ANDERSON COUNTY — The Anderson County Commission has formed a task force to oversee the sale of the current Claxton Elementary School property by the end of 2024 to help fund construction of a new $28 million school scheduled to open in April 2027. The new facility will focus on STEM education and is being built without a property tax increase.

District 1 Commissioner Chad McNabb and District 1 Commissioner Tracy Wandell helped establish the task force, which includes four county commissioners, four school board members, Anderson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tim Parrott, and County Mayor Terry Frank. The group was created to gather community input on the future use of the existing school property, which has served the Claxton area since the early 1900s.

“We were able to build the school without a tax increase, without any kind of property tax increase, which is really hard to do historically. So, we were able to do that and the sale is part of the overall plan to pay for the new school which is roughly 50% complete, and should be completed in April of 2027,” McNabb said.

The current school building no longer meets the needs of the growing student population, prompting the move to construct a new facility. Most of the funding for the new school came from a USDA grant, with proceeds from the sale of the old property intended to cover remaining costs.

“This is a huge opportunity for the community, property sale like this does not come around very often. This particular property is the focal point of the Claxton community,” McNabb said.