by Bill Zopf, Board President & Dr. Jean Parr, Superintendent
The students and employees of a school district deserve a safe and secure environment. Yet making improvements to facilities in order to maintain and enhance a safe school environment can be costly. In this month’s column we’ll explain Beacon School District’s eligibility for funds to reduce the cost of certain school construction projects through an exciting new state aid program. Also, in light of some of the recent school violence in our country we will explain how our district currently reviews its security and safety plans.
New Funding for School Facilities Improvements
New York State has introduced the EXCEL program to provide additional funding for certain types of school construction projects. EXCEL (EXpanding our Children’s Education and Learning) aid can only be used for improving health and safety, making buildings more energy efficient, adding technology for educational purposes, improving accessibility or increasing student capacity by adding additional building space. It can’t be used for such things as a bus garage project or paying off interest on money borrowed to finance building projects. The Facilities Planning Office of the State Education Department has to approve any building project as eligible for EXCEL aid. Unlike standard state aid for a building project which is paid to the district over a 15- to 30-year period, EXCEL aid is paid to the school district as project costs are incurred.
The state calculates the maximum amount of EXCEL aid for which a district is eligible by multiplying the number of students enrolled in the 2005 school year by either $778.22 for a district defined as high need for building aid purposes, or by $320.46 for other eligible districts. Beacon is classified as a high need district for building aid purposes, making us eligible for funding at the rate of $778.22 per student enrolled in 2005. Our aid is calculated at $2,748,000.
If a school district wishes to use EXCEL aid for a building project costing more than the amount of EXCEL aid, the remaining portion of the project qualifies for the standard state building aid. In the case of Beacon, the state would pay roughly 62% of the eligible portion of the project which is in excess of the EXCEL aid and the remaining 38% would be paid from local taxes. Since the contractors involved with building projects expect to be paid during the project, school districts borrow the money by floating a construction bond and then paying back the bond over a period of years using a combination of the annual standard state aid payments and local taxes.
Here are two examples of how EXCEL aid could be used to fund theoretical building projects. Both examples assume 100% of the projects are eligible for building aid, but some portions of an actual building project--such as the interest paid on borrowed funds-- wouldn’t be eligible.
Example #1: If the costs of a project are $9,000,000 the state would give Beacon $2,700,000 of EXCEL aid and an estimated $5,580,000 in building aid. This would leave approximately $720,000 to be paid from local taxes. Since this would be paid out over a 15 year period, the yearly cost before interest payments would be $48,000, spread across all tax payers.
Example #2: If the costs of a project are $7,000,000 the state would give Beacon $2,700,000 of EXCEL aid and an estimated $4,495,000 in building aid. This would leave approximately $55,000 to be paid from local taxes. Since this would be paid out over a 15 year period, the yearly cost to tax payers before interest payments would be just $3,666, which would be spread across all tax payers.
The Beacon administrators are working with the Board’s Building Committee to define a list of items to be included in a building project. This list includes such items as roof repairs, repointing brick work, replacing windows, doors and lights; adding insulation, rebuilding an access road, additional heating/cooling systems, and technology improvements. Improvements would be made at all six school buildings in the district and it is estimated the project would cost between $5,690,000 and $7,000,000.
In order to move forward with a building project it has to be put to a vote of the district residents. We are planning on having a referendum in early 2007. Beacon School District’s eligibility for EXCEL program aid offers us an exciting opportunity to make needed improvements and repairs at little cost to taxpayers. Please be on the lookout for more news on the building project and the date of the referendum.
Safety Review: ABC’s of School Safety
The recent reports of violence in schools around the country serve as a disturbing reminder to us that schools must remain prepared to respond in emergency situations. Our schools are safe and nurturing places for our students in Beacon, and school administrators are dedicated to making sure our schools remain safe. At the October 6 Board of Education meeting Superintendent Parr presented an outline of some of the elements of school safety that the Beacon School District considers in assuring safe schools. These items are organized into three categories: Awareness, Balance and Control.
AWARENESS
1 All Beacon schools are aware of the threat of violence and are
vigilant about protecting the safety of our students. Across the
nation, schools have implemented comprehensive and integrated school
safety and emergency response plans.
2 As a district and in each school we frequently review and update district and school safety and emergency response plans.
3 Our schools continuously train students and staff on safety protocols and warning signs.
BALANCE
1 Our schools include “human connection” initiatives such as
information sharing, peer relationship building, counseling and parent
involvement. Such efforts help students feel connected to school, to
their teachers and to each other.
2 We are always looking at ways to balance the need to secure school
facilities with the need to maintain an open space for learning.
Schools are overwhelmingly safe environments for children, and we will
continue our efforts to keep our schools safe.
Control
1 All of our six schools need to control physical access to the
learning environment. This is why access to our schools can only be
made through one entrance that is monitored by trained office staff or
security.
2 As a district we have taken into account the features at each
school and the surrounding community. Safety measures include:
maintaining a strong school visitor policy, limiting school entry
points, adding security personnel and a School Resource Officer (SRO)
in January, and conducting periodic emergency response drills.
It is important that administrators, staff, parents, and students work together to maintain school safety. We all play a role in the safety of our schools by following safety procedures and reporting unusual or suspicious activities to school personnel.
If you have any suggestions for future columns you may e-mail me at bzopf.bcsd@gmail.com.
Comments