SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — Social Circle City Schools is one step closer to the long-held vision of building a new elementary school after board members approved negotiations to begin to purchase property on which to build the new facility.

The Social Circle Board of Education met May 31 in a called meeting to discuss real estate and came out of executive session to vote to allow SCCS Superintendent Carrie Booher to move forward with negotiations for a city property on which to build the new school.

The board passed the motion 3-2, with board members Rico Jackson, Amber McKibben and Sabrina Sanford-Flint voting in favor, while John Callahan and Steven Trantham voted against the measure. The new Social Circle Elementary School, once complete, will house grades K-6, combining the populations of Social Circle Primary School, the current elementary school and the sixth-grade students currently housed at Social Circle Middle School.

The board has made no decision on what to do with the buildings vacated by this addition, though the seventh and eighth graders are expected to stay at the current campus of SCMS shared with Social Circle High School. There has also been no decision on where to house the system’s pre-kindergarten program, which is currently located at the existing SCPS campus.

The school district is still projecting to have the new elementary school campus ready for the 2025-26 school year. Although Booher will move forward with negotiations, the board is expected to continue its discussion on matters pertaining to the new elementary school at its regular meeting on June 15.