As opening day nears

With the opening of Oconee public schools a week away, the fleet of bus drivers is seven short.  Steve Hanvey, assistant superintendent for operations for the public schools, says, “We have around 100 that are full-time (30 hours or more) that get benefits.  We also have a group of part-time and substitute drivers.”  Students who will be transitioning into the new Walhalla Middle School, the former high school building, are in for at least one surprise.  They are going to start the year without lockers.  Principal Scott Dixon says there are several reasons.  Expected enrollment is 750 students, yet there are only 666 lockers.  The middle schoolers will be using classroom sets for books in several areas, so the need to carry books won’t be as great as normal.  And the height of the former high school lockers could be an issue for some of the middle school students.