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Chatham school board holds off on building project vote
By Karrie Allen
CHATHAM — At the Chatham school board workshop meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13, the main focus was the capital project and when the board and public should vote on it.
A board vote on the project scheduled for Tuesday night, Oct. 20 was canceled, so the public vote originally scheduled for Dec. 8 will most likely be pushed back. This will now allow time for the board to go over the details of the building project, hold public presentations and send out a newsletter.
The SEI design group, the firm contracted for the project, had provided the school board with a summary of building needs broken down by each building. Each building has an estimated scope of work and cost, which Superintendent Cheryl Nuciforo said was “very estimated.”
We’re “starting with a price tag and seeing what can get done,” she said.
The summary also includes an allowance for the Chatham Public Library, which is “very minimal,” said Nuciforo and a few improvements having to do with code issues at the bus garage.
There was discussion about having the architect make changes in the design plan, but an agreement was made between the school district and the firm to surpass up front design costs and pay the architect after the vote passes. If the vote passes, the firm will then present the design plan to the state Education Department.
Board member Francis Iaconetti said that the Facilities Committee has been prioritizing what needs to be done, not including the unexpected or incidentals. Nuciforo did mention that everything has to be done within the cost of the bond that voters will be voting on.
New board member Melony Spock said that if several voters voted to pass the bond based on certain upgrades, i.e. the football lights, and something came up and the board had to leave them out of the plan, that might upset the voters. The board agreed that they will have to inform the voters that something may have to be left out if something unexpected comes up.
As it stands now, though, all of the upgrades and improvements included in the preliminary summary by the firm fits within the $5.1 million budget.
Board member Fred Hutchinson said that SEI’s plan shows “where we are and where we need to be.”
Iaconetti said that community and board members can bring additions to the Facilities Committee that aren’t included on the list to be considered.
Nuciforo reminded the board and public that the project is about providing program spaces in the buildings to correspond with current programs. The project will bring Chatham school facilities to the level schools around here are already at.
Nuciforo added that with this design, SEI is looking ahead at the next five years for the Chatham school district.
Prior to discussion on the project, the board discussed at length the school district’s options with hiring a treasurer, since district treasurer Laura Rafferty has resigned.
Nuciforo mentioned the possibility of shared services with another school district, such as a shared treasurer’s position, which would essentially be a part-time job.
Board member Elizabeth Macfarlane commented that she felt the job takes up too much time for it to be a part-time position. Iaconetti said he’d like to see the responsibilities of the treasurer before any decision is made and board member Denise Depice said it’s a matter of cost savings versus loss of position.
Also on the agenda was an update on the district’s Professional Development Plan. Nuciforo explained to the board that the district must have one every year and this year the two topics that will be focused on are highly able students and economically disadvantaged students.
Discussion centered around when to hold the professional development days and Nuciforo asked the board to amend the calendar to add a few half days. A resolution on this subject will be added to the agenda for the Oct. 27 meeting.
Nuciforo added that the Professional Development Plan addresses the needs and focuses on implementation and how to institutionalize the plan. She did admit that the school probably wouldn’t see immediate results in the first year.
Nuciforo briefly updated the board on the New York State Council of School Superintendents Summit she recently attended. One of the topics at the summit was paperless board meetings.
She explained what some school boards are doing, such as using school laptops during the meeting to access agendas and additional meeting information. The board batted around ideas if this were to become a reality. There will be further discussion on this topic.
The next meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 in the high school library.
A board vote on the project scheduled for Tuesday night, Oct. 20 was canceled, so the public vote originally scheduled for Dec. 8 will most likely be pushed back. This will now allow time for the board to go over the details of the building project, hold public presentations and send out a newsletter.
The SEI design group, the firm contracted for the project, had provided the school board with a summary of building needs broken down by each building. Each building has an estimated scope of work and cost, which Superintendent Cheryl Nuciforo said was “very estimated.”
We’re “starting with a price tag and seeing what can get done,” she said.
The summary also includes an allowance for the Chatham Public Library, which is “very minimal,” said Nuciforo and a few improvements having to do with code issues at the bus garage.
There was discussion about having the architect make changes in the design plan, but an agreement was made between the school district and the firm to surpass up front design costs and pay the architect after the vote passes. If the vote passes, the firm will then present the design plan to the state Education Department.
Board member Francis Iaconetti said that the Facilities Committee has been prioritizing what needs to be done, not including the unexpected or incidentals. Nuciforo did mention that everything has to be done within the cost of the bond that voters will be voting on.
New board member Melony Spock said that if several voters voted to pass the bond based on certain upgrades, i.e. the football lights, and something came up and the board had to leave them out of the plan, that might upset the voters. The board agreed that they will have to inform the voters that something may have to be left out if something unexpected comes up.
As it stands now, though, all of the upgrades and improvements included in the preliminary summary by the firm fits within the $5.1 million budget.
Board member Fred Hutchinson said that SEI’s plan shows “where we are and where we need to be.”
Iaconetti said that community and board members can bring additions to the Facilities Committee that aren’t included on the list to be considered.
Nuciforo reminded the board and public that the project is about providing program spaces in the buildings to correspond with current programs. The project will bring Chatham school facilities to the level schools around here are already at.
Nuciforo added that with this design, SEI is looking ahead at the next five years for the Chatham school district.
Prior to discussion on the project, the board discussed at length the school district’s options with hiring a treasurer, since district treasurer Laura Rafferty has resigned.
Nuciforo mentioned the possibility of shared services with another school district, such as a shared treasurer’s position, which would essentially be a part-time job.
Board member Elizabeth Macfarlane commented that she felt the job takes up too much time for it to be a part-time position. Iaconetti said he’d like to see the responsibilities of the treasurer before any decision is made and board member Denise Depice said it’s a matter of cost savings versus loss of position.
Also on the agenda was an update on the district’s Professional Development Plan. Nuciforo explained to the board that the district must have one every year and this year the two topics that will be focused on are highly able students and economically disadvantaged students.
Discussion centered around when to hold the professional development days and Nuciforo asked the board to amend the calendar to add a few half days. A resolution on this subject will be added to the agenda for the Oct. 27 meeting.
Nuciforo added that the Professional Development Plan addresses the needs and focuses on implementation and how to institutionalize the plan. She did admit that the school probably wouldn’t see immediate results in the first year.
Nuciforo briefly updated the board on the New York State Council of School Superintendents Summit she recently attended. One of the topics at the summit was paperless board meetings.
She explained what some school boards are doing, such as using school laptops during the meeting to access agendas and additional meeting information. The board batted around ideas if this were to become a reality. There will be further discussion on this topic.
The next meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 in the high school library.
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