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What is the safety enhancement and energy conservation project?

What safety enhancements are proposed in this project?

What measures are included in the proposed project to further increase energy efficiency?

How does adding exterior and perimeter lighting save on energy costs?

Is another building project necessary?

How can the district undertake a $4.7 million project without an additional tax increase?

What is Excel aid?

But isn’t it still state taxpayer money, some of which comes out of my pocket?

Why have district officials decided to propose another building project so soon after last year’s project?

What if we do nothing?

Are our school buildings safe?

Why do we need additional measures like those proposed in this project?

Why weren’t these measures proposed in the January 2006 capital project?

Why move forward now?

How does the district know the improvements proposed meet the criteria for utilizing Excel aid?

When and where is the vote?

Who is eligible to vote?

Where can we get more information?

What is the safety enhancement and energy conservation project?
During its Dec. 18 meeting, the Board of Education authorized the proposal of a $4.7 million project that would complement the current building project by further increasing school building and campus safety and promoting better energy conservation — without increasing local taxes.

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What safety enhancements are proposed in this project?
Additional safeguards that use the most current technology for safety and security are proposed. These measures include:

v Access control system: Card readers that utilize smart chips embedded in employee ID badges permitting staff access to select entrances at each school building. Magnetic locking devices will enable doors at each school to be locked simultaneously from a remote site, if necessary. This system would also monitor entrances to buildings and would indicate which doors are unlocked or have been left ajar.

v Intrusion detection system: Motion detectors that use infrared technology will help monitor activity throughout each building and at key exterior locations. This is part of an integrated security management system that operates in conjunction with digital video cameras.

v Building wide closed-circuit television system: Digital video cameras that allow 360-degree perimeter surveillance outside buildings, and the ability to observe selected interior areas including entrances. A network video recorder will store video for up to 30 days. This system offers the ability to check camera status and review video from an alternate location.

v New exterior doors: Existing doors and hardware will be replaced as required to accommodate the new access control system and security equipment.

v Reconfigure main entrances: The main entrances of each school building will be modified to allow main office staff the ability to better control and monitor building access during regular school hours.

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What measures are included in the proposed project to further increase energy efficiency?
The project includes new digital control equipment that will allow additional regulation of electrical, heating and ventilation systems. These controls, for example, use input from occupancy sensors to automatically lower heat and turn off lights in classrooms and offices that are not in use, resulting in reduced heating and electrical costs.

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How does adding exterior and perimeter lighting save on energy costs?
Savings will result from the ability to effectively monitor the use of exterior lighting, which would also be controlled digitally. Once evening activities or sporting events have ended and school parking lots are no longer in use, for example, exterior lighting will be reduced to conserve energy, yet maintain safety. Exterior lighting will automatically shut off at daybreak.

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Is another building project necessary?
Since September, three separate and tragic incidents of school violence across the country have refocused attention on school safety and security. Through Excel aid – a new category of state building aid available to schools for a limited time – the Niskayuna Central School District has an opportunity to significantly enhance safety and building security for students and staff, and expand energy conservation efforts that will save the district money in the long term. All this can be done at no additional cost to local taxpayers.

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How can the district undertake a $4.7 million project without an additional tax increase?
The proposed safety enhancement and energy conservation project would be funded 100 percent through a combination of Excel aid and traditional building aid. Thirty percent ¬– $1,378,939 ¬– of the $4.7 million safety enhancement project will be paid for with Excel Aid. The remaining 70 percent – roughly $3.4 million – will be paid for with traditional state building aid.

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What is Excel aid?
In this year’s state budget, the State Legislature and Gov. George Pataki allocated a total of $2.6 billion for public school districts to make facilities improvements. Called Excel aid (Expand our Children’s' Education and Learning), it provides $1.8 billion to New York City schools, with the remaining $800 million available to districts throughout the state based on enrollment. The aid is available to districts for a limited time only and can be applied only to projects that address five specific areas: health and safety, energy management, accessibility, education technology and space renovations.

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But isn’t it still state taxpayer money, some of which comes out of my pocket?
Excel aid – like other forms of state aid – is revenue collected by New York State from taxpayers. These funds have been dedicated in the 2006 state budget for school improvements, and as such, the State Education Department fully anticipates that most, if not all, school districts around the state will propose projects to utilize this funding. Many other school districts around the region are currently planning or have already held public votes related to the use of Excel aid. If Niskayuna’s proposed project is approved by voters on February 27, it will mean that instead of funding improvements for other school districts around the state, some of your tax dollars would also be spent on schools here in our community.

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Why have district officials decided to propose another building project so soon after last year’s project?
It is a unique opportunity to dramatically increase safety in our schools without increasing local property taxes.

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What if we do nothing?
The adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies here.
Providing students a safe and secure learning environment continues to be a district priority, however, no amount of security equipment can fully guard against random acts of violence. The measures proposed in this plan would further strengthen building security and safety, and hopefully, make Niskayuna schools less vulnerable in emergency situations.

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Are our school buildings safe?
The Niskayuna school district has safety measures in place for the protection of students and staff such as building level safety plans and a district-wide plan in the event of an emergency. Each year, staff and students also practice procedures for lock-down (where everyone goes to the nearest classroom, secures the door and waits for further instructions) and lock-out (where the building is locked and no one may enter or exit but classes continue as usual).

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Why do we need additional measures like those proposed in this project?
Maintaining safe, secure schools without becoming fortress-like facilities continues to be a priority for the district. The fact remains that our school buildings were designed in the 1950s and 1960s when acts of violence in schools were an anomaly, and schools were not designed with student safety in mind. Times have changed, and while national statistics continue to indicate that children are often safer in school than in their neighborhoods or at home, schools have a responsibility to provide a safe, secure environment for learning and teaching. New technology and equipment is available now that will help reinforce the measures that are currently in place.

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Why weren’t these measures proposed in the January 2006 capital project?
Several features in the January 2006 building project, overwhelmingly approved by voters, will improve safety. Reconfiguring school parking facilities, for example, will improve the flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, while installing new entrance lighting and window blinds at each building will also increase safety and security. However, there is an opportunity to do more. This proposed plan reintroduces several safety improvements that originally had been considered last year, but ultimately were deferred because of the overall project cost.

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Why move forward now?
School districts essentially have a limited window of opportunity to apply for Excel aid. As a result of the Excel aid incentive, the State Education Department (SED) expects most school districts throughout the state will propose building projects within this timeframe, which in turn, could create lengthy delays in SED’s approval process. There is no guarantee this funding will be extended after April 2008. For those reasons, district officials believe the time is now to make the commitment to further protect our students.

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How does the district know the improvements proposed meet the criteria for utilizing Excel aid?
To confirm that the proposed safety project qualifies for Excel aid, Niskayuna school officials and the district’s architects met with officials from the State Education Department to review the proposed plan before the Board of Education authorized the $4.7 million proposal.

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When and where is the vote?
District residents will vote on the safety enhancement referendum on Tuesday, Feb. 27 between 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. at Niskayuna High School.

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Who is eligible to vote?
You are eligible to vote if you are a U.S. citizen, 18 years or older and have been a district resident for a minimum of 30 days prior to the vote. No pre-registration is required, although personal identification is required. If you have questions, call the district clerk at 377-4666, ext. 212.

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Where can we get more information?
Two informational forums about the proposed safety enhancement project have been scheduled before the public vote on February 27. The first will take place on Monday, Feb. 5 at Niskayuna High School’s Little Theater at 7 p.m. The second forum is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Iroquois Middle School’s cafeteria at 7 p.m.

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