The former Easley High School will house all Easley-area middle school students and will be renamed Gettys Middle School.

By Nicole Daughhetee, Courier Staff

EASLEY — The city of Easley will only be home to a single newly renovated middle school after all, though the school will still feature a familiar name.

After hearing various options during a marathon meeting last Thursday, School District of Pickens County board trustees voted 4-1 to move forward with plans for all Easley-area middle school students to transition to the former Easley High School campus, which will be renamed to Gettys Middle School.

Board chair Judy Edwards, along with trustees Jimmy Gillespie, Jim Shelton and Ben Trotter voted to pass the motion, while Alex Saitta voted in opposition and Herb Cooper abstained.

A previous plan that many Easley residents had pleaded with trustees to keep had called for students to be split between the former high school campus, which was then to be called Brice Middle School, and the current Gettys Middle School.

Instead, the new Gettys will house all Easley-area students following a $24.2 million renovation project.

According to district superintendent Dr. Kelly Pew, around $9.3 million will remain in the school district’s building fund after the conversion is complete.

Saitta told those in attendance at the meeting that the former high school campus will be the top middle school in the county.

“This school is far and away the best in our county,” he said. “It has a campus-like feel, football stadium and everything is completely new.”