COLUMBIA − Columbia Public Schools hosted an open house Tuesday night to give the public an opportunity to share feedback on designs for a new elementary school coming to the southwest part of the city.
Administrators, construction executives and members of the Columbia School Board were present to answer questions about the school’s design and location.
The need for a new school came because the district is growing. Columbia School Board President Suzette Waters say opening another location will ease the load off other elementary schools.
“Some schools are near 95% capacity, which may not seem bad,” Waters said. “But having schools at around 80% capacity takes the load off of staff.”
The school will be built on the same lot as John Warner Middle School on South Sinclair Road, just on the northern half.
Columbia Public Schools hosted an open house Tuesday night to give the public an opportunity to give feedback on designs for a new elementary school coming to southwest Columbia.
Some parents were concerned about redistricting and having their children change schools. Randy Gooch, the chief operations officer for Columbia Public Schools, says the district is doing its best to please everyone and keep the process as transparent as possible.
“It’s a long and difficult process. We hear the concerns, but there are over a thousand different concerns,” Gooch said. “Not everyone is going to get what they want, which is unfortunate, but that’s why we’re trying to give people as many opportunities to share feedback as possible.”
When considering redistricting, Gooch said the well-being of students is closely looked at.
“We look at that aspect and how it has affected students previously,” he said. “We look at how the move has affected the students in the same areas previously.”
Construction of the school was approved by voters through a 2022 bond issue.
As the process goes forward, Gooch said the district plans to have more firm redistricting plans in the spring of 2024. The school will likely open in the fall of 2025.