a little bit of a lull period for four or five years, just with all the supply that came in and the demand needing to be absorbed.”

Other hotels in the Rock Hill region

Visit York County now lists 45 hotels in the area.

In addition to Rock Hill and Fort Mill, there have been hotel proposals in areas like Lake Wylie and York. A downtown hotel under construction in York is part of revitalization plans city officials set in motion five years ago.

Mayor Mike Fuesser previously called that Hampton Inn and Suites project a $17 million investment in the heart of downtown.

The 97-room downtown York hotel should be completed late this year, said York City Manager Dalton Pierce.

Rezoning for the two Rock Hill hotels will go to the city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday for a recommendation. Rock Hill City Council will make the final decision on rezoning.

There’s a concern about how the new South Carolina law will work.

FORT MILL, S.C. (WBTV) - Parents and students in South Carolina now have their pick of school districts from all across the state. A new state law says any child can attend any public school in any district as long as there is capacity.

There’s a concern about how the new South Carolina law will work. The South Carolina Department of Education has a draft of model guidelines that takes a look at things like school capacity, student eligibility, and enrollment criteria.

Former educator, Andrea Phillips, believes this will be a good opportunity for parents. She says, “Actually, I’m a retired teacher. So, as an educator, I think it would be a nice thing for a parent to have that choice.”

Others like Kristie Mason, believe it could cause a range of issues for districts across the state. “I feel like, you know potentially, it over runs some school districts and underwhelms others,” says Mason.

That’s a concern that Fort Mill Schools has shared. As one of the fastest growing towns in the Palmetto State the district says it’s hard to know how growth will be a factor in this legislation.

Fort Mill Schools Chief Communications Officer, Joe Burke, says, “It’s very hard to make those projections and what impacts that’s going to have on our students that actually do reside in our district when we are having to make accommodations for the future for students who are trying to come into the district.”

The school district has been named the best in the state by Niche, and says its gotten interests in transfers in the past that have only been considered under specific circumstances.

Mason believes possible transfers to the Fort Mill district could lead to other concerns like traffic. She says, “I think there are certain areas of Rock Hill that will consider. I think Fort Mill has a big potential of being over run because, just, it has high quality schools.”

Fort Mill Schools opened a new elementary school this year and will open a new middle school next year. District leaders explain that capacity is not only measured just by building capacity, but also by program capacity. Leaders say they may have capacity as this law is set to go into effect for the 2027 - 2028 school year but growth could change that.

Burke says, “When you’re dealing with growth, you may have capacity this year but then a new development opens in a school zone and you don’t have capacity next year.”

The district hopes that the community and other districts take advantage of the opportunity to give the state Department of Education feedback. They say the what’s matters most is making sure ever student is served.

“Because that’s the ultimate goal is that students all across our state are being served but not to the detriments of the students that live in the districts they are being served in,” says Burke.