Voters in the school district have approved two capital project propositions that together will result in more than $79 million in improvements across the district. Vote results are as follows:
- Proposition #1: Yes – 1,693 / No – 717 (70% in favor)
- Proposition #2: Yes – 1,554 / No – 858 (64% in favor)
Votes were cast both in person and through absentee ballots. After the polls at Niskayuna High School closed at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, absentee ballots were tabulated and the results were announced via livestream.
The facilities improvements include: extensive renovations and classroom modernizations at both middle schools and a classroom addition at Iroquois to enable program improvements and the new grade-level configuration of grades 5-6 at Van Antwerp and grades 7-8 at Iroquois; Health, safety and infrastructure work identified through a survey of the condition of district buildings; and substantial investment in the outdoor athletic complex, including a new track, field upgrades and accessibility, parking and traffic flow improvements.
“We are thrilled by this result and grateful for the community’s support,” said Superintendent Cosimo Tangorra, Jr. “This work will strengthen our academic program, especially at the middle school level, address a variety of health and safety priorities, and make a historic investment in our outdoor athletic facilities to benefit our students and community.”
“We worked hard to communicate the importance of considering this project at this time,” Dr. Tangorra added. “We are so appreciative that the community has agreed and excited about what this result will mean for our schools and our future.”
Overall, the work will be funded by state aid, the district’s capital reserve fund and local property taxes. This capital project has been timed with the district paying off existing debt in the coming years. As a result, there is no added tax rate impact for the first proposition and a tax rate impact for two years only with the second.
The next step is more detailed design work so that the project can be submitted to the State Education Department for approval. The current timeline calls for the improvements to be completed in phases from 2024 to 2026.
For more information: https://www.niskayunaschools.org/our-schools-our-future/