By Sarah Hall
Editor
In May, Baldwinsville Central School District voters will not only choose school board members and approve or reject a budget. They’ll also decide whether or not the district should spend more than $4 million of its capital reserve fund on safety and security projects districtwide.
District officials and Armoured One, a locally based security company, analyzed B’ville’s schools and determined their security needs. Those needs include, among other things:
- More appropriate signage in all buildings
- A system for mass notification
- Improved video monitoring
- Lockdown capability in the corridors and classrooms all buildings
- Secure entry in all elementary buildings
Originally, the district had planned to use $2.1 million in Smart Schools funding for the upgrades. However, once the security assessment was completed, it was clear that those needs exceeded that amount — the total cost will be $6.41 million. So the district is looking to bond for the cost over 15 years and use $830,000 from its capital reserve account to cover the local share. State building aid will cover the rest. There will be no local tax increase associated with the project. If approved, the work would be finished by June 30, 2021.
The capital project proposition vote, as well as votes on the budget, bus purchase proposition and school board, will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, in the Baker High School auditorium.
