From building improvements to technology, South Colonie Central School District students will soon see many changes at their schools as the capital project and new program initiatives get underway.
Voters approved the $13.8 million Colonie 2020 capital project October of 2014, allowing the district to improve parking lots, reconstruct libraries and install district-wide WiFi, construction for which has just begun. With solar panel installations and new policies, both district officials and students should expect some long-needed improvements.
Colonie 2020 will come with no increased taxes for district residents, as the project was timed to allow for prior capital debt to be replaced with funding for phase I and II of the capital project. The last two phases will get underway soon after the first two are complete around summer of 2017. District officials predicted the whole project to be completed in 2022.
Funding for the solar panel installations came from a grant through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERTA), so residents did not have to go to the polls to approve the project.
“It’s my job and the board of education’s job to develop plans and try to move the district forward. These are (the residents’) buildings. We have a responsibility to take care of their investment,” said South Colonie Superintendent Jonathan Buhner.
Colonie 2020
The capital project consists largely of building improvements throughout the entire district, addressing cracked pavement in driveways, out-of-date heating systems and new libraries for elementary schools.
Current construction in the first two phases of the project largely surround boiler and pump replacements and the installation of a designated parent drop-off loop at Roessleville Elementary School, both safety concerns that needed to be addressed.
“We’ve had some problems with just the way it’s designed,” said Buhner of the current parent drop-off system. Buhner said the district felt it safer to have separate areas for the buses and parents and this would make mornings and afternoons run more smoothly.
Once the major construction is complete, work on installing WiFi and voiceover internet phone communication upgrades will take place in every district building. Not only will the improvements save on cost, but the district-wide WiFi will present new opportunities for instructional programs dealing with more technology-based curriculum.
Future improvements in the capital project’s second phase surround reconstruction in the music, art and technology wing in Colonie Central High School, which is an outdated section of the building.
“Most of the technology wing is all being updated to try to help us prepare for the new careers that are out there,” Buhner said.
In addition, Roessleville and Forest Park elementaries will undergo complete reconstruction in their libraries to expand and upgrade the facilities. Future repair on roofing and parking lots will also take place.
Bring your own device
With plans for district-wide WiFi came plans to change device policies for the high school students.
At a spring Board of Education meeting, the Information Technology Committee gave a report for board members to review that outlined a “bring your own device” policy in Colonie High School. With the policy, high school students will be able to bring tablets, iPads or laptops in instructional settings.
“The BYOD policy allows us to allow students who may have that technology, and staff members, to bring it in and use it as part of our instructional program,” Director of Human Resource Development and Information Technology David Perry previously told The Spotlight.
The policy will allow students to research, use online programs and read electronic materials on their own equipment. For the students who do not have such devices, the district will have some available when a lesson calls for it.
“Many of our students are already bringing in their own device. About 80 to 85 percent of their classmates had some type of their own device,” said Perry. Teachers have also been known to let students use their own devices in lessons.
Student will need to use the district’s WiFi, once fully installed and operational, so activity can be monitored. Buhner said the policy will present new ways for students and teachers to keep up with the changing times.
Since the policy depends on the WiFi, Buhner said he hoped to see it in place by September, but the timeline is dependent on state applications.
Programming changes
South Colonie will make further efforts to prepare students for post-secondary education, as well as programs geared toward ever-expanding science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.
One high school teacher is going to be trained in Project Lead the Way, which provides schools kindergarten through grade 12 with curriculum and programs to help students develop a STEM education.
Specifically, Buhner said, the programming will concentrate on computer sciences, although the district has strong engineering and science programs already.
And adding to the high school’s science department, Regents Earth Science will be taught at the high school level for the first time in South Colonie. Previously, the class had been offered only to advanced eighth graders. They will still be able to take the course, but now it will be opened to more students in high school, said Buhner.
District officials will also continue adding to the course list of classes that offer high school students college credit through Hudson Valley and Schenectady Community colleges, New York State universities and the College of Saint Rose.
“I’ve talked to (students’) parents, and their kids are finishing school sometimes a semester ahead of time and a year ahead of time,” said Buhner. “We think that having the curriculum creates electives that are a little bit more rigorous helps them prepare and transition smoother.”
While South Colonie already has two sets of panels installed, one on the athletic field at Colonie High School and the other on top of the bus garage, more are on the way.
With help from NYSERTA and Monolith Solar, South Colonie has been able to get its first two solar systems up and fully operational within the last two years. However, Buhner said the district is in the middle of planning for a “hybrid system” and the installation of remote net-metered “solar field” systems.
The solar field will either be on-site or off, and original plans consisted of installing 5,700 panels on the roofs of each school building.
Within 20 years, the solar panel systems combined will save the district about $2 million. The panels on the district buildings will save about $65,802 per year, with another $8,891 with the solar field.
“Things are moving along,” said Buhner. “People don’t see any work starting, but there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes.”
For information on the capital project and solar initiatives, as well as programs, go to www.southcolonieschools.org.