Florence School District 4 consolidation goes into effect July 1

Published: Jun. 30, 2022 at 5:34 PM EDT

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - The consolidation between Florence 1 Schools and Florence County School District 4 will become official Friday.

South Carolina State Superintendent Molly Spearman announced the move in March 2021, citing “financial instability” within Florence Four. She previously announced a state of emergency in the district in 2018.

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All Florence Four middle schools and high schools, including Timmonsville High School, will be closed or retired as a result of the consolidation. Students who would have attended Timmonsville High or any of the middle schools will now attend schools within Florence 1.

Brockington Elementary School will remain open as a magnet school for the arts.

Many parents and members in the Timmonsville community voiced their concerns at a March meeting with Spearman and other leaders, with some even walking out.

Florence Four’s Board of Education also a lawsuit against the state in February, equating consolidation to the “destruction of a school district.”

Board members accused the education department of violating its authority to consolidate school districts and that Spearman violated “civil and constitutional rights of the citizens of Florence County School District Four-Timmonsville and has threatened the existence of the Town of Timmonsville with the closure of schools.”

No resolution has been made in the lawsuit as of Thursday, per public records.

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