Dear North Colonie Parents and Residents,
North Colonie Central School District is continually striving to provide our students with relevant and challenging work which contributes to their academic and social growth and development. As our students thrive and achieve at extraordinary levels, we must keep up by providing the resources needed for a high-quality, relevant and equitable education for all. As the world changes and evolves, North Colonie must do the same to prepare our students for success beyond the walls of our schools.
It is for this reason that I present to you the Capital Project of 2024. This project will provide much-needed and overdue improvements to our district. In our last capital project in 2016, the initial proposal was voted down, which meant large improvements to the high school were set aside to focus on Shaker Middle School. Those improvements took priority due to increasing enrollment as we added sixth grade to our middle school. Now, eight years later the time has come for Shaker High School. That swell in enrollment numbers seen at the middle school has reached the high school which has grown by more than 100 students in the last decade.
In order to truly uphold our pillars of academic excellence, equity and social-emotional health, we must provide our students with modernized learning environments that are welcoming and functional spaces for everyone. This project will bring sweeping renovations to the high school for the first time since the addition of J-wing in 1999 and on a much greater scale. There will be a focus on art and music spaces, where our students have truly outgrown the facilities that were built when the high school was constructed back in 1958. Renovations will include an auditorium reconstruction with the addition of a balcony for more seating, music rehearsal space reconstruction and an art gallery renovation. Our science labs, also original construction, will be improved in order to meet current New York State standards. On top of renovating current science labs throughout the school, we are looking to add science labs in a J-wing addition that will also include more general classrooms. We will look to make major renovations to our kitchen and cafeteria spaces in order to better serve our students. Some changes, while not flashy, are necessary. Those include single occupancy bathroom renovations, HVAC control system upgrades, roof replacements and infrastructure improvements to the plumbing and electrical systems. We didn’t forget about athletics. We will also include a new turf field on Lower Maloy for our teams to use for practice and competition as well as new LED lighting on Walker Field.
This $94 million project is one that will bring Shaker High School into the 21st century and one that is worthy of the students who walk these halls every day. Due to increasing enrollment, New York State Building Aid will account for about $73.5 million, approximately 78% of the project cost. That means the taxpayer cost will be approximately $20.5 million. We know you might have questions and we look forward to bringing you additional information on the 2024 Capital Project in the coming weeks here on this page as well as through our social media channels.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Skeals, North Colonie Superintendent