North Colonie School District floats $94 million capital project to voters

Capital project to fund major renovations at Shaker High School over 5 years.

LOUDONVILLE – North Colonie Central School District taxpayers will head to the polls on May 21 to vote on a $94 million capital project that would “bring sweeping renovations to the high school”, according to District Superintendent Kathleen Skeals.   In addition to the capital project, voters will also decide on the annual school budget and two open board of education seats.

As proposed, the capital project focuses on upgrading art and music spaces that have remained unchanged since the high school was constructed in 1958.  Those renovations include auditorium reconstruction, art gallery renovation, adding a balcony and expanding music rehearsal space.  The high school’s science labs will also be renovated and the number increased.  In addition, the high school’s kitchen and cafeteria spaces will see renovation to improve student traffic flow.  Other more structural project items include single occupancy bathroom renovations, HVAC control system upgrades, roof replacements and improvements to the building’s plumbing and electrical system.

North Colonie will not use any school budget funds to pay for the project.  About 78% or $73.5 million of the project’s cost will come from New York State Building Aid. Taxpayers will pay the remaining $20.6 million tab.  According to the district, this means an annual tax increase of $197 on a house with a taxable value of  $170,000. North Colonie district spokesperson Ashley Miller said the debt service payments would not begin until the 2027-28 fiscal year and the increased tax rate for the capital project would last 15 years.

This project will be the first significant renovation to the high school since a 1999 addition of a wing.  In 2016, a $196.4 million capital project proposal that included many of the now proposed renovations was voted down by district residents.  In 2017, the proposal was scaled back to focus on the district’s middle school, deleting the improvements for the high school.  That proposal, totaling $106.3 million, was then voted up.

This time, those deleted projects –the expanded auditorium and balcony seating, music and art space renovations, additional classrooms and science laboratories, an LED entrance sign and cafeteria renovations – form the centerpiece of the proposal headed to taxpayers.

Skeals said the district’s strong music program requires the auditorium’s expansion.  She said, “we have 120 students in the orchestra and they can’t all fit on the stage.”  She said the high school choirs have to sing in multiple concerts.  And, she added, it is necessary for the space to become ADA accessible.

As for the science classrooms, Skeals said they need renovation to accommodate changes in how science is taught since the 1950s when the building was built.  Skeals explained that under today’s educational science standards, teachers do not simply lecture in a classroom.  She said science class time focuses on students “doing the work of science” and that requires multi-use science rooms that can switch back and forth between lecture learning and laboratory work.  Under the proposal, the district will build four new full science lab classrooms and renovate 20 current science rooms. Seven new all purpose classrooms will also be added.

Skeals said that apart from modernization, the renovations are needed now due to long term enrollment growth.  She said that enrollment over the last decade has grown steadily.  Next year’s freshman class will stand at over 600 students, the largest in the district’s history and constituting about 100 more students than this year’s graduating senior class.  This year’s 9th grade class is the district’s second largest class with 50 more students enrolled than in the sophomore class. Skeal said based on demographic analyses relied upon by the district, there is no concern that enrollment, like in surrounding school districts, will drop off.  She said the project contemplates that the enrollment trajectory may level off in five years, but it will not decline.  “We are not overbuilding,” she said.

Skeals said the time for the project was also right because of significant funding the district is currently eligible for from New York State Building Aid. She said these two factors, plus the fact that taxpayers had an opportunity to see the success of the middle school project built by the 2017 funding project, will lead to voters saying yes this time to the capital project.

NYS Department of Education approval still must be obtained before project construction may begin.  Miller said that approval could take between six to nine months.  Upon securing NYS Department of Education approval, the district will bid out the work.  Miller hopes work can begin summer 2025, but expects project commencement more likely to be summer 2026 with completion sometime in 2030.

Skeals explained that the four year buildout accounts for a staging process necessitated by the fact that students are in the building 10 months of the year.  “We do what we can in summer,” but then we have to rely on second shift work while the kids are in the building.”  She said there should not be disruption to classroom activity during construction.  While auditorium use will be interrupted, Skeals assured that the district’s “music supervisor is already on that and looking for alternative locations.”

Also on the ballot is the district’s 2024-2025 proposed $154, 092, 414 budget.  Under the proposed plan, spending for the next school year would increase by $7, 105, 544 or 4.83%. That increase includes Capital Reserve Fund spending of $5, 705, 580, which taxpayers previously authorized.  The proposed budget will result in a 2.5% projected tax levy increase – which reflects the total amount of taxes that a school district raises from property owners within the district – falls  below New York State’s 3.61% property tax cap law. The increase to the individual tax rate – what each property owner will pay in school taxes –  is estimated to be 1.6%.  According to calculations provided in the district’s budget newsletter, a house with a taxable value of $170,000 (upon which the tax rate is applied and represents a market value of $333,000) will have an estimated tax increase of $73.72.

Under a 2023 amendment to the New York State Constitution, with a tax levy below the allowable 3.61% limit, budget approval requires only a simple majority vote versus the 60% supermajority previously required.

Voters will also be asked to elect two school  board candidates to five year terms.  Matthew Cannon, a current board member, is seeking reelection to a second term.  Newcomers Ayesha Geter and Justin John are running to fill an open seat.

Skeals urged residents to vote.  “Good quality schools benefit the entire community,” she said.  “If we produce graduates who can find their way in the world that benefits the whole community.”

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