Webutuck Central School District Long Range Facilities Plan
Approved for final community comment
by the Board of Education
June 13, 2005
Introduction
The purpose of this plan
In creating this plan, the Board of Education intends to communicate a clear direction for facility development, the fundamental guiding principals by which future decisions will be made, and specific goals for short term development. The Board believes that having established guiding principals for making facilities decisions, the District will be best served by a plan that is clearly defined in the short term, establishes a clear framework within which facility development will take place through the foreseeable future, and leaves open the opportunity to take advantage of additional information or circumstances that may arise as the plan unfolds.
Planning history and process
During the spring and summer of 2004, Superintendent Johns initiated a Long Range Facilities Plan and produced a draft plan which was distributed to the Board of Education on October 18, 2004. The Superintendent’s draft was subsequently distributed throughout the District with copies going to District schools, community libraries and local newspapers. The plan was also published on the District’s website. Once the plan had been in the community for a period of weeks, Dr. Johns began engaging community groups throughout the District in a series of discussions. A total of 9 presentations were made, and these presentations resulted in broad based support for creation of the plan. These presentations were followed by two community feedback forums on March 2 and March 15, 2005. During feedback forums, community members were encouraged to voice their opinions about the District’s facilities from a very long range perspective. They answered the question: “How would you like to be able to describe the District’s facilities of the future.” Responses to this question and the interactive discussions that followed provided a framework for creating the plan’s Guiding Principles. The forums also provided community members with the opportunity to express their individual needs and interests as well as comment on individual components of the Superintendent’s draft plan. Comments on individual needs and wants, and individual reactions to the Superintendent’s proposal were received by the Board of Education and incorporated into Board deliberations on specific plan elements.
The Board of Education began discussing its plan during an open Board meeting on April 11, and continued discussions during open meetings on April 18, 26, and May 2. This draft Long Range Facilities Plan is the result of these discussions.
It is the Board’s intention to distribute this plan for a final community consideration, to listen and act upon community comments and to finalize a plan by the end of this current school year or early 2005-06. Members of the public are hereby encouraged to communicate their comments directly to the Board of Education.
Guiding Principles - a framework for current and future decisions
The Board of Education supports the following guiding principals in planning the District’s facilities development.
- Support excellence in education - All facilities decisions are to be made in the context of the District’s overriding commitment to provide excellent educational opportunities for all students. Facilities exist to support the District’s educational program. The District’s educational program is not intended to develop in a way that compromises educational excellence for the sake of facility-related constraints.
- Expand student opportunities - All facilities decisions are to be made in the context of providing opportunities for all students. It is the Board’s intention to provide opportunities that are consistent with the needs, abilities and aspirations of all students at all levels of academic ability.
- Centralize the District’s core educational program - The Board of Education supports the consolidation of core educational programs and related support services on a central campus. In addition to providing educational advantages, the Board of Education has determined that a centralized campus is more efficient. The Board of Education has also determined that selected support services may be located off-campus without compromising efficiency or the effectiveness of these services.
- Maintain all District properties in excellent condition - It is the Board of Education’s intention to maintain District properties in excellent condition. A strong and effective maintenance program is necessary to protect taxpayer investments in school facilities, and well maintained facilities are critical to building and maintaining high levels of school and community pride.
- Serve as an important community center - It is the Board of Education’s intention to increase the usefulness and use of District facilities by taxpayers at times when facilities are not needed for core educational purposes and related activities. In furthering this intent, school facilities will serve as an important emergency center for neighboring communities, as a center for the arts, sports, recreation, family and senior citizen programs, and as a center for continuing education. School facilities will also be available to community groups in need of meeting and other space. The District envisions students and others using District facilities for before school, after school, and summer time activities.
Related Considerations
Fiscal responsibility - In recognition of the framework for fiscal decisions developed by the Finance Committee for use in maintaining the District’s financial health and integrity, it is the Board of Education’s intent to advance facility development in a way that preserves acceptable levels of tax rates, fund balance, and reserves.
Three phases - This plan describes three separate and overlapping phases. The years encompassed by each term are as follows:
- Short Term 2005 - 2007
- Intermediate Term 2006 - 2009
- Long Term 2009 - 2030
Creating a central campus - It is the Board of Education’s intention to create a central campus and to include in this campus the District’s primary core educational program and related services. District properties on Haight Road in Amenia have been selected as the site of the central campus.
Because the acreage at the central campus location may not accommodate all current and future uses, it may be necessary to acquire additional adjacent properties. In response to central campus space limitations, and the uncertainty associated with acquiring adjacent properties, only those functions that represent or support the District’s primary educational responsibilities will be located on the central campus site. Only those educational programs and related services that can be located off-site without compromising the quality of the District’s educational program or operational efficiencies and economies, will be considered for an off-site location. The two off-site locations are the Millerton and Amenia Elementary School sites.
Unless and until the Board of Education receives a Superintendent recommendation to the contrary, educational programs that can be conducted off-campus without compromising educational quality include the Pre-K, Early Childhood Education program and Kindergarten. Services that will be included as candidates for off-site locations are the District’s Transportation services. Off-site locations may also be used to store materials and equipment of value, where their use is seasonal and where access to these materials and equipment is not necessary for the regular operation of central functions.
Grade level configuration - In response to guidance provided by the Superintendent of Schools, and in recognition of space limitations on the central campus, grade levels are expected to be reconfigured.
Early Childhood Education shall include at least Universal Pre-K and Kindergarten, and the elementary school will be made up of grades one through four. As the transition to a central campus progresses, the Board may elect to offer Early Childhood Education at multiple sites, including Webutuck Elementary School. Middle school is expected to be comprised of grades five through eight. Grades nine through twelve will be taught at the high school.
Reconfiguring grade level groupings will require a multi-year transition, and during this time, specific locations for Kindergarten and Early Childhood Education will be determined. The transition period will also allow additional opportunities for the Superintendent of Schools to update, expand upon, or formulate new recommendations concerning grade level groupings.
The Plan in Detail
The Webutuck Board of Education supports the following…
Millerton Elementary School
Millerton Elementary School - Short Term
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For the 2005-06 school year, the District’s new Early Childhood Education Program will be offered exclusively at the Millerton Elementary School. The program will be a half day program and may include transportation to and from school for all interested parents of pre-school children participating in the program.
Based on a recommendation from the Superintendent of Schools, The Board of Education has determined that locating Early Childhood Education and Kindergarten programs off-campus is acceptable for educational and student developmental reasons.
- By September 2005, the mold will be removed from Millerton Elementary School and the building will meet all applicable codes and regulations necessary to house the District’s new Early Childhood and relocated ACE programs.
- During the 2005-06 school year, plans for the construction of a new bus garage and future relocation of the District’s Transportation Department will be developed.
The Board of Education has determined that the Transportation Department is the only entire department that can be located off the central campus without compromising economies or efficiencies of operation. The Department consists of the bus repair and maintenance garage, bus parking, transportation administrative offices, and driver meeting rooms.
- For the 2005-06 school year, the District’s Alternative Center for Education (ACE) program will be located at Millerton Elementary School.
The District intends to provide adequate transportation for ACE students to fully participate in selected central campus classes and other central campus activities. It is the Board of Education’s intention to provide an excellent educational program for ACE students. As a result, distance learning capabilities at Millerton are to be studied, and if appropriate, improved.
The ECE area at Millerton Elementary School will be entirely secure and isolated on the ground level. The ACE program will be housed on the second floor of the building, and the programs will be mutually exclusive except where interactions are carefully and purposefully designed for educational benefit under the supervision of the District’s teaching staff.
Area school districts will be invited to participate in the ACE program at Millerton Elementary School when vacant seats exist.
- During the 2005-06 year, the Millerton location will be the focus of a survey to assess public interest in having Kindergarten classes offered there in the future.
- Discussions concerning alternate uses for the Millerton facility and ultimate disposition of the facility will continue through the short-term phase. Options include the potential to rent portions of the facility that are not expected to be needed for District purposes.
Decisions concerning the ultimate use of the Millerton facility will necessarily take into account the level of use required by Transportation Department needs, storage needs, Early Childhood Program needs, potential Kindergarten needs, and other potential uses that may arise in the short term and early stages of the intermediate term. As with all facilities related decisions, the future use of the Millerton building will be determined in the context of the District’s Guiding Principals for facilities decisions and the District’s fiscal responsibility. The fiscal responsibility component leaves open the possibility of renting portions of the facility that are not needed for District purposes.
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The entire basement level of Millerton shall be used for storage of District materials and equipment.
Millerton Elementary School - Intermediate Term
- During the intermediate term, Millerton Elementary School will become the site of the District’s Bus Garage, Bus Parking, and Transportation Department. The bus garage shall be planned to accommodate between four and six bus bays.
- It is the Board’s intention to continue using the Millerton facility for Early Childhood Education through the intermediate phase and potentially through the long term phase.
- During the intermediate term, Millerton Elementary School will be configured to accommodate a Kindergarten program if public interest supports this.
Establishing a Kindergarten program in conjunction with the Early Childhood Education program in Millerton is consistent with the District’s planned reconfiguration of grade level groupings. The location of Kindergarten classes will be determined once the results of the survey conducted in the early phase are known and related planning has taken place.
- During the intermediate term, it is the Board of Education’s intention to continue considering alternate uses of the facility and to further shape decisions concerning the ultimate use and disposition of the Millerton Elementary School. Options to be considered may include full use for District purposes, renting portions of the facility that are not needed for District purposes, and other disposition options.
- Planning to relocate the ACE program from Millerton to a new one-room Schoolhouse on the central campus begins.
Millerton Elementary School - Long Term
- Continue using the facility as headquarters for the Transportation Department.
- Continue using the facility for the District’s Early Childhood Program, and if appropriate, a Kindergarten class.
- Implement decisions formulated in the intermediate phase concerning other uses and the ultimate disposition of the Millerton building.
Amenia Elementary School
Amenia Elementary School - Short Term
- Conclude construction and facility improvements (Phase II) that have been taking place during 2004-05 school year.
- Retain grade levels Kindergarten through second grade until the anticipated reconfiguration of grade level groupings begins.
- Conduct a survey and document public interest and need for an Early Childhood Education program in Amenia.
By assessing community interest in locating a second Early Childhood Program in Amenia, it is the Board of Education’s intent to determine the extent to which an Amenia program will increase overall participation in Pre-K.
Some parents may choose against sending their pre-K students to a program in the northern region of the District due to a perception that a Millerton location will require excessive transportation time for a four year old. There may also be other reasons why some parents may prefer an Amenia location. The intent of the survey is to determine the extent to which a program located in Amenia will increase Pre-K enrollment.
The District’s interest in maximizing participation in the Early Childhood Education program is based on many factors, including the program’s potential to improve educational excellence and provide the District with a financial benefit in terms of State aid. It is also expected to reduce demand for remedial education services in later grades and save the District costs associated with providing these services.
- Continue planning the reconfiguration of grade level groupings, and include plans for the location of Kindergarten classes.
The central campus concept suggests relocating all classes currently held in Amenia to the Webutuck Elementary School site. Grade level reconfiguration suggests the grouping of Pre-K with Kindergarten grades. Continuing discussions on the location of Kindergarten classes in the short term will enable action in the intermediate term and beyond.
- Begin planning alternative uses for the Amenia building using the same guidelines and decision criteria that will be used in planning the Millerton building’s future.
Amenia Elementary School – Intermediate Term
- Finalize the reconfiguration of grade level groupings, and begin planning physical space needs at the central campus and off campus locations.
It is the Board of Education’s intention to group pre-K and Kindergarten grades together. Initially, the Pre-K program will be located at Millerton, and pending the outcome of the market survey, a pre-K program may be offered in Amenia during the intermediate phase.
During the short and intermediate terms, consideration will be given to further revising the District’s reconfiguration of grade level groupings. This consideration will also include the potential for achieving a totally centralized campus and housing all District educational programs and related services on the central campus.
- Begin relocating classes to Webutuck Elementary School.
Class relocation is consistent with the District’s intention to reconfigure grade level groupings. During the intermediate phase, decisions concerning the exact grouping are expected to be finalized, and relocation implemented.
- Plan to begin an Early Childhood Education program as appropriate.
It is the District’s intention to offer an Early Childhood (Pre-K) Program in Amenia if the results of the survey conducted during the short term phase suggests there is sufficient interest in the program.
- Continue considering alternate uses of Amenia Elementary school after centralization has taken place.
Options to be considered may include full use for District purposes, rental of portions of the facility that are not needed for District purposes, or others.
Amenia Elementary School – Long Term
- Implement options developed during the intermediate phase.
Webutuck Elementary School
Webutuck Elementary School – Short Term
- Conclude construction and facility improvements (Phase II) that have been taking place during 2004-05 school year.
- Retain grade levels three through five.
- Decide if transportation plans need to be revised to coincide with the change in grade level groupings.
The Board of Education recognizes the potential that the central campus provides to transport students in groupings that are different from school building groupings. The District may elect to transport fifth and sixth grade students with students in earlier grades with later runs, and transport seventh and eighth grade students during earlier runs with Webutuck High School students. While transportation options increase with the central campus, grade level groupings are expected to be determined by factors other than transportation logistics.
Webutuck Elementary School – Intermediate Term
- Specify facility needs arising out of the grade level reconfiguration and plan facility changes within constraints of acreage available on the central campus.
Specific changes in facility needs arising out of the reconfiguration of the Webutuck Elementary School are expected to include additional classrooms, expanding the library to also include a media center, and building a new gymnasium. The new gymnasium will alleviate the current over-utilization of the School’s multi-purpose room.
In addition to changes in the Webutuck Elementary School building, the central campus is expected to undergo additional changes described elsewhere in this plan. Consequently, it will be necessary to plan Webutuck Elementary School facility changes and additions in the context of the total use of space and other facility improvements on the central campus.
- Create building drawings and preliminary construction documents necessary to describe the entire central campus site, and to prepare for a new construction bond issue to finance central campus construction.
It is the Board’s intention to continue facility development planning in a collaborative and interactive way with District taxpayers, parents and community leaders. As a result, additional public sessions and feedback may be held to insure sustained public support for the District’s facilities development and the acceptance of a new bond issue.
- Conclude discussions concerning realignment of grade levels and the proposed configuration of Pre-K and Kindergarten at off-campus buildings, grades 1 through 4 at Webutuck Elementary School, and grades 5 through 12 at the Middle School and High School.
It is the Board of Education’s position that the educational interests of students may be best served by relocating grade five to the Middle School.
Webutuck Elementary School – Long Term
- Implement the new central campus master facility development plan as defined during the intermediate phase.
Eugene Brooks Middle School
Eugene Brooks Middle School – Short Term
- No changes are necessary.
The middle school is a new building and at present time considered adequate for current needs.
Eugene Brooks Middle School – Intermediate Term
- Add space for small class populations.
There are several classes involving individual or small groups of students that operate without the benefit of conventional classroom space. Creating such space will alleviate this situation.
- Plan and provide additional classrooms and other spaces necessary to accommodate the addition of fifth grade at the middle school.
It is the intention of the Board of Education to coordinate facility development with grade level reconfiguration.
- Create a revised transportation plan.
It is the intention of the Board of Education to coordinate transportation plans with grade level reconfiguration.
Eugene Brooks Middle School – Long Term
- No additional, specific changes are anticipated at the time of this plan.
Webutuck High School
Webutuck High School – Short Term
- Conclude current construction and facility improvements (Phase II) that have been taking place during 2004-05 school year.
Webutuck High School – Intermediate Term
- Plan the use of additional space that will be forthcoming once maintenance and operations functions are relocated to the central campus building currently used for the Transportation garage.
- Consider relocating the business office to another location.
- Develop a marketing plan for facility use.
It is the Board’s position that achieving the goal of serving as an important community center will require the development of opportunities for community involvement by developing the campus as a center for the arts, sports, recreation, and family and senior citizen programs, as a center for adult education, and as an emergency center for neighboring communities. It is the intention of the Board to promote the use of school facilities by community groups in need of meeting and other space. The Board understands that maximizing community use will require a creative packaging and promotion of offerings.
- Develop additional plans for the future as appropriate.
Webutuck High School – Long Term
- Expand the District’s role as an important community center.
- Implement plans for future development or improvements created during the intermediate phase.
Other Functions
Other Functions – Short term
- Plan the new transportation garage.
- Keep operations and maintenance in its current location until the District’s transportation function can be relocated to the Millerton Elementary School site.
Currently, operations and maintenance utilize space in the bus garage building. Its administrative office is located in the High School.
- Continue to upgrade the condition of the District’s athletic fields.
- Plan and build a new concession stand for the athletic fields.
The concession stand has been conceived as a volunteer effort to be constructed through community donations of time and materials under the direction of the District’s Director of Facilities.
- Review the Webutuck School District’s Vocational-Agriculture program and develop the program’s long term educational emphasis and needs. Articulate facilities needs to fit the program’s educational emphasis, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing existing facilities or building an adjacent lab or stand-alone facility for exclusive use by the Vocational-Agriculture Department.
While a comprehensive Vocational/Agricultural program at Webutuck may benefit many Webutuck students, there may be a potential to collaborate with a consortium of school districts and develop a program that can serve the eastern Dutchess County region.
- Plan the acquisition of additional lands adjacent to the central campus as necessary.
The current central campus acreage is limited and may be limiting. Additional acreage may be necessary to accommodate planned facility development in a way that is most economically advantageous.
Other Functions – Intermediate Term
- Relocate the Transportation Department to the Millerton Elementary School property.
- Move operations and maintenance to the central campus building currently used by the Transportation Department.
The relocation of operations and maintenance is to be coordinated with the construction of the new transportation facility in Millerton.
- Develop plans for a one-room schoolhouse for use by the Alternative Center for Education (ACE) program.
It is the Board of Education’s position that the ACE program will benefit students most if located on the central campus and is segregated from other student populations for portions of the school day. The One Room School House will serve this function. It is intended to include a kitchen, lavatory, communications and other capabilities necessary to provide an excellent ACE program.
A strong Alternative Center for Education program is also expected to attract enrollment from neighboring school districts. The program’s enrollment will be optimized by filling vacant slots with students from neighboring districts.
- Conclude discussions regarding a new Vocational/Agriculture Program, the potential collaboration with a consortium of districts, and develop building plans as part of the central campus facility use plans as appropriate.
During the process of developing plans for a Vo-Ag building, the Board of Education will leave open the possibility of developing a regional consortium of school districts. The potential to locate a new Vo-Ag facility in close proximity to the District’s operations and maintenance department will also be examined.
- Include plans for three additional athletic fields.
Other Functions – Long term
- Build a one-room schoolhouse.
- Build a Vo-Ag facility.
- Buy adjacent land.
- Add three athletic fields.
Additional Topics -- Future Long Range Plans
- Consider planning for a swimming pool.
- Consider upgrading the football/track field by building a stadium.
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