Education - Ballston Spa discusses school reconfiguration

After the presentation, the members of the board contemplated what their next step should be.

Woodside and Woller believe the middle school project should be the district’s highest priority at this juncture. The architects previously determined that new construction at Wood Road/

Milton Terrace didn’t fit into the district’s long-term goals, and the district doesn’t currently own any other property to build on.

While there’s clearly a need for renovations and additions to the middle school, the district may have another top priority. Ballston Spa Community Resources Coordinator Stuart Williams said the board hopes to convert existing half-day kindergarten classes over to full-day through grant funding from the State Education Department. He believes that because of this proceeding with a new configuration for the elementary schools may wind up being viewed as a more pressing concern.

No decisions were made at Wednesday’s meeting. Williams said one will likely be made in the next few months.

The proposed changes to the middle school would increase the size of the institution by more than 50,000-square-feet. Woller said the renovations and additions would create a new appearance and identity for the middle school, give the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades clearly defined houses, provide support programs in easy proximity, improve vehicular, bus and pedestrian access to the building, and provide the district with the ability to expand in the future.

Woodside conservatively estimated the cost of the middle school project, which would also include renovations at Wood Road and energy improvements at the Malta Ave. building, at between $45 and $55 million. He said the district is eligible for $7.5 million in EXCEL aid, and believes approximately 80 percent of the remaining cost would be reimbursed by the state.

“This an exciting time for the district,” Woodside said. He added that the soonest a public vote on the project could occur is in the fall.

Board President Kathy Jarvis said a lot still needs to be done, and called this the first phase. Jarvis assured the public that all aspects of the district’s long-term goals will be dealt with over time.

“We’re still figuring out how to approach this. The land issue is holding us up, but we want to keep things moving,” she said. “This could be the first referendum, but it won’t be the last.”

Public input on the district’s future plans is desired. A parent forum focusing on full-day kindergarten and the implementation of the K-5 elementary reconfiguration will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 in the Wood Road/Milton Terrace cafetorium.

For more information, visit the district Web site, www.bscsd.org, or call 884-7195 ext. 329.