POOLER, Ga (WSAV) - Pooler Elementary parents gathered for a meeting Thursday night to learn more about what the Savannah Chatham County Public School System's plans for the school.
With every seat taken in the school's gym, it echoed Superintendent Dr. Denise Watts' message: there isn't room to grow at Pooler Elementary.
Though, Watts said it isn't just one school.
A 96-million-dollar project is already in the works for all of West Chatham County.
"We are proposing next week to build a new West Chatham only complex. That multicomplex would include a new high school, which is much needed, and it would also include a K-8 school," she said.
When it comes to Pooler Elementary, the district is proposing a series of options for either renovating the school or relocating the students.
The first option involves renovating the existing school, but that means kids couldn't be there while it was happening.
"The students at Pooler would be picked up and moved to Bloomingdale for an entire year," Watts said.
Bloomingdale Elementary is a nearby school that was built recently, which ties into the second option.
"We could just potentially integrate them into Bloomingdale. They're going to be there for a year. They're going to have a great opportunity to be in a brand-new space," the Superintendent said.
The third option is a blend of the first two.
"Divide the Bloomingdale families into two potentially brand-new facilities. Those that live closest to Bloomingdale would go to Bloomingdale, and those that live closest to the new K-8 would go to the new K-8," Watts said.
After the presentation, parents were asked to split into groups to talk about which option they liked best or give additional suggestions.
However, for now, several parents seem to be leaning toward sticking with the school they know and love.
"This is such a community back here, so you can have that feeling you don't have at other schools. You can have that walking ability here, and maybe the traffic over here isn't as bad as other places as well. So, the way we see it, we like the community feel here," Scotti Gerald, a Pooler Elementary parent, said.
The school district did clarify that Pooler Elementary is not closing and will remain open for the 2025-2026 school year.
They also said any major projects wouldn't begin for three to five years.