Land clearing began last year for Statesboro STEAM Academy’s campus off Veterans Memorial Parkway and on Friday, faculty, staff and school leadership officially broke ground on what will become STEAM’s permanent home.
“We've got great schools here in Bulloch County that offer great educational opportunities,” County Commission Chairman David Bennet said. “And now STEAM students will be able to come out here and have a great facility to learn in as well.”
STEAM’s plans call for an approximately 36,000-square-foot building to be constructed on a 50-acre tract at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and East Main Street. STEAM has owned the site since July 2018.
“The new campus will have an outdoor learning area, an indoor learning area that will be part of a non-traditional learning environment – a very, very cool design,” said Stuart Gregory, director of Business Development for Bulloch Solutions, which is a partner with STEAM.
Corliss Reese, the school’s superintendent and principal, has been affiliated with STEAM, and all its previous iterations, for the past 18 years.
He thanked the county, city of Statesboro and his faculty and staff for their support at Friday’s groundbreaking. Reese said construction is scheduled to be complete March 26, 2026 and the 2026-27 school year will be the first on the new campus.
STEAM started classes last July for its 2024-2025 school year with about 210 students in fifth through 12th grades at its leased building on Northside Drive. Reese said Friday that the new facility will accommodate up to 415 students and he expects 390 students to be enrolled in K-12 when the school opens in 2026.
“We've seen the relationship with the community change over the years,” Reese said. “We've been able to serve students that regular education or traditional education does not work – for whatever reason,” Reese said. “So, we give them another option.”
In July 2024, Bulloch County commissioners approved the Development Authority of Bulloch County’s request to issue up to $13 million worth of tax-exempt bonds on behalf of Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts and Technology Inc., doing business as Statesboro STEAM for its new facility.
The nonprofit corporation is using the money from the sale of the bonds to fund the construction and related costs and then be responsible for repaying the bond purchasers, with interest, over about 20 to 30 years.
“The things that you offer to the children of our community can't be replaced and having this facility here will add so much more to the things we have to offer people in the whole county,” said Benjy Thompson, CEO of the Development Authority. “We're honored and proud to have played a small role in helping STEAM proceed with this next step in its future. On behalf of our board and staff, congratulations. And we look forward to the incredible impact that this facility will have on our community.”
Future school described
“Key features” of the proposed new building will “include open classrooms, flexible learning spaces, outdoor learning areas, and a modern gymnasium,” according to plans STEAM submitted to the county.
The classrooms will not have traditional walls, instead “utilizing movable partitions and post and beam elements to create flexible learning spaces that can be easily reconfigured,” the description states. “This design encourages collaboration and interaction among students and teachers.”
Every learning space is proposed to be equipped with “interactive whiteboards, tablets and high-speed internet access.”
Gregory said Arista Networks, a California-based networking and equipment company, will donate “all the networking and Wi -Fi equipment, to provide the next generation of technology to STEAM students.”
The gym will feature “a full-size basketball court, volleyball nets and multi-sport flooring,” and the project also calls for outdoor sports fields for soccer, baseball and track, as well as playgrounds, the summary states.
STEAM history
Originally named Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts and Technology, the school opened in 2002 and has never owned a building. The name “Statesboro STEAM College, Careers, Arts and Technology Academy” was introduced with a new charter approved in 2016. To the emphasis of on science, technology, engineering and mathematics seen in “STEM” programs at many schools, “STEAM” adds “A” for the arts.
As a state-chartered school, STEAM receives direct state funding, based on student enrollment counts under the Quality Basic Education formula. It cannot charge tuition. Its allowed attendance area is Bulloch County, but it operates under its own governing board, entirely separate from the Bulloch County Board of Education.
