Pink Smoothies!

Earlier this week I heard a woman telling a funny story about her husband.  The couple was at a restaurant to have the breakfast buffet.  She said that the buffet was amazing!  There was fruit, eggs, bacon and more bacon!  She looked across the buffet line at her husband and he had a funny, almost horrified look on his face.  When she asked him what was wrong, he said, “Yuck!  Have you tried these pink smoothies?”, motioning to the small plastic cup of pink liquid in his hand.  At that point she was laughing so hard she could hardly finish story and she said that she told him, “That’s not a smoothie, that’s strawberry flavored waffle batter!”   After hearing her story I began thinking that just like her husband, many times we assume that things are the way they appear. 

Although the buildings in our district look pretty good there are concerns with our facilities.  Just like the husband who thought the strawberry waffle batter was a smoothie, many of us assume that since we have computers in our school, we are all set.  As we have been examining our educational facilities, we have found that our technology infrastructure is not good enough to facilitate the current rate of usage.  One of the goals of the Columbia School Board is to upgrade not only the computers our students use, but the infrastructure that supports the computers. 

During the School Board work session members of the board and community heard from five companies that could provide construction management services to the district as we continue examining our facilities and plan for future renovations including updating our technology infrastructure. At the February 11^th Columbia School Board Meeting, the board members will take some time to discuss their thoughts regarding the companies that made presentations earlier this week.  The goal of the Board is to pursue a thoughtful, transparent process that will result in better educational learning facilities for our students.

When we walk into our buildings with the teams of construction managers it is very obvious that they understand our concerns.  The companies are experienced at evaluating school facilities, planning for renovations and managing the facility transformation process.  As the board, staff, teachers and administrators work through the planning process focusing on the end result of improved facilities, we invite all of our parents and community members to join us.  The Columbia School District staff and administrators are working together to bring the best in education for your child.  We believe that a strong education will help develop our students to be lifelong learners and grow up to be positive contributing members of our community.   If you have questions regarding your child’s education or the renovation planning process please email me or give me a call at 592-6641.