Board eyes $20M federal loan for new Claxton school

March 13, 2024 by Ben Pounds

The Anderson County Board of Education is looking to get a $20 million federal loan for a new elementary school in Claxton.

It unanimously approved applying for the U.S. Department of Agriculture loan at its March 7 meeting. Board member John Burrell was absent.

Board member Jo Williams made the motion, and Teresa Portwood seconded.

It will next go to the Anderson County Commission and county Mayor Terry Frank for approval.

Then Frank will apply to the USDA for the loan. The amount is the same as an earlier estimated budget for the project.

Director of Schools Tim Parrott said this loan will be at a lower interest than the typical rate.

The new school will be at 105 Fellowship Lane in Powell, and the county has already paid $3 million for the land.

Parrott has said that the current school, at 2218 Clinton Highway, is old and has safety issues.

“I think this is going to be something that community’s needed for a long time,” he said.

The school will replace many of the church buildings currently on that site, but it will keep an existing auditorium and possibly the kitchen and cafeteria.

The new school will serve kindergarten through fifth grade.

The county aims to open the new school in July 2026.