Euchee Creek schools get new leaders

Columbia County school board members on Tuesday hired new principals for Euchee Creek Elementary and Columbia Middle schools.

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Katy Yeargain will take the reins at Euchee Creek while Steven Cummings assumes the role as principal at Columbia Middle. They will replace retiring principals Wanda Golosky and Donna Anderson, respectively.

Yeargain is assistant principal at Euchee Creek, while Cummings is the assistant principal at Blue Ridge Elementary.

A product of the Columbia County school system, Yeargain said she intends to continue working to improve education at her school.

"I am from the community and I do care deeply about Euchee Creek and the students," she said.

Cummings was hired as an assistant at Blue Ridge after serving as an administrator of a middle school in South Carolina.

"I look forward to continuing to expand on the many positives they have going on there," Cummings said.

Part of Cummings' new duties might include the transition to a new Columbia Middle building.

The school board formally adopted a new five-year facility plan which calls for rebuilding at least four schools and shutting down another.

The plan, recently approved by state education officials, calls for building larger versions of Columbia Middle, Evans Elementary, Martinez Elementary and the system's alternative school in Grovetown.

Once construction of Evans and Martinez elementary schools is complete, system officials would close Bel Air Elementary and relocate those pupils to the newer schools.

Meeting many of the steps called for in the facility plan will depend on voter approval for the continuation of the 1-percent sales tax. The referendum will appear before voters on July 20.

Depending on how much is raised with the sales tax, if voters approve it, officials also might rebuild North Harlem Elementary, North Columbia Elementary, South Columbia Elementary and Harlem Middle schools.

Officials are projecting to raise as much as $148.6 million through the tax. Once approved, they also would sell bonds so work can start on a new Columbia Middle on a site farther east near Lewiston Road.

Other projects likely to be included in the sales tax referendum include upgrading athletics facilities, buying buses, upgrading auditoriums, replacing roofs and paying off about $37 million in debt.