Once accepted by the board, a referendum would go to voters on May 20
At the Feb. 11 meeting of the Guilderland Central School District board of education, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie Wiles presented the details of a $57 million proposal for capital improvements to the district’s facilities. The proposal is the result of a more-than year-long effort by the district’s Future Ready Task Force and the Facilities Committee. Should the board accept the plan, the referendum would go to Guilderland voters for approval on May 20.
An objective of the proposed capital project is to begin the multi-year process of transforming GCSD facilities into future-ready learning environments, enabling the district to work towards its mission and vision, which is for all students — each and every one — to be future-ready.
Board of Education priority areas
Dr. Wiles summarized the priority areas the board of education had previously established for the 2020-2025 school years:
- Close the achievement or opportunity gap among students so that all students can reach their full potential.
- Focus on the whole child which encompasses social-emotional learning.
- Focus on diversity to ensure that all members of the school community feel that they belong; that is, all feel seen, heard, welcomed, and affirmed.
- Improve facilities, with particular attention to supporting district-wide technology and cyber-security and develop a shared vision for “future-ready” facilities to provide students with a learning environment that will prepare them for success in the world beyond high school.
What does it mean to be future-ready?
During the 2023-24 school year, a Future Ready Task Force explored what it means for GCSD students to be future-ready and developed a shared vision for future-ready facilities.
The task force reviewed best practices around teaching and learning and gathered input from the school community to recommend priorities that will ensure GCSD graduates are prepared for their future after graduation. The group wrapped up its work by giving its recommendations to the district Facilities Committee.
The Facilities Committee, composed of almost 30 members, represented many GCSD stakeholder groups. Working with CSArch, the district’s architecture and construction firm, the Facilities Committee used the Future Ready Task Force’s recommendations to compile a report that:
- Made recommendations to address short- and long-term improvements to GCSD facilities
- Considers the following information:
- work of the Future Ready Task Force Subcommittees
- improvements identified but not completed in previous capital improvement projects
- improvements identified in the Building Condition Survey
- upgrades needed to address mandated programs (EV buses)
- Considers cost implications for taxpayers
Another major goal – and one that was achieved – was that, as a shared decision-making district, the Facilities Committee needed to reach a consensus in its final recommendations. The understanding was that every individual on the committee could support the final recommendations to the board.
Recommendations with an eye on the future
The recommendations determined by the Facilities Committee strive to strike a balance; while some aspects of the project need to be more substantial than others, as a total, the project will effectively support students while being fiscally responsible. Additionally, improvements would be made at all seven school buildings.
The Facilities Committee reviewed a lengthy list of proposed items and determined how those items should be prioritized — as a priority one, two or three. Following are the general areas of proposed improvement, which include items that come up in the regular Building Condition Survey, such as roof repair/replacement, paving, unit ventilators, etc., as well as the items that will enable the district to begin to transform general classrooms into future-ready spaces for collaborative, specialized instructional learning.
Performance Spaces. A big focus of the capital improvement project is the renovation and enhancement of the performing arts spaces at Guilderland High School. Currently, there is not sufficient rehearsal space for all of our ensembles, so students in the performing arts must continually relocate musical instruments and equipment from the auditorium stage to the choral room and/or the orchestra room. This is a considerable effort that takes away from rehearsal time.
Recommended in the capital improvement project are renovations as well as an addition to the high school, which would provide more rehearsal space and an additional multi-purpose instructional/performance/meeting space. The addition would house a new choral room, orchestra room, additional practice rooms and instrument storage. In turn, the current music space would be renovated to accommodate special education classrooms, a nurse’s suite, a band room, a music room and a technology lab, where engineering and technology programs, such as robotics, are offered.
Media Center. With the proposed repurposing of the LGI, the Facilities Committee recommended that the current GHS library be re-envisioned into a flexible-use space. The footprint and essential purpose of the library would remain the same, however the functionality of the space would be significantly enhanced. The perimeter would have traditional shelving for library books, with the center of the room equipped with furniture and shelves that can be reconfigured without difficulty, based on the required purpose. The new media center could be used for independent work, as a gathering space for students or could quickly be transformed to host a meeting. Since this space is located close to the front entrance of the building, it would be easily accessible to community members attending meetings or district events.
Technology. Currently there are 100 classrooms across the district that do not have Promethean boards, which are interactive whiteboards that connect to a computer, can display multimedia content and offer interactive features like drawing, writing, and manipulating objects directly on the screen. In addition to equipping all classrooms with Promethean Boards, the plan includes upgrades for technology closets and virtualization system nodes.
Proposed Areas of Improvement
Safety
- Door access controls
- Replace exterior public address speakers; Internet Protocol (IP) speakers
- Video surveillance: camera replacements and S2 integration
Infrastructure
- Roof replacement
- HVAC
- Legacy (Building Management System)
- ACM abatement
- Transportation
- Maintenance Irrigation
Sitework
- Paving
- Athletic fields
- FMS football field
- GHS softball field
- Former District Office demolition
Instructional Technology Upgrades
- Promethean Boards
- 100 additional; 41 existing mounted
- Technology closet upgrades
- Virtualization system nodes
Future Ready Classrooms
- Elementary
- Casework (storage), mechanical upgrades, abatement, lighting, power, data, furniture:
- Fifth-grade wings at AES, LES WES (15 Classrooms)
- Four kindergarten classrooms at GES
- Two Comprehensive Skills Classrooms, reading room and one pod reconfiguration with break-out space at PBES
- Casework (storage), mechanical upgrades, abatement, lighting, power, data, furniture:
- Secondary
- Six science classrooms at FMS
- Ten classrooms at GHS
- World Language
- English
- Social Studies
- Math
- CSP
- Multi-purpose instructional/performance/meeting space
Specialized Instructional Space: Performing Arts
- Fine Arts Addition/Renovations
- Choral Classroom
- Orchestra Classroom
- Practice Rooms
- Instrument Storage
- Repurpose existing music space
- Special Education Classrooms
- Nurse’s Suite
- Band Room
- Music Room
- Technology Space
Specialized Instructional Space: Technology Labs
- High School technology workshop
- Expansion and renovation
State Aid Ratios and Tax Impact
The capital improvement project, with all of the priority one recommendations made by the Facilities Committee, would total $57,259,705, with 75 percent of the proposed project eligible for aid from New York state. The estimated tax impact to the community is 2.8 percent. For a taxpayer with the average assessed house in the Town of Guilderland of $285,585, the tax impact would be approximately $153 annually.
Next Steps
The board of education is expected to vote on approving the capital improvement plan at their next meeting, which would then put the referendum before voters for their approval on budget vote day, May 20.
View Dr. Wiles’ presentation at the Feb. 11 board of education meeting.