A Long-Term Investment in Learning for Spartanburg District Five

“Our kids love to come to school every day and part of that is because they love our building. And the furniture is such a big part of that building.”

Shayne Dougherty, Principal, Tyger River Elementary

The district knew their current facilities were not set up to handle such an influx of students. The buildings were old and “aged out of relevance,” says EJ Bringer, Principal at Wellford Academy of Science and Technology. “Classrooms were small. We didn’t have enough space to grow.”

“The learning environment is critical, because you have to have the right structure and space in order for kids to fully engage and collaborate with their peers.”

Ashley Williams, Principal, Beach Springs Middle School

These sentiments extended to other schools. The media center at James F. Byrnes High School, for instance, was “a dark room. Very closed off with only two doors on either side and no windows,” says Amanda Dobson, Director of Instructional Technology. “We didn’t have space to hold multiple classes at one time.”

Across the entire district, schools were regularly beset with outdated electrical systems, reliance on portable classrooms, and aging infrastructure that limited their ability to make improvements.

With a referendum passed in 2021, the district finally had the funds to build and furnish new schools. “We knew we needed to address capacity,” says Superintendent Dr. Randall Gary. “But we also wanted to make sure all the schools were modernized and updated.”

After construction wrapped in 2025, Spartanburg District Five knew they needed to find a partner who could help translate their educational goals into functional, future-ready learning environments.

The Solution

As the district evaluated potential partners, they were guided by a clear vision for longevity and flexibility. “We want the furniture to last 25 to 30 years,” says Gary, “where we can easily adapt to the changes in education.”

After weighing available options, the district selected Meteor Education as the partner best aligned with that vision.

One factor that helped solidify that decision was Meteor’s pilot program, which allowed the district to experience the furniture in real classrooms before committing. “I’ve bought a few cars in my life,” says Gary, “and I’ve never bought a car without test driving it first. We had an opportunity to test drive the furniture, to set it up in one of our schools and use it. Let teachers see the flexibility provided to them. That was a plus for us.”

“Meteor has been a great partner. I love that we’re still changing spaces and they’re still so readily able and available to answer questions. That’s not always what you get with vendors.”

Amanda Dobson, Director of Instructional Technology, James F. Byrnes High School

With that confidence in place, collaboration quickly became central to the process.

Rachel Holtzclaw, a South Carolina local, led the project for Meteor, making sure that district leadership was deeply involved. “We had a big voice in the design process,” says Sheila Roberts, Media Center Specialist. “At first, it was scary, because we didn’t know what to do. But then we saw what they had in mind, we tweaked some things, and they listened.”

The smooth design process was only the beginning, as the installation followed just as efficiently. “When Meteor started putting stuff in, we didn’t have to think about any of it,” says Shayne Dougherty, Principal of Tyger River Elementary. “Once we made our choices, it was seamless getting that equipment into our classrooms.”

Throughout the entire process, Meteor remained on-site and hands-on. That level of involvement led Dobson to describe Holtzclaw as “one of my new BFFs.”

“It’s not just selling a product. It’s also how you get that product into your classroom before your teachers and kids get here. Meteor took care of all that.”

Shayne Dougherty, Principal, Tyger River Elementary

As the project reached completion and the spaces came to life, Dougherty reflected on a conversation from early in the process. “I had asked Rachel, ‘What makes you and Meteor different than other furniture vendors?’ She responded with, ‘I don’t sell furniture; I sell educational experiences.’ And that’s exactly what was done here.”

The Impact

When the doors opened on the new school year, the return on investment was immediately clear. “If we’re going to spend this amount of money on a product, we want that product to pay dividends every day for us,” Dougherty says. In the daily rhythms of the schools, that value is now unmistakable.

The renovated spaces are described as “phenomenal.” Heather Cassidy, 4^th Grade Teacher at Tyger River Elementary, says her new classroom “provides choice for students, allowing better collaboration and cooperation.” She notes that the students, too, are satisfied with the upgrades. “They love how modern it is. They love the tall chairs and tables, the stools — they like having choice.”

“Engagement has risen tremendously, now that we have the different ways they can work together, collaborate, and take an active part in their learning together with one another.”­

Heather Cassidy, Teacher, Tyger River Elementary

Teachers are thrilled that they can reconfigure rooms based on the day’s learning needs. “In the old classrooms, the furniture didn’t move,” says Bringer. “Now it takes 30 seconds to rearrange the classrooms.” The mobility also allows for easier deep cleaning of the learning spaces.

Having received a complete refresh, the high school’s media center is now the “hub of the school,” says Dobson. What was once a dark, windowless room is now a bright, flexible environment that students genuinely want to be in. “They come in every morning before school just to talk. Kids come in to eat lunch and play games. Now, it’s the place to hang out.”

“Students feel that it’s very inviting and comfortable. They feel safe coming here. And they don’t have that everywhere.”

Sheila Roberts, Media Center Specialist, James F. Byrnes High School

According to several staff members, students are now much more engaged, and their development of soft skills is on full display — learning collaboration, conflict resolution, and general communication. “Kids that don’t know each other now sit by one another, with a couple of guys even making friends from it,” says Roberts, noting this is facilitated by having comfortable seating areas throughout the school.

The effects can even be felt in the teachers as well. As districts around the country struggle with faculty retention, Spartanburg District Five has experienced the opposite. “We’ve had zero turnover this year,” says Dougherty. “People want to be here. And if they want to be here, they’re going to do a better job in the classroom which is going to turn into better results for all of us.”

“We want all our students to look back and recognize that this was a safe place. They were taken care of, their needs were being met, and they were able to explore their creativity and research talents that they may not have realized they had.”

Matt Wofford, Director of Fine Arts, Spartanburg District Five

Beyond daily instruction, the impact is evident in the broader community. The district’s open house events drew an overwhelmingly positive response from families. “People’s mouths just dropped,” says Williams. “It was the highlight of the night to see parents and kids come in. They couldn’t believe our school would have a space like this.”

For district leaders, those reactions reinforced that the work was about more than new buildings or furnishings. “I want our legacy to be that we made good decisions here in 2025,” says Gary. “That for the next 20 to 30 years, we can continue to use these spaces and show that we’ve been good stewards of the taxpayers’ money.”

Together, the new learning environments at Spartanburg District Five represent a long-term commitment to the community, designed to serve both today’s students and generations to come.