School Board Deliberates Over Capital Projects

At Wednesday's Sachem Central School District board of education work session, district administrators asked the board for more direction in terms of tax rate scenarios.

At the next meeting, scheduled for March 16, they should be looking at scenarios with a 4 percent increase and how that will affect the district over the next two school years.

Representatives from McClave Construction Management discussed roughly $1.9 million in potential capital projects for 2011, including $400,000 to replace existing electric primary lines and a pad mount transformer at both and middle schools, $175,000 in asphalt repair at , and $215,000 for an asphalt bus turn-around and stacking area and concrete walkways at .

According to Bruce Singer, Sachem's assistant superintendent for business, 76.6 percent of the capital projects are aidable. The board will advise administration at the next meeting on what should be approved after the list is derived to items that are emergency priorities. 

Other items include adding a sound system in the press boxes at Sachem High Schools and for a combined $13,000, replacing the original curtains in the auditorium at Sachem North for $30,000 and providing a fire suppression system in elementary school kitchen hoods, which will cost $600,000 for all 12 schools.

Sachem Athletic Director Pete Blieberg spoke briefly about potential equipment the athletic department could use for 2011-12, including a scoreboard for the soccer and lacrosse field at Sachem North and a scoreboard for the baseball and softball fields at North.

Dollamur wrestling mats for East were also discussed, but like with the other projects mentioned throughout the evening, the board asked that the athletic department craft a list of items that are necessary in emergency capacity only at this point.

Board trustee Jim LaCarrubba asked Singer for clarity on the numbers he presented at the last board meeting in February.

"I can't see thinking about cutting until I see a realistic number," he said.

With a proposed budget of $290 million for the 2011-12 school year and a budget from 2010-11 with operating expenses totaling out around $270 million after freezes in spending, the board of education asked for an itemized list of what specifically acquired spending cuts and how the gap in operating expenses for this year affects the increase for the next budget.

At the next board meeting staffing will be discussed, drawing light to the talk of potential teacher and district employee layoffs. 

Board trustee Sal Tripi asked that building administrators have input in suggesting what positions are really valuable to their respective facilities.

"I've never worked in a school," he said. "They know the buildings better than I do."

Other news

• The Sachem North football and Sachem East field hockey teams were honored for their runs at county titles last fall.
• Elementary students demonstrated their "Literacy through Music" program by singing along to two songs for the audience at Samoset.