The new addition at Straughn Elementary School will likely not be ready for the first day of school on Aug. 14.

Superintendent Shannon Driver said the builders are making progress, but June’s rains slowed the project down a good bit.

“The addition is coming along,” he said. “We are making progress on the interior in the electric and air conditioning. Hopefully, we will have some good weather, so we can get this finished.”

Driver said they always want it to get done faster than it is.

“Hopefully, it won’t be too much after school starts,” he said.

The Covington County Board of Education in September awarded the low bid for the project to Diversified General Contractors.

The new building, expected to cost $1.7 million, will house pre-K and kindergarten on the back side of the elementary school.

Additionally, the building will be a FEMA storm shelter.

 

The entire structure is being built with 12-inch thick walls and will be able to accommodate 1,000 students, which is equivalent to the enrollment of SES and Straughn Middle School.

SES had an average daily membership of 596 students, and SMS had roughly 285 students last school year.

The facility is being built to accommodate the growing number of students at SES.