New CPS elementary school to be named Eagle Bluffs

Eagle Bluffs will be the name of a new elementary school set to open fall 2026 in southwest Columbia.

The Columbia School Board voted unanimously at its Monday meeting, deciding between Sinclair and Eagle Bluffs.

School Board member April Ferrao expressed that the chosen name would align with some of the nature-themed learning pods being designed in the new school. Several other board members agreed.

Board member John Lyman said he struggled slightly with the name’s geographical relevance, since Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area is a 20-minute drive from the new school. However, he said, he agrees that Eagle Bluffs aligns with the nature-centered design of the school and mentioned that it would be easier to come up with a mascot.

Board member Jeanne Snodgrass also mentioned that the school will already be located on Sinclair Road.

The final two names were selected from 46 suggestions submitted to a naming committee of students, parents and community members. The submissions were evaluated on a 100-point scale for geographical relevance, alignment with the mission of Columbia Public Schools, uniqueness and identifiability, contributions to the community and historical significance.

Eagle Bluffs Elementary School will be located near John Warner Middle School at 5550 S. Sinclair Road. The school will be able to accommodate 750 students.

The district’s special education program continues to struggle with teacher recruitment and retention, according to an evaluation of the department.

The program’s staff retention rate dropped from 80% in the 2022-23 school year to 77% in the 2023-24 school year.

Alyse Monsees, executive director of special services, said the retention rate has fluctuated over the past few years. She said staff resignation is the biggest factor for why people leave special education.

Chief Human Resources Officer Michelle Holz said the inability to keep up with increased workload is one reason some staff members resign.

The evaluation also found that an increasing number of teachers are choosing to stay within the district but move out of special education.

School Board President Suzette Waters asked how much of the staff is comprised of permanent substitutes or teachers with provisional or alternate certificates. Monsees estimated that 20 to 30 teachers are temporary or provisional, which is a significant number.

“Each year, it seems as though we’re starting the school year with more vacancies,” Monsees said.

The program’s evaluation also provided updates on graduation rates, which improved from 73.9% to 75.7% between 2023 and 2024. However, within the past few years, the rate was at its highest in 2022 at 78.5%.

Going forward, Monsees said the department aims for all students to make a year’s worth of growth in a year’s time. Other goals include improving staff retention, increasing graduation rates, closing achievement gaps and facilitating parent involvement.

In a unanimous vote, the board adopted a new elementary math curriculum for the 2025-26 school year.

The new curriculum, called “Bridges in Mathematics,” was recommended by elementary math coordinator Jenifer Smith earlier in the meeting.

Smith said the “Bridges in Mathematics” curriculum will allocate more time for each unit and offer more opportunities for student discourse compared to the old curriculum, “Everyday Mathematics,” which the district has been using since fall of 2017.

In a survey conducted with elementary school teachers, 62% of teachers preferred the “Bridges” math curriculum. Among students, almost 60% preferred the “Bridges” curriculum.

In the breakdown of survey results by grade level, fifth grade teachers showed the least support for “Bridges.” Smith said this was due to concerns about fifth grade students not having enough background to adjust to the new curriculum.

However, she said, fifth grade teachers still recommended the new curriculum for adoption.

The new curriculum will create strong foundational skills and improve reasoning, Smith said.

The estimated cost to adopt the “Bridges” curriculum is $1.17 million, which will be covered by the elementary math operating budget. The cost covers teacher resources for every classroom, student books, access to the digital platform and 24 in-person “getting started” workshops.

Next steps for adopting the curriculum include creating support materials with the math leadership team, distributing materials and training teachers.

Smith said the math department would like to order and distribute materials this spring.

Multiple community members spoke in opposition of the city’s proposal to build a new water tower on Beulah Ralph Elementary School’s property.

The proposed location is on the school property’s northwest corner, in the Thornbrook neighborhood.

Debra Froebel, one of the commenters, said she spoke on behalf of other homeowners in the neighborhood. She expressed concerns about the water tower being constructed in an established residential area.

Froebel’s concerns included children’s safety during and after construction, the noise of construction affecting residents and the construction’s effect on pickup areas for students.

Judy Chew also expressed concerns over students’ ability to get to and from school. She said the tower would also take away green space that is being used by the community.

“The construction would take about two years and pose great risk to these kids,” Chew said. “It would be a massive undertaking that would block most or all of the back access to the school.”

The new water tower aims to improve water pressure for residents in southwest Columbia, who have observed multiple boil-water advisories.

The tower would have a capacity of 1 million gallons, be about 160 feet tall and have a bowl diameter of 80 feet.

The district has hired a retired engineer, John Conway, to serve as a volunteer adviser as it considers the city’s proposal to construct the tower on the school’s property.

Ryan McDowell, a parent of a student at Hickman High School, said he was concerned about fire alarms being pulled repeatedly at the school. Noelle Gilzow, president of the teachers’ union, Columbia Missouri National Education Association, shared this concern.

Gilzow said fire alarms have been going off frequently, requiring complete evacuations. She said this poses a safety and security risk for students, especially as they begin to take the alarms less seriously.

The board will interview three finalists for the superintendent position this week.

These three have been narrowed down from 22 total applicants. Waters said candidates are being heavily vetted by the School Board and the Missouri School Boards’ Association, and community feedback was taken into account when coming up with interview questions.

In a recent forum, Waters said the School Board is likely to announce the new superintendent the week of Feb. 17.