Thank you voters!

Nearly 67 percent of voters in the College Community School District said yes on April 3 to a $15 million bond to construct and furnish a new elementary. That vote will become official upon its review by the Linn County Board of Supervisors on Monday, April 9.

Our community has always supported our schools and it should be proud of the positive results. It's been a great experience to once again see our communities come together to support our schools and children. The fact is we are a vibrant and growing school district and we need to keep pace with our growth by providing quality classrooms so our students can reach their academic potential!

I'm especially proud of all the hard work the Citizens Advisory Committee on School Facilities put forth on this effort. It was a cross section of community members from all corners of the district. They all came together to help us identify needs such as increased enrollments, increased class sizes and the need for more space.

Now the real work begins. The new elementary is scheduled to open for the 2014-2015 school year. We will provide regular construction updates until the project is complete. The process to assign students and teachers to buildings for the fall of 2014 will take place during the 2013-2014 school year. Our goal is to have a fair and seamless process like that used when Ridge and Point opened.

Again, I want to thank our wonderful community for your continued support of our Prairie schools!

Richard Whitehead
Superintendent
College Community Schools