Columbia County school leaders move forward on 10-year plan

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - For several weeks now, school leaders in Columbia County have been listening to the public as they shape their 10-year plan.

It’s about current schools and the ones they’ll need to build.

The board approved the plan to start that process. Here’s how the plan will be put into motion.

It’s been a long process for the Columbia County School District to figure out, what they’re calling a roadmap for the next 10 years, and now the future is in sharper focus.

After eight months of planning, the future of Columbia County is much clearer.

“Every one of these projects will end up coming back to the board of education to be ultimately approved,”

The five-year plan turned 10-year allows more time for people to know what’s coming.

Master plan cost estimate:

“We thought it better to go ahead and stretch it out so everybody knows what they could expect and when they maybe could expect it,” said Columbia County Superintendent Dr. Steve Flynt.

The county held five informational sessions for public feedback. Flynt says they helped clear the air for some people.

“We provided each school, kind of a bullet list of some of the things they could expect. A lot of the questions revolved around things that may have already been in the plan,” said Flynt.

Some of the projects in Columbia County are happening now. This helps keep the ball moving.

“We’re in already a good bit of a building phase right now. I don’t know that the public will see a lot of change. We’ve already made the plan to replace Westmont, and that work is ongoing. North Columbia is already ongoing. What this is going to allow us to do is go ahead and start the planning phase,” he said.

That means the county will start talking to architects for these future projects.

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