Bloomingdale to get $64 million replacement elementary, speakers say

Ken Slatz, reporting for the Savannah‑Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS), said Bloomingdale is getting a long‑awaited replacement elementary school that will cost $64 million and include nearly 150,000 square feet of classrooms, art and music spaces, and STEM and energy labs.

Community members at the event described the new school as the heart of Bloomingdale and said local input guided the design. "This community is more like a family, and and you can just feel it," one community member said. Another said, "It's an honor to stand and be a part of a community that pours so much love, pride, and dedication into its children and schools."

Speakers and the reporter described features intended to support learning: a large gym, classrooms equipped with new technology and dedicated STEM and energy labs. "They have a huge space now in the gym. They have classrooms with the best technology," a community speaker said, adding the facility offers space for students "to learn and grow in that is for years to come."

Remarks emphasized the role of school staff. One speaker urged care for students, saying, "Our most precious, most precious assets are going to be walking in the halls of this building. I would beg that you would love them. You would be compassionate with them." Another speaker described the day as "about joy. It is about hope. It is about future."

The transcript did not specify funding sources, a construction timeline, or an opening date. It also used slightly different names in remarks for the project; the speaker identified in the transcript as Ken Slatz was the source for the cost and size figures cited above.

No motions, votes, or formal decisions were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; the remarks are presented as community commentary and a reporter's summary.