Scarsdale BOE Reaches Consensus on Capital Project Plan

At their first public study session of the 2014-15 school year the Board quickly reached consensus on the proposed capital projects that would be included in a bond referendum early in December. After a recap of the process by Linda Purvis, Dr. Hagerman announced his recommendations to cutback the scope of the work at the Middle School and High School, reducing the amount that would be borrowed to $16,772,000.

What's changed?

At the middle school there were three options proposed by the architects to facilitate a practice room for the orchestra, who now use the stage of the auditorium as their classroom. Hagerman recommended that the district adopt the lowest cost option, which will add a room to the school by bumping out the building next to the current band room. The custodian's office will be renovated to create space for music instruction and there will be adequate storage space for the instruments. This option saved the district $232,000 off the original budget.

At the high school the board opted to scale back by eliminating a second floor corridor that would have connected the new Learning Commons with the library. According to Purvis, "The architects wanted to create a flow between the Commons and the eating and study spaces and the library, which would have been desirable from an instructional perspective and would have reflected the ways kids are actually working and learning." Also eliminated from the scope is a covered area for deliveries to the kitchen. The total savings from these two changes was $550,000.

However the plans now do include the following:

• District wide replacement of technology infrastructure
• A new library, central office and small group instruction space at Edgewood
• A new multi-purpose room, entrance canopy and small group instruction space at Heathcote.
• An orchestra rehearsal space and storage space as well as a new instructional music space at the Middle School

At the high school:

• A new learning commons using the space in and around gyms A & B that includes an additional kitchen, food service and cafeteria area, an elevator, mezzanine flexible seating and collaborative workspace. The I-Lab will include breakout rooms.
• A new design lab in the space that was formerly the auto shop.T
• A new 6,200 square foot fitness center located below the new gym.

The total cost of the plan is $19,820,000, but $3.1 million would come from other sources; $500,000 for the fitness center has been allocated from previous budgets and the board has asked the Scarsdale Education Foundation to raise $2.6 mm in funding for the fitness center and design lab. A $300,000 donation from the Madoff family for the equipment at the fitness center is not included in the budget.

Though the scope of the project had been hotly debated last year, at the September 8 meeting the Board quickly agreed to adopt Dr. Hagerman's recommendations. There was little discussion about the proposed changes though former Board President Suzanne Seiden asked if it would be possible to request alternative bidding for the corridor/kitchen project at the high school with the hope that the bid would come in within the budget. She said, "I would hate for us to be penny wise and pound foolish."

A final decision on the bond referendum will be made at the Board's October 6, 2014 meeting. The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale is planning to hold a public information meeting on the bond referendum from 9:30 to 10:15 am on September 29 at Village Hall.