Education

Keep up with Columbia public schools

Below the overview of the district are links to KBIA's coverage of Columbia 93 district schools, updated as more stories are published. Columbia 93 at a glanceThe Columbia 93 school district currently includes 32 different schools. In 2014, the district had a k-12 enrollment of 17,204 students, which is 2% of the total k-12 enrollment for the state. Enrollment has been slightly increasing in recent years, 2% since 2011. While a small percent, that amounts to almost 400 more students. There have also been major re-drawing of attendance areas with the addition of Battle High School. Middle school attendance areas shape high school boundaries 00000178-cc7d-da8b-a77d-ec7d2f9e0000The changes have affected all schools in the district, including causing high school attendance to increase and overcrowding at one middle school at least.

Final decisions made for new elementary school in southwest Columbia

KBIA | By Ashley Reese

Published September 8, 2014 at 5:17 PM CDT

Construction of Columbia’s newest elementary school is set to begin next month at Scott Boulevard and Route KK.

Columbia Public Schools Community Relations Director Michelle Baumstark said the school is part of the district’s ten-year facility and bond plan.

“The plan, which was developed with community input, includes the addition of four elementary schools as well as a high school,” Baumstark said.

Baumstark said the bond plan was developed in 2007 to address growth in the district. The plan included Battle High School as well as the construction of the new Battle Elementary School, which is set to open next fall.

The new southwest elementary school, which has yet to be named, and Battle Elementary School will be very similar thanks to a master building plan the district has developed for the construction of all four of the ten-year plan’s elementary schools.

Columbia Board of Education President Christine King said the district hasn’t necessarily had overcrowding, but several buildings have been filled to capacity and some schools are using trailers for expansion. She says Cedar Ridge Elementary School has as many students in its trailers as it has in the building. This creates problems for the school’s common areas.

“When you allow expansion with trailers, well now that lunchroom of say third-graders that five years ago was fine, now because you have an extra section, the cafeteria becomes more crowded at lunch,” King said.

King said Battle Elementary School is being built in a way that will easily allow expansion, but the new southwest elementary school will be built to the 650-student capacity.

Baumstark said the construction costs will be around $16 million, well within the district’s budget. The Columbia Board of Education will vote on the contractor at tonight’s meeting.