By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On Jan. 14, voters in the Cazenovia Central School District (CSD) approved an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) project to provide up to $2 million of energy-related upgrades and additions to district infrastructure.
Approved with a vote of 198 to 15, the project will be completed in coordination with the district’s $15 million capital project.
The EPC will enable the district to complete all improvements including LED lighting upgrades, HVAC systems and controls, sealing the building envelope, and small rooftop solar arrays, without tapping into capital budget funds, as the project will be paid for with the savings generated from the improvements.
Although a referendum was not required, voter approval enables the district to receive an additional 10 percent in NYS Building Aid.
“We were thankful and excited to have had a surprisingly good turnout and for that turnout to have been so overwhelmingly positive about what we were proposing,” said Superintendent Matthew Reilly.
On Jan. 13, the Cazenovia CSD Board of Education met for its regular monthly meeting.
The board received an update on the progress of the 2020 Capital Project.
According to Reilly, the project has been approved by the state; bids will be received by the end of the month.
“We are anxious to see how the different contractors come in,” he said. ”Hopefully we can get all the work done at a cost lower than we put out to voters.”
The board also continued its ongoing discussion on the future of the district’s athletic facilities.
“Our discussion . . . is really reaching an exciting point.” Reilly said. “With the establishment of a capital reserve in December 2018, there is now a pool of money that will hopefully allow us to make some significant athletic facility improvements at no tax impact.”
According to Reilly, the facilities committee recently met with an artificial turf vendor, who introduced the group to the different types of turf surfaces currently available.
Considerable discussion focused on the board’s annual goal of engaging the student body in the area of district governance.
The board considered the possibility of inviting a student representative to sit on the school board.
“There was a lot of discussion about whether or not that was necessary or there were some intermediate steps to be taken to really hear the student voice more clearly than they are hearing it now,” Reilly said. “It was a great discussion — really thoughtful and deliberate . . . Ultimately, we didn’t decide on a direction, but we will certainly revisit this [topic] at future meetings.”
During his report, Reilly provided the board with a general overview of the district’s budget work so far this year.
According to Reilly, Governor Cuomo’s 2020 State of the State Address foreshadowed a state budget that is unlikely to include significant increases in aid for schools.
The superintendent also discussed some preliminary tax cap calculations, reporting that the district currently estimates a 3.16 percent possible tax levy limit.
“There is no guarantee that that is where we are going to [land], and there are still a couple factors that might change between now and when we have to report that tax levy limit,” he said. “We are experiencing increased costs in different areas — health insurance, salaries and pension costs are all increasing as they do for small businesses, big businesses and individuals. Keeping up with those costs is really the challenge that is going to face us over the next couple months. The bottom line is producing quality opportunities for kids. That’s where every budget process starts for us, and that’s where it finishes. The rest is about making the numbers add up.”
The board voted to adopt two district policies — one related to student voter registration and pre-registration and another related to wellness.
“Wellness is one of the three goals that the board set for itself, [all of which] align with the goals of the district’s strategic plan,” Reilly said. “By approving the wellness policy, [the board] has moved quite a ways in terms of fulfilling at least one of their three goals. The first order of business for the committee formed under the new policy will be to review the policy [itself] and try to bolster some of the language on the social-emotional wellness of students.”
The committee will also be tasked with exploring the possibility of bringing therapy dogs into the district’s schools.
“There are a number of schools . . . throughout the country that have brought dogs into schools to help students with anxiety, particularly around test time,” Reilly said. “They have seen some real, positive impact on students’ social-emotional wellness and ability to cope with school.”
Additionally, the board voted to extend the superintendent’s contract and to renew the sports agreement between Hamilton Central Schools and Cazenovia Central Schools for girl’s lacrosse.
The district’s personnel report included two announced retirements — Burton Street Elementary School Principal Mary Ann MacIntosh and Middle School Principal Dr. Jean Regan both intend to retire at the end of the school year.
“We are incredibly thankful for all of the contributions that they have made to generations of Cazenovia students throughout the years,” said Reilly. “These are two of the finest educators I have had the opportunity to work with. They will most certainly be missed . . . It’s bittersweet. It’s both the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. I’m excited for them, but those are going to be big shoes to fill.”
Monthly school board meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. in the board meeting room in the district office in the middle school. For more information, visit cazenoviacsd.com or call Superintendent Matthew Reilly at 315-655-1317.
