On Aug. 30, officials with Columbia County’s school district hosted an informational meeting at Greenbrier High School to allow for parent input and questions on the county’s 10-year building plan.
To start the meeting off, Superintendent Steven Flynt introduced to parents the influx of student growth over the last few years.
“As you can see, we estimated an increase of 734 students from the 2022-2023 school, but now we believe those numbers might even be higher,” he said.
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For grades Pre-K to 12, Flynt said the county expects enrollment will peak at almost 30,000 students in the 2025-2026 school year.
With schools such as Westmont, Brookwood and Lewiston Elementary being filled over instructional capacity, additional classrooms are a necessity, he said.
A new Westmont Elementary is scheduled to be ready for the 2024-2025 school year, while a new North Columbia Elementary will be ready for the 2025-2026 school year.
Associate Superintendent Penny Jackson then followed by relaying to parents several changes the plan will implement into some older schools such as additional classrooms, technology, updated CTAE facilities and new paint.
Multiple elementary, middle and high schools will see outdated equipment replaced, and numerous construction projects are on the way.
“It’s not something that might happen; it’s something that we are already in the process of doing now,” said Jackson.
Parents at the meeting cheered and applauded at the mention of a new band and chorus rooms being included in the changes for Greenbrier High School and reacted over renovations at local middle and elementary schools.
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The plan is divided into three phases over the span of a decade. Phase one will focus on Evans, Lakeside, and Harlem High School with specified additions and renovations.
Phase two will center around Greenbrier and Grovetown High School, Grovetown Middle and Grovetown Elementary School which will add more classrooms and include minor renovations.
Phase three will provide new HVAC, lighting, flooring, painting, parking lots, fire alarms and furniture.
Flynt highlighted the county’s focus on adding “secure entry vestibules” to ensure student safety against any possible intruders or threats.
“This year’s SPLOST cycle for 2022-2027 has the same allowable uses as last year’s, but this time you’ll notice safety, security, and maintenance has been added to the list of approved items, reiterating the fact that safety is a priority for our school district,” said Associate Superintendent Michele Sherman.
The special purpose local-option sales tax cycle from 2022-2027 allows the proper funding for Columbia County’s 10-year building plan which estimates a total of $493.2 million between all three phases and needs which are not estimated within the plan.
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Sherman then displayed to parents a breakdown of total school expenses from different counties of similar size within the state and compared Columbia County’s comparatively low expense rate.
“You’ll notice that we spend the least, but our students score in the top five of SAT scores indicating a strong value of educational dollars spent in Columbia County,” said Sherman.
With parents showing some concern for present traffic problems both in school hallways and school zones, parents’ questions and comments were answered and addressed by Flynt, and attendees were also encouraged to read about frequently asked questions on the Columbia County Board of Education website.
“Thank you for being here. You are a big part of the process whether you are an employee, or parent or community member that’s interested in this,” said Flynt. “Obviously this is your tax dollars at work, whether it’s SPLOST or property taxes, and we appreciate you being a part of the process.”
Future informational and input meetings about the building plan will be held on Aug. 31 at Grovetown High School Auditorium at 6 p.m., on Sept. 6 at Harlem High School Auditorium at 6 p.m., and on Sept. 7 at Lakeside High School at 6 p.m.
For more information about the meetings or the 10-year building plan visit: https://www.ccboe.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=3154820&type=d&pREC_ID=2361385
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
