Niskayuna Votes to Pass Both Capital Project Propositions

by Jesse Levine

On Tuesday February 9th, The Capital Project vote was held to determine whether or not the facilities at Niskayuna Schools would be updated and/or repaired, as well as whether additional facilities would be added. There were two propositions made for community members to vote yes or no on, one with the majority of upgrades, and one with additional facilities. The district decided to split the projects up between Proposition 1 and Proposition 2 to provide taxpayers with an option that would not include any added tax rate, while also allowing them to see the benefits of what a more substantial set of improvements would do for Niskayuna schools.

Proposition 1 consisted of many physical changes to all of the school buildings across the district, and came in at a costly 62.4 million dollars with no tax rate increase. The proposal included new boilers for Birchwood and Craig, upgraded heating and ventilation systems for Hillside and Rosendale, and roof replacements for Glencliff and Rosendale. Additionally, Proposition 1 contained additional classroom and support spaces, upgraded classrooms and support spaces, and new bus loops and parent drop off areas for the middle schools. At Niskayuna High School, this proposition entailed urgent building condition efficiency improvements, a new track, and an enlarged field inside the track for multiple sports.

Proposition 2 included more physical improvements as well as some additional athletic facilities, and came in at a lesser, however still expensive, 16.78 million dollars, with a tax rate impact for two years only. At Rosendale Elementary School, Proposition 2 aimed to reconstruct the bus loop and parent drop off area. At the middle schools, the proposition included additional and updated classroom spaces, new kickball/grass fields for Iroquois, and an upgrade to the north staff parking lot at Van Antwerp. Proposition 2 consisted of numerous athletic improvements for Niskayuna High School. This includes additional parking, alternate stadium entry, improvements to bleachers, lighting, and the current sound system, potential all-weather turf on the stadium field, new baseball and softball facilities at the high school, potential all-weather synthetic turf along Balltown Road, and a potential joint field for baseball and softball with all-weather turf. Because Proposition 2 builds on the work that would be completed through Proposition 1, Proposition 2 could only pass if Proposition 1 passed.

These two propositions extend past simply reconstructing and upgrading existing schools buildings and facilities. The district plans to reconfigure which school middle school students will attend. Instead of by location, middle school students will attend a school based on grade level. After the construction, middle schooler students in grades 5 and 6 will attend Van Antwerp Middle School, while all middle school students in grades 7 and 8 will attend Iroquois Middle School. The current target year for this proposed change in grade configuration is 2025, however this is subject to change depending on construction and approval by the State Education Department.

By the end of the voting day on February 9th, Niskayuna community members approved over 80 million dollars worth of improvements throughout the district’s schools. Over 2,400 ballots were cast in total. The results of the vote showed that 70% of voters (1,693 voting yes, 717 voting no), approved Proposition 1, and 64% of voters (1,554 voting yes, 858 voting no) approved Proposition 2.

Now that all votes have been cast, the Capital Project Proposal must be sent to the State Education Department for approval. If all goes to plan and the current construction timeline is followed, the improvements included in the proposals should be completed between 2024 and 2026, however this also depends on construction and approval by the State Education Department. Additional updates on the Capital Project Vote can be found on the Niskayuna Central School District Website.