The Ballston Spa Central School District has several plans on the horizon for the district, but finding land to build a new elementary school is priority No. 1, according to Board of Education members who met with the Malta Town Board Wednesday, April 2.
We’re very frustrated right now, said Board President Kathy Jarvis, regarding their search for land. `We’re looking everywhere and hoping we can find the parcels we need.`
Jarvis said the board has looked at several pieces of land but has repeatedly run into difficulties because the land must meet specific criteria.
The property has to be accessible to public water and sewer, at least 50 to 100 acres and clear of wetlands, which are not developable.
`This whole area has a lot of wetlands, which has brought us to a screeching halt several times,` Jarvis said.
She said the board had hoped to have land to put to a public vote in October, but the obstacles could keep that from becoming a reality.
The board looked at 16 parcels of land over a three-month period, but they were unable to purchase the properties because they did not meet the criteria or were not available.
Once the new building is operational, several years down the road, the district plans to close down the Malta Avenue Intermediate School. The district will keep the building and use it for administrative offices.
`We do have a common goal here for our children and grandchildren,` said Malta Town Supervisor Paul Sausville, who said he would seek out land in the town for building a new school.
Although, the schools are primarily located within the village of Ballston Spa, the school board said they are not opposed to building a new elementary school in Malta and have actually looked at several parcels in the town to date.
During the joint meeting, where both boards came together to discuss the future of the area and the technological opportunities available in the region, school board members spoke about their desire to prepare children for a global world, by eventually creating a technical high school to train a high-tech workforce, as well as implementing a more rigorous curriculum.
`We have to collaborate,` said Superintendent Raymond Colucciello. `We have to work together with business and industry.`
Malta is the proposed site of Advanced Micro Devices, a computer chip manufacturing plant, and while the district would like to collaborate with them when they are established, they have also been talking with officials from Hudson Valley Community College and Saratoga Technology and Energy Park, located in Luther Forest, to create a technical high school.
`It is an exciting time in Ballston Spa and this region,` Jarvis said. `Tech Valley is going to have a tremendous impact on all of our lives.`
The tech high school would provide students an opportunity to complete college-level coursework and possibly work a half day training for a career in the technology world.
School officials visited Portland, Ore., two years ago, and talked with educators and educational institutions there to determine the impact of computer giant Intel on the students in the area. They said the knowledge they gained from this trip prepared them for looking at the opportunities available to Ballston Spa with the introduction of AMD.
One main theme the officials took away from the visit was the need for advanced degrees. They said Intel would not hire anyone without at least an associate’s degree.
Board Vice President Keith Stewart said he was impressed with the focus on technical writing in Oregon. He said he expected educators to concentrate on math and science, but he was surprised by their emphasis on communication, which he said is an important skill for today’s workforce.
`We need to be flexible and think outside the box,` Stewart said.
Colucciello said that students will be competing internationally for jobs, and they need a more rigorous education to compete.
`The standards we have to set at our schools is a world-class standard,` Colucciello said.
The two boards vowed to meet again and keep the lines of communication open.“