Heather Atkins is a mother of two. It is no surprise she is concerned with schooling in the city.

She says the more schools there are, the better off kids will be. She just wishes the schools were closer to home.

"I think that there ... I mean, there is not a lot of anything yet north of town and I think it would be nice to have things closer to here," Atkins said.

The proposed 20-acre site for a new elementary school is located off of Brown Station Rd. and Waco Rd. in Northeast Columbia. However, school officials say the site does have some problems.

"There are no streets right now that go to the property, so it's in the middle of that area," said Assistant Superintendent Lynn Barnett.

Eventually, Waco Rd. will extend into a field where the new elementary school will be built.

"I feel sure that we will work through those issues and the roads will be there to get the children to the school," Barnett said.

School officials say the decision to put the new elementary school in the Northern part of the city was not just a substitute for the high school, which will be built off of New Haven Rd. and South Rangeline in the southeast part of the city.

"We would say that this is not to pacify anyone about placing something in the North," Atkins said. "We are in ongoing negotiations all the time regarding land purchases."

Residents like Atkins still say it would be nice if kids didn't have to travel so far to school. Officials say the school district will decide on the proposed site for the elementary school after a thorough inspection of the land.

A new elementary school could be built by 2009, and a new high school by 2010.