Salmon River School District 21st Century Instructional And Health and Safety Capital Improvement Project

The Salmon River Board recently approved the scope of a 21st Century Instructional Improvement and Health and Safety Capital Project that delineates a number of upgrades and additions which will impact students in the community for future generations. The following document details past capital improvements and the District Long Range Goals. The Board of Education has established goals that will drive necessary capital and program improvements.

Salmon River District will be developing a new Middle School within the existing campus school with a grade configuration of 6 through 8. The high school will accommodate grades 9-12 and the elementary school will include grades pre-K - 5. This replaces the current K-6 elementary and 7-12 secondary configuration. The Salmon River High school will have improved and expanded learning areas. The District is also entering into a cooperative services partnership with the FEH BOCES for the development of a Construction Trades Academy. The district is committed to providing safe athletic facilities as well as health and wellness programs for their students. And, the district is planning to bring students who are presently receiving instruction in outlying special education classes back to the K-12 Main Campus.

To accomplish the work, and to maximize state building aid and therefore minimize the cost to local taxpayers, it will be necessary to have two capital construction projects over the next 5-7 years. When both of the planned capital projects are complete, Salmon River will have 21st Century learning environments that will be equipped with state of the art instructional tools for students in all programs.

Historical Background of Salmon River Capital Projects

The main campus school facility opened its doors in February 1958. Major renovations were completed in 1964 and 1969. The elementary gym was added in 1969.

Recent renovations include: an arena gym in 1990; new seating in the auditorium, improvements to the track and new bleachers in the secondary school gymnasium (1995); an addition of the secondary library (1998); and some improvements to the arena (2004).

These improvements have not kept pace with schools in New York State. The Board of Education recognizes the need to address programmatic as well as health and safety issues on the Salmon River Main Campus Facility.

On December 19, 2007 the Board attended a workshop on the Capital Project and was given an update of the scope of the project. The Board passed a resolution to approve and support the development of a Middle School for Salmon River School District with a grade configuration of 6-8 as well as an FEH BOCES sponsored Construction Trades Academy and additional FEH BOCES Special Education spaces. The resolution was supported unanimously with a 7-0 vote.

Salmon River District

Long Range Goals

At the meeting of January 7, 2008, the Board of Education adopted the following long-range goals for the Salmon River School District:

Goal 1: To execute the first of two capital projects that creates 21st Century instructional learning environments for Salmon River students and addresses health and safety improvements for the K-12 main campus.

Goal 2: To create a Comprehensive District Educational Plan for school improvement that focuses on root cause analysis, curriculum and instructional staff development activities, academic intervention services and annual evaluation of student outcomes and the graduation rate.

Goal 3: To develop a middle school that focuses on students’ academic, cultural, social, and emotional needs.

Goal 4: To create a long-range technology plan that delineates student benchmarks by grade level; includes options for budgeting 3-5 year computer and technology upgrades; and outlines a plan for staff development.

Capital Project Requires Two Phases

The district’s architect, Randolph Collins of CS Arch, informed the Board that in order to maximum state building aid that the scope of the capital project would need to be broken into two projects. The first project will carry approximately a $ 49,851,232 scope that includes within this scope upgrades for the bus garage.

The second project should go to the voters in December, 2010 with a scope of approximately $22 million that will complete the remaining identified renovations which will not be able to be done in the first phase due to state aid formulas. The 2010 project scope may increase as that date approaches, due to additional items that may need to be added, as well as increases in construction costs over the next three years.

The district’s fiscal advisor, David Allardice, explained that with our state aid ratio at 98%, and with Native American Aid and Excel Aid, there would be no local taxpayer share for this project.

The first phase of the project includes a number of improvements that will enhance the district’s programs and infrastructure.

Program Improvements

The present high school is in need of additional space. A number of the existing classroom programs are housed in substandard classroom settings. There will be new high school classrooms and office areas for community based services. The band and chorus music programs and the art classrooms will have renovated learning areas. A new technology education suite will be added to the building’s footprint.

The new middle school program will address our students’ social, emotional, cultural and academic needs. New classrooms will be added along with a middle level library and gymnasium that will address necessary middle level state mandates.

The classrooms and all learning areas will be equipped with 21st century technologies that allow teachers to utilize instructional tools that are becoming the norm in schools across NYS. The District Technology Committee is creating short and long-range plans that delineate what instructional tools should be included in these 21st Century settings.

At Salmon River, we have not kept pace with science lab facilities. Teachers will work with the architects to design and equip the high school with state of the art science lab learning settings for our students.

The district has received New York State Education Department (NYSED) approval to create a Construction Trades Academy in cooperation with the FEH BOCES. Our students will not have to ride a bus to Malone, as this program will be offered on the Salmon River Main Campus.

In keeping with state and federal Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) mandates which require districts to create the least restrictive environments for students, Salmon River is planning for the return of our students who are presently attending FEH BOCES special education programs in outlying school districts. To achieve that goal, the project will add additional space for FEH BOCES sponsored special education classrooms at Salmon River that include related services such as occupational therapy, speech, and physical therapy.

The district will focus on creating programs that entice students to stay in school. To that end, they are focusing on designing career pathways that match jobs that will be available in the North County. Additionally, the district will be crafting a rigorous college preparatory corridor for students who strive for the higher education track with offerings in science, social studies, English, math, the languages other that English, technology, the arts, and business.

The physical spaces for general shop, wood shop, metal shop and home and careers are obsolete, crowded and potentially dangerous due to overcrowding. The project will design new space for these disciplines.

The auditorium stage and performance areas will be expanded and improved, helping us to attract more student participation in the performing arts.

No Child Left Behind Legislation requires schools to improve graduation rates among all student groups. Appropriate learning space will be created to house our newly developed GED program that currently operates in a space without windows or any source of natural light.

The State Education Department, the Board of Regents, and Governor Spitzer are emphasizing early childhood education. Hence, this project will include new Pre-K classrooms to accommodate those needs. Salmon River Elementary classrooms require walls and doors to support instruction. New classrooms will be added in the first phase. In the second capital project that is slated for a voter referendum in December 2010, the “open classrooms” will be renovated into closed learning environments. The first phase includes improved elementary school playgrounds and a renovated elementary school gymnasium floor.

The seondary cafeterias are outdated and lack efficient facilities to operate the food service program. The scope of this project includes a new kitchen facility that will serve a new middle school and high school dining complex.

Office space for support programs will be increased, as there are not ample areas for these service providers to meet with students. The nurses’ offices require renovation and expansion to provide adequate privacy and facilities for students with medical needs.

Middle School

The creation of a Grade 6-8 Middle School, by combining the Grade 6 classes at Salmon River Elementary and the Grade 6 classes from St. Regis Mohawk School, will help address the shortage of classrooms at the St. Regis Mohawk School, allowing more K-5 Mohawk children to enroll at the St. Regis Mohawk School.

A middle school will help create a culture that provides students with a distinct identity – something critical to success for students of this age.

Team teaching, a hallmark of middle school programming, will help all students and faculty focus on the intellectual development and academic achievement of the district’s 11 to 14 year olds, while supporting their personal and social development, as well.

A middle school will help foster a sense of school pride, which will lead to improved student relationships and student achievement.

Grouping of 11-14 year old students together in a separate middle school is educationally and socially more appropriate than the district’s current practice where 12 year olds are also required to interact with 19 year olds in library, gym and locker rooms.

A new middle school will allow the creation of intramural sports programs that will help support a more seamless integration of students from both Salmon River Elementary and St. Regis Mohawk School. An intramural program will help grow a stronger modified athletic program, as well.

In a middle school, teachers operate in teams to address curriculum, special needs, events and school improvement. Teams comprised of teachers, counselors and auxiliary staff members help students succeed in the supportive environment of a school devoted to the needs of developing adolescents.

Athletics

The arena was built in 1969 and the concrete floor slab, intricate cooling system in the ice rink, as well as the boards requires replacement.

Presently there are 30 interscholastic teams fielded by the school with some 507 athletes who participate. It is now necessary for teams to travel to the St. Regis Mohawk School for practice because the demand for practice locations exceeds the locations available. We also provide facilities for the North Franklin Sports Programs through use of district’s gymnasiums, fields and ice arena.

The floor in the arena gymnasium is unsafe and will be resurfaced. The locker room facilities are inferior and house students from grades 7-12 at the same time. The project includes renovating the high school gym and locker rooms, as well as renovating the pool. With the addition of a middle school gym that will have separate locker facilities, students will be using locker rooms according to their developmental ages.

Purchasing land will allow for expanded athletic fields that include two additional soccer/lacrosse fields, as well as a cross-country course that will double as a fitness trail for use by the public.

While the Board supports an increased emphasis on health and wellness among children and adults alike, a community fitness center which will be a benefit to both school and community members is included in the second phase of the project that will go to vote in December 2010.

Infrastructure

There are a number of health and safety upgrades that the project will address as areas are renovated, such as ventilation systems, plumbing facilities, asbestos abatement, and electrical upgrades. Mechanical systems will include upgrades to the elementary fuel tank and sump pump system. State of the art security systems will be implemented along with enhanced security measures to insure student safety and meet 2001 Project SAVE Legislative mandates.

Student locker space in the secondary school wings is limited, forcing students to either share lockers, travel to the high school for their locker space, or carry heavy book bags all day. This project will provide adequate locker space in the areas adjacent to student grade level instructional programs.

Many of the district’s student restroom facilities and the public restrooms are not accessible to the disabled and the plan addresses these areas. MS and HS bathrooms will be renovated.

Additional upgrades will include creating a new maintenance receiving and salt storage area, skylight repairs, sidewalk repairs, a new driveway exit between doors 2 and 3, and grating in the elementary entrance. Power outages and telephone service failure are common occurrences, interrupting instruction, business and posing a potential safety threat. The plan calls for installation of an emergency generator that will allow the building’s electrical, plumbing and heating systems to operate in the event of a power outage.

The bus garage needs three new repair bays to be able to accommodate maintenance of buses that have outgrown the existing bays due to the increased size of some buses in our fleet. Interior renovations include upgrades on existing repair bays, restroom facilities, the transportation office and a driver’s room.

Public Information Sessions

Community members are welcomed to contact Jane Collins, Superintendent, at (518) 358-6610 to discuss the scope of the project. There will be public information sessions on February 5th and 12th when the district will be giving tours of the facilities and conducting informational sessions at 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM in the auditorium. There will be a community meeting at the St.. Regis Mohawk School at 4 PM on February 4th. The vote will be on Thursday, February 28, 2008 from 11 AM to 8 PM.