Check out the Pine Hills area’s new Oak Hill Elementary School on Wednesday. Oak Hill is one of several new – or extreme makeover schools – opening west of downtown for this school year. The 15-acre Oak Hill site, at 11 S. Hiawassee Road, was built at a cost of nearly $19 million. Built to accommodate 650 students, the project includes new high-tech classrooms and furnishings; media center; administrative offices; cafeteria; computer labs and more. Money for this school was raised through a half-cent sales tax that was approved by voters. The voter referendum raised $4 billion for school construction across Orange County. Orange County is the 10 th largest school district in the United States. The school will be open for students, parents and residents to check it out on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. For more news, please click here .

This summer the Orange County Public Schools is showing off 5 rebuilt public schools in our area, and one new school. Construction still underway at Ivey Lane School Board Member Kat Gordon will preside over open-house tours. Parents, students, residents and alumni are invited to drop by and check out the new facilities. Gordon said the construction represents more than $200 million of construction work in the portion of the school district that she represents. Kat Gordon “We had to make this investment,” she said, “because these schools will need to last for the next 50 years.” Voters approved a half-cent sales tax that raised more than $4 billion for school construction and renovation throughout the district, which is the 10 th largest in the United States. In many districts, schools in minority neighborhoods are old and in declining condition. But thanks to investment and planning, that’s not the case in Orange County. Here are the schools and dat...