If you walked around the campus at Columbia Elementary School, you may have noticed a few changes. That is because the school has been pursuing some capital improvement projects, the first of its kind since its bond referendum 10 years ago.
Taking into consideration the district’s increased enrollment, expansion of services and programming, and the need to become more proactive in preventative maintenance and beautification, the district has been actively planning and moving forward on a host of projects and updates that started this past summer.
Playground
What most have been able to see, especially the students, have been the new playgrounds, rubber surfacing, and shade structures. The district replaced “The Big Toy” due to its age, difficulty in the district administering repairs, and the eroding surface area. Additionally, the smaller playground that Transitional Kindergarten uses was not fully age appropriate considering the equipment and surrounding play area. The district also took the opportunity to include needed shade structures in an effort to combat the heat in warmer months.
“While we were less than thrilled with the timeline, it was kind of neat for the students to see the playgrounds get installed,” said Dr. Nicolas Wade, Superintendent of Columbia Union School District. “We still have a lot of happy kiddos who are still extraordinarily thankful for the new playground.”
When installation was completed, Ms. Rebekah Wood, Principal of Columbia Elementary School, and some middle school student leaders gave a safety demonstration to all the students on how to appropriately use the equipment and the new rules. After the demonstration, Ms. Wood held a drawing where a student was randomly selected from each classroom to be the first to play on the new “Big Toy.”
The district also stocked the “Ball Shed” with brand new recess equipment for the students to check out. The sandbox was replaced with a raised bed for Transitional Kindergarten to use and play with.
Portables 21-23
The district’s portables have historically not seen significant maintenance or updating, but due to enrollment and providing additional programming and services to students and families, the district conducted a cost-benefit analysis in renovating the 13 portables on site.
For the reader’s information, it could cost the school around $750,000, at least, to remove an existing portable and replace it with a new (basic) one. And the cost for more “brick and mortar” projects is becoming so significant that it would either take years for the district to save up enough to do (and, by that point, would be even more expensive) or require another bond. However, for anywhere between $50,000 to $100,000 the district would be able to fully renovate an existing portable that can meet its needs for the better part of 20 years.
The district wanted to see how a renovated portable would turn out before moving forward on larger endeavors and had three (3) portables renovated this summer. The renovations saw some wall and flooring replacement, roof repairs, painting, appropriate furniture and general access, new windows and doors, and some electrical work.
One portable was equipped to be a spare classroom to accommodate overflow and increased after school care numbers. Another was outfitted to accommodate direct service providers for students receiving special education services, specifically for the school’s Speech and Language Pathologist, Psychologist, and Occupational Therapist. The third portable was broken into five (5) offices in an effort to be proactive for future partnerships the district is working to procure to meet the increased needs of students, families, and the community at large.
“First, I think we were all incredibly impressed with the final product and felt it was very much a worthwhile investment,” commented Dr. Wade. “Many of our partners in the county have complimented us for taking into consideration current trends and planning for the future. We want our efforts to bolster programming, offer consistency to health and community services, and not be caught off guard should our enrollment continue to grow.”
The Other Portables
Of the 10 remaining portables, one (1) is leased out to the Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools for preschool screening and related services and two (2) belong to Maintenance, Operations and Transportation (MOT). The district is looking at renovating MOT’s areas to better meet their daily needs and storage.
There are three (3) portables that the district is still deciding what to do with and is also resting on other decisions that are made at the county level.
“For example, the county’s preschool program is more than likely going to require another classroom,” explained Dr. Wade. “And what is becoming increasingly clear is Columbia has the site capacity to accommodate a number of countywide needs that are not just our own. There’s obviously a lot that still needs to be worked out or discussed in order for that to move forward at all.”
Dr. Wade continued to explain that the only area that could meet all of the state requirements for a preschool learning environment would be the district office because it has bathroom access. So if the district opted to host another preschool classroom, the district office would need to relocate.
“I don’t feel comfortable kicking out a teacher and students from a brick and mortar classroom to accommodate that and I do not want to purchase a brand new portable,” said Dr. Wade. “I’m very low maintenance and the district office staff would be more than comfortable in a serviceable portable.”
The district is also looking at combining two (2) portables to have a proper Art Room, especially given the increased attention and participation in a number of available fine arts opportunities. Also, the district is exploring combining another two (2) portables to create a blended, co-teaching environment in an effort to combat potential staffing shortages, introduce computer science and/or coding electives, and add acceleration classes for possible high school credit.
“We hope to have more information for the community soon about those specific ventures, but there is a lot of excitement about what those would mean for our students and the school as a whole,” teased Dr. Wade.
For how the remaining portables could be used, Dr. Wade explained it depends on a number of factors. For example, if Kindergarten continued to expand, the district would not continue separating the classrooms. So the Library could be relocated and the current one turned into two (2) classrooms to have four (4) Kindergarten sections in B Building. Class sizes are bubbling in other grade levels and additional sections would lead to the school’s Counselor and Math and Literacy Interventionists being relocated as well.
“At the very least, it must be known that Columbia has several options and many of them are positive on how we choose to best use our facilities,” said Dr. Wade. “We are equipped to handle these changes and more so than others.”
Gymnasium
If you noticed it is brighter in the gym, that is because the district also replaced all of the lights. The gym also received attention earlier in the year with a high definition projector and screen. Those who attended graduation last year or the community movie nights will have experienced it first hand. Future projects in the gym the district is exploring include a new sound system and floor replacement.
The district also replaced the physical education and athletics equipment.
Safety and Security
The district completed its security camera system upgrade and expansion addressing former blindspots and obsolete equipment. The new system has significantly assisted in investigating discipline issues and monitoring the campus after school hours.
“It is interesting how much ‘traffic’ on campus dwindled once it became known we completed this project,” reflected Dr. Wade. “And for discipline, it significantly helps address evolving narratives when you are able to follow a student or students in question. It definitely changes the conversation.”
The district also tinted all of the windows on campus with an impact resistant film and installed lockdown shades and Lock-Blocks on all the doors. Between these upgrades and changes in day-to-day and emergency procedures, Columbia has been recognized and cited as a resource for other school districts on how to best maintain safety and security with an open campus.
The Future
While the district has also realized a number of projects that range from visible (power washing the buildings) to unnoticeable (i.e. HVAC replacement, plumbing repairs, etc.), Columbia has been taking active steps in researching possible solutions and pursuing grants to assist with funding.
“The biggest thing that needed to happen is procuring an architect to conduct a facility assessment,” explained Dr. Wade. “We need to have that done in order to move forward on funding solutions awarded at the state level.”
Specifically, Dr. Wade said he has concerns about the age and condition of A Building.
“That building means a lot to the school and community,” he said. “It houses the cafeteria, the front office, Kindergarten, and TK. We know we have significant challenges there in terms of utilities and giving our talented food services staff the space and conditions needed. I cannot wait for the assessment to be completed so we can get moving on that.”
The district is also working on maintaining its green spaces. It is in the midst of installing a disc golf course (courtesy of a donation from the Tuolumne County Disc Golf Association) and looking to aerate and seed the upper and lower fields, add a softball field and address the baseball field, and overhaul the community garden.
“We are hoping to actively move forward on putting in some shade structures and seating areas in front of F Building to give those students a quad feel,” said Dr. Wade anticipatedly. “Also we hope to do an outdoor teacher area on one end of the track. And going back to the portables, we hope to make some decisions soon, especially with Portables 6-9.”
Other future projects being looked into by the district include blacktop resurfacing, a Kindergarten greenspace or play area, digital signage, exterior painting, and library renovations.
"What also needs to be emphasized is that we have a really caring and hard working crew in our MOT department," complimented Dr. Wade. "They have done so much to keep this campus clean and in order and to be on site to help us through all of our school events and to be there for those who use our campus. If we did not have them, we would have been in a far different situation than we are in now."
Dr. Wade encourages anyone to "high five" an MOT employee for all that they do and have done for Columbia.