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.

CPS breaks ground for new elementary school

KBIA | By Colin Hope

Published November 1, 2013 at 7:45 AM CDT

columbia public school leaders hold ribbon cutting for new elementary school

Columbia Public Schools broke ground Wednesday for a new elementary school near Battle High School.

The groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies kicked off the construction of the $19 million elementary school meant for 450 children. School district officials say the school can expand with the growing community. The school is set to open for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Columbia Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Peter Stiepleman says the new school will help alleviate overflow problems.

“We are now in the process of building elementary schools, and it couldn’t come at a better time,” Stiepleman said. “We’ve got a great superintendent who’s really worked hard to have the community understand that we’ve got lots of mobile classrooms, and we’ve got a lot of over-enrollment in a lot of our schools, and this is our ability to meet the needs of kids.”

Stiepleman said the proximity between the new school and Battle High School will be beneficial for the schools and the community. He anticipates activities between the two, such as child development classes. The city will provide $150,000 to Battle High School to expand its gymnasium as well as add bleachers and improved flooring. Stiepleman said once the projects are completed, they will serve as a gathering space for the community.

The construction funds come from a $120 million bond issue from April 2010. Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Chris Belcher said the construction comes at an opportune time.

“As with this project, like with Battle, we’re in the middle of a slow economy, so the interest rates are depressed,” Belcher said. “So, when we sell our bonds to fund this, we’re selling them at very low rates, which means more money goes into projects.”

Belcher says the city received 11 bids competing for the school’s construction, and most of the bids were within a million dollars of each other.

The name for the new school has not been chosen yet. A naming committee will meet for a final time on Nov. 7 and then present its top two names to the board of education for selection.