E-SPLOST projects underway

E-SPLOST projects have started at Pike County schools and auditorium renovations are already about a third complete. Other projects underway include installing a temperature control system at the elementary school, placing water coolers at the high and primary schools and installing auto flushing valves for toilets at the primary and elementary schools.Technological upgrades being made now include upgrading to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 10 and replacing high school desktops with a virtual cloud server which increases speed and storage. ’Technology is changing the fundamental relationship between teachers and students and students and curriculum. Students are no longer expected to be consumers of knowledge but creators of knowledge, leveraging technology to engage in collaborative, creative problem-solving,’ said superintendent Dr. Michael Duncan. ’The infrastructure we now have in place, as a result of E-SPLOST, will allow us pilot ‘˜Bring Your Own Device’ virtual courses, blended learning, digital textbook adoptions and one-to-one computing. The end result will be more options for parents and a greater level of engagement and flexibility for students.’Residents can keep track of projects as they are started and completed and funding already spent or being proposed for each project by going to pike.k12.ga.us and clicking on E-SPLOST summary. ’On the website, citizens can track each project’s progress, including before and after pictures, estimated budget versus actual executed purchase orders,’ said Dr. Duncan. Projects set to begin in the summer include improving high school windows and doors, installing classroom carpet at the high, primary and elementary schools, replacing old tile with polished concrete at the primary school and re-coating the roofs of the primary, elementary and high school buildings. ’Routine maintenance and renovations have been delayed for so long the scope and cost of renovations grow each year,’ said Dr. Duncan. ‘We must be good stewards of the resources we’re given. To this end, we must appropriately maintain each building to enjoy the full life cycle of a school without it falling into disrepair and replacing it prematurely. It’s more cost effective to maintain the buildings we have through reasonable maintenance and renovations than to build new buildings.’