Two tours and a public hearing on the district’s proposed $70 million budget were on tap at the Niskayuna Board of Education meeting Tuesday, May 6.
The first tour highlighted the high school’s $94 million construction project now under way, and the second one focused on three classrooms where students demonstrated the high school’s innovative science program.
Bryon Diel, senior project engineer from Sano-Rubin, showed board members around the new two-story classroom wing as well as other additions to the high school. The new classroom wing, when completed in September, will temporarily house other class activities as each section of the school is renovated. The new media center was also viewed, although currently it is only a large vacant area where the concrete flooring was recently poured. Completion of the media center is expected by December.
The large construction crane was still operating during the evening meeting because work was stopped during the day so the noise would not distract students during testing.
Construction continues on the music room addition. When completed, this addition will also be used as temporary space for science classes while the science wing is renovated.
Other parts of the construction project were also discussed. The four new classrooms at Craig Elementary School are nearing completion. Also, the two new classrooms at Glencliff Elementary School are all but ready — only finishing touches remain. Work at Van Antwerp middle school continues, and the science classroom renovations will be done this summer. The total project will not be completed until 2010.
School Superintendent Kevin Baughman kicked off the public hearing on the proposed budget by stating that the proposed school tax would increase by 3.48 percent.
This proposed budget is the lowest spending increase and estimated tax increase in the last five years, said Baughman. `We are cognizant and respectful of the challenges that everyone is facing given current economic conditions.`
Some of the reasons for the increase include rising costs of contractual salaries and benefits, utilities, fuel and an increase in staffing levels in order for the district to accommodate students.
Proposed staff additions include added teaching positions in the elementary schools due to an enrollment increase of 30 students, a health teacher to focus on alcohol and substance abuse prevention in fifth-through-ninth grade, additional counseling staff, an assistant middle school principal, and a director of English language arts.
Also proposed are additional hours for existing technology staff at the high school to continue the Project Lead the Way pre-engineering curriculum.
In 2008-09 school officials will introduce digital electronics, a fourth course to the project.
No one from the public had any questions or comments on the proposed budget. The public will vote on the budget Tuesday, May 20.
The final major activity of the evening was a tour of three classrooms where students and their science teachers have set up displays of engineering projects that are part of the Project Lead the Way curriculum.
The three rooms represented work in design and drawing for production for engineering, principles of engineering, and computer integrated manufacturing.
Student Mike Rowe demonstrated a robot doing actual manufacturing work on a part being driven by a computer program. Sam Lagasse showed his pneumatic-powered mobile chassis that is self-propelled by air compressors that activate its wheels. Zack Webber also demonstrated a robot he constructed. Rebecca Aidala showed the truss bridge on her computer screen that she designed using basic principals of physics. A model of the bridge was built and tested to see how much load the bridge could withstand before failing.
Another group demonstrated a prototype device that can scan simulated recyclable materials such as glass and separate it by color.“