The School District Number 2 of Dorchester County board on Nov. 10 approved a resolution to reallocate referendum bond funding from the Yerby tract and redirect it to building classroom additions at Knightsville and William Reeves elementaries.

Superintendent Doherty said the Yerby site development timeline has slipped and would not produce an elementary school in time to match the referendum expenditure schedule. "That does not meet the kind of the requirements and the timeline that the referendum, those dollars to be expended," he told the board as staff outlined a "Plan B" to use a portion of the Yerby allocation for additions at nearby schools.

Under the plan approved by the board, the district will add approximately 20 net new brick‑and‑mortar classrooms at Knightsville Elementary (after demolishing some rooms affected by an Orangeburg Road project) and roughly 10–15 new classrooms at William Reeves Elementary, yielding the equivalent of a 750‑student elementary (30–35 classrooms). The presentation noted the Knightsville campus currently has 47 brick‑and‑mortar classrooms (about 1,200 capacity) and with trailers can reach about 1,500; the proposal would expand permanent capacity and build a larger cafeteria and kitchen at Knightsville.

Jay Lombardo, chair of the citizens advisory review team (CART), told the board the committee backed developing a Plan B after the Yerby timeline moved out to 2028 and beyond. Lombardo said construction and safety upgrades funded by the referendum are underway on many projects, but some items — including land conveyances and wetland permitting tied to RB track and other sites — remain unresolved.

Board member Ms. Farnsworth moved to adopt the resolution; Mr. Lee seconded. The motion carried 7–0.

What happens next: staff said feasibility and design work will be required before construction and that finance and legal teams will refine the allocations and timeline. The resolution authorizes a reallocation of a portion of revenue from general‑obligation bonds issued pursuant to the successful referendum held in School District Number 2 of Dorchester County on May 14, 2024.