View full sizeIn this file photo, a Birmingham schools elementary student works a math problem at a Promethean smart board. (The Birmingham News file/Bernard Troncale)CENTER POINT -- An estimated 19 of more than 30 electronic classroom smart boards at Center Point Elementary School are being salvaged and transferred to Erwin Elementary and Erwin Middle schools, where 620 Center Point students are attending classes since a Jan. 23 tornado destroyed their school.
The Jefferson County Board of Education unanimously approved the removal of the Promethean interactive smart boards from Center Point Elementary, and their installation at the Erwin schools.
"One of the first things teachers asked me (when they moved into Erwin) is 'When are we going to get Promethean boards?'" said Yancy Morris, deputy superintendent of Jefferson County schools. "They're a huge teaching tool."
Four portable buildings -- for a total of eight classrooms -- also have been delivered to Erwin, and are being outfitted for ramps, porches, data wiring and canopies, Morris told the board.
"We still have some major purchases to make, but we managed to get a lot more furniture out of Center Point than we thought," he said.
Center Point Elementary School, which was built in 2003 and expanded in 2007, was mangled in the tornado. Superintendent Phil Hammonds has said the school will have to be demolished and rebuilt.
Morris said students will be at their temporary location at least 18 months.