The Social Circle Board of Education took another step to making the new Social Circle Elementary School project a reality at a recent meeting.

The board received an update from its construction management company, Carroll Daniel Construction, on the new school project, which is set to begin construction this year.

The new building, which will replace both the current Social Circle Elementary and Social Circle Primary School with a new K-6 campus on the Social Circle Parkway, is set to open in the fall of 2025 if everything proceeds according to schedule.

The board then proceeded to vote to approve a guaranteed maximum price bid on the new SCES of $33.9 million. The GMP was approved unanimously, with only board chair Taylor Morris absent.

The new SCES project has proven to be a contentious issue locally at times, with former board chair John Callahan and board member Steve Trantham both resigning in protest of the board’s selection of the current projected school site.

Both Callahan and Trantham objected to building a school off of the Parkway, arguing for a site on West Hightower they felt would be safer due to less truck traffic on the highway.