FLORENCE — The health care worker shortage in Florence County, the Pee Dee and South Carolina will get some relief when Florence 1 Schools opens its health care School of Innovation in January 2026.

The South Carolina Department of Education approved the district’s School of Innovation application at its October meeting. Florence 1 School District submitted the application in December 2022, Superintendent Richard O’Malley said.

Florence 1 Schools announced its new school at its Nov. 9 Board of Trustees meeting, which was held in the Poynor School auditorium.

The health care school is a collaboration between the Florence school district and Florence’s three major health care facilities — McLeod Regional Medical Center, MUSC Health Florence Medical Center and HopeHealth, O’Malley said.

Board of Trustees President Porter Stewart said the new school will provide a rich learning environment, which was made possible by the collaboration between the district and the health care providers.

The South Carolina legislature also played a key role in the creation and renovation of the Poynor School into a regional health care magnet school.

The district is able to renovate the Poynor School building because of a $10 million grant from the Florence County Legislative Delegation.

The district will use $5 million of its 8 percent constitutional debt limit money to complete the $15 million renovation project, O’Malley said.

Florence County Delegation Chairman Rep. Phillip Lowe said the members developed a two-year plan to fundamentally change the entire Pee Dee region.

“Two years ago, we fully funded three industrial sites,” Lowe said. “That is paying huge dividends. This year, workforce was our priority. By comprehensively addressing K-12, Florence-Darlington Tech and FMU, our area can provide the skilled workers needed for growth.”

The $10 million in state funds designated for the new Florence 1 School district’s health care magnet school saved local taxpayers $10 million in potential property tax increases. It made the project possible, Lowe said.

“Generations of our people will benefit from improvements in health care and the stimulation of downtown development that this revolutionary project will provide,” Lowe said.

Florence 1 School District officials are glad Pee Dee lawmakers stepped up to fund the Poynor School’s renovations.

“On behalf of the Board, I am certainly happy that we have arrived at the point that the much-needed health sciences regional magnet school students has been approved and the necessary funding has been secured through our legislative delegation to complete the renovations and upgrades to the Poynor School,” Stewart said.

What upgrades are planned for the 115-year-old, three-story, 58,000-square-foot Poynor School?

Interior renovations will update electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire protection and technology. The new building layout will renovate some existing classrooms, create a medical instruction area, conference areas, restrooms and administrative offices.

The building’s exterior repairs include roof and window replacement. Landscaping and installation of a fountain and perimeter fencing will enhance the building’s appearance.

Renovations are expected to take 15 to 18 months, O’Malley said.

What is a School of Innovation?

Schools of Innovation legislation allows school districts to collaborate with industries on school programs that prepare students for the workforce needed by those industries.

School districts apply to the state Board of Education to create a School of Innovation. In the application process, the districts seek waivers to certain teaching requirements and other school district regulations.

In its application, Florence 1 Schools received flexibility to allow non-credentialed medical experts to teach students. It also asked for the ability to use instructional materials developed or provided by its health care partners instead of regular textbooks.

The district received a waiver to use support personnel and computer programs provided by its health care partners. Another waiver lets students experience hands-on learning provided by health care partners.

The waivers let the school district, parents and health care partners shape a student’s educational experience, O’Malley said.

Students in the School of Innovation health care program will pursue project-based learning on a schedule that will allow them to work around community and hospital resources outside of regular school hours, he said.

The state Department of Education has approved many Schools of Innovation throughout the state, including Meeting Street Elementary-Burns and Meeting Street-Brentwood in Charleston County. Meeting Street Academy-Spartanburg once was private but became a Public School of Innovation in 2013.

State Board of Education member Richard Harrington of Florence dsaid the Florence 1 School District’s School of Innovation partnership plan with Florence health care providers is a “sterling example of what the Schools of Innovation Concept is all about and a model for the public education system in S.C.”

“I am so proud of our local school leadership for their visionary approach to improve the education of our children geared toward producing graduates that are prepared to take advantage of local career opportunities,” Harrington said.

Developing the instructional path

While renovation is underway, the district and its three partners — McLeod Regional Medical Center, MUSC Health Florence Medical Center and HopeHealth — will form a committee to develop the curriculum necessary for the health care School of Innovation graduates to receive certification to work immediately in the health care field or continue their education at Florence-Darlington Technical College to obtain an associate’s degree or attend Francis Marion University for a bachelor’s degree.

Students in the program will continue to take classes at one of the district’s three high schools. They will go to the School of Innovation to attend their specialized courses.

Some of the high school diploma entry-level careers will involve billing, clerical, lab, clinical and support careers.

High school graduates could become billing account representatives, account clerks, financial counselors, clinical laboratory externs, exercise physiologists, medical assistants, rehab service aides, custodians or equipment technicians, or work in many other entry-level jobs.

The graduates also will be ready to receive certification, associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree to be registered nurses, radiology/ultrasound technicians, respiratory therapists, physical or occupational therapists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, certified nurse assistants or certified medical assistants, according the Florence 1 School District’s School of Innovation application.

“MUSC Health has been committed to education for over 100 years,” Jay Hinesley, MUSC Health Florence Medical Center chief executive officer, said. “That commitment extends to every community we serve across the state of South Carolina.”

Hinseley said the partnership with Florence 1 School will have a huge impact on the youth in the Florence area and expose them to the opportunities that exist in health care.

“We are incredibly proud to be a part of this program,” he said.

HopeHealth Chief Executive Officer Cal Humphries called the School of Innovation exciting because it meets the needs of the students and allows them to be better prepared for a future in health services.

“All the while, the project addresses one of our greatest workforce challenges in the Pee Dee, which is qualified health care professionals for our hospitals and outpatient practices,” Humphries said.

McLeod Health is excited about the partnership with Florence 1 Schools and the health care School of Innovation,” McLeod Health President/CEO Donna Isgett said.

“This collaboration with a dynamic teaching program will foster interest and competence for those seeking future health care careers and will enable continued growth and support of the provision of superlative services that meet the medical needs of our communities. It is a win-win, both in employment opportunities for our young people as well as adding the vital human resource component to our teams of local people caring for local people,” Isgett said.

Florence 1 Schools wants to see the School of Innovation’s health-care program to spread beyond the district’s boundaries, O’Malley said. Eventually, other school districts in Florence County and the Pee Dee region could send students to Florence 1 School District’s health-care work-force development program, O’Malley said.