Over the last two years, the Board of Education and district administrators have invited all interested faculty, staff, students, and community members to join them to create a vision for an Optimized Onteora. These stakeholders joined the District’s architects, engineers, financial advisors, and construction managers in a series of community forums and focus groups to share their priorities and concerns which guided and helped refine these initial designs of the proposed project. Through this partnership, we have reimagined what our schools and campus can offer to our students, educators, and our broader Onteora community.

The most significant and impactful resources in education are its faculty and staff. The logistics of a central campus will foster tremendous opportunity for sharing, collaborating, and deepening connections. It also eliminates the inefficient use of time for staff to travel between buildings— time that would be more impactful to be spent in support of students. Designated spaces have been proposed with the intent to provide faculty and staff areas to collaborate, work independently, and connect virtually. If the project is approved, faculty and staff will play a vital role in working with our architectural and construction professionals to ensure that updated designs meet the needs of students and educators.

Our school buildings and grounds are used far beyond the school day and serve as valuable resources for the entire community. Creating a campus with a park-like setting and other features was proposed with the intent of providing a campus that can serve as a community hub. The gymnasium and athletic fields, in particular, provide benefits for all ages and are used by youth leagues, which fosters early athletic development and builds a sense of community. The track offers a safe, accessible space for community members to walk or jog. Adding lights to the track will further enhance student and community accessibility. Families can bring their children to play on the playground and enjoy the new greenspaces. Additionally, our facilities are made available by request for broader community events, reinforcing their role as central, shared assets for the public. 

We anticipate more than $3 million in annual savings initially, growing to $3.9 million annually by 2028 when the vision of the central campus is brought to life. Here’s how it works:

Reducing Ongoing Costs – When savings are created (e.g., by reducing unnecessary expenses or improving efficiency), those costs don’t appear in future budgets. This means the budget doesn’t have to grow as much to cover them.

Compounding Effect – If savings continue every year, they add up. For example, if a district saves $500,000 this year and keeps those same savings in place next year, it prevents an extra $1 million in total expenses over two years.

Offsetting Future Increases – Costs like salaries, utilities, health insurance, and services rise over time due to inflation and contracts. Savings help cover part of those increases, so the overall budget doesn’t need to increase as much.

Investing in Cost-Efficient Solutions – Some additional savings can come from smart investments, like upgrading to energy-efficient systems. While there may be an upfront cost, the long-term savings (e.g., lower electricity bills) reduce financial strain in future budgets.

We join our families in experiencing great sadness at the prospect of closing another beloved elementary school. We have been fortunate to have small, community schools in our district for many years. Unfortunately, the model is difficult to sustain from both a staffing and financial perspective, especially as we face the reality of significant potential changes to our State Aid levels, and possible loss of federal funding, in the near future. Our reality is that due to many years of declining enrollment, a trend that is predicted to continue, our buildings are underutilized. Nationwide labor shortages in the educational sector are also a reality. While we join our families in grieving the loss of our community schools, we also commit to a new vision for reimagining what an Onteora education can become for all students if we consolidate our resources and direct them towards a new vision on the Boiceville campus.

No. If this project fails, Woodstock will likely still need to close — but without the benefits of a proactive, student-centered plan. Changes to the Foundation Aid formula that determines State Aid levels, and great uncertainty of federal funding, are on the horizon and our District has the potential to lose a significant level of funding. Creating a central Boiceville campus now prevents a reactive closure in the future that has none of the benefits of the Capital Project.

We remain committed to ensuring that any school buildings no longer in use continue to serve and benefit the community. While each property has unique considerations, our priority is to explore options that preserve their value as local assets.

Phoenicia: We initially agreed to sell Phoenicia to the Town of Shandaken for $1. There are some limitations to doing so, so a lease is also being explored. Either option allows it to remain as a community resource, which is a priority. These conversations are ongoing.
West Hurley: This property has been under contract since 2017. The purchaser is working through various issues, but we still anticipate that this sale will close and this property will return to the tax rolls and provide housing.
Woodstock: Future uses would be explored if the Capital Project is approved. While we have no immediate plans, we do know that restrictions included in the deed only allow school or residential use. This means any future plans would be limited unless the purchaser is able to successfully gain a deed alteration. 

All K-5 students would come together at the reimagined elementary school in Boiceville after the central campus upgrades are complete. Given that renovations are anticipated to be completed by the start of the 2028-29 school year, we expect Woodstock Elementary School to close at the end of the 2027-28 school year. 

We view the integration as the creation of a new school and not the absorption of one school into another. Considerations include updating culture markers like the school name. In preparation for the elementary school integration, we will partner with building leadership to create a thoughtful and well-communicated transition plan for students and staff at both Bennett and Woodstock Elementary Schools. Staff reassignments will be done thoughtfully and should there be the need for any reductions, we will make them through attrition wherever possible. It is our priority to ensure that all students and staff feel connected to their new school.

Once the community approves this plan, our architectural design team and our construction management team will begin the detailed design and planning process. This is where the vision comes to life and faculty, staff, and students will be active participants in creating the details of this plan. 

Today’s synthetic turf meets rigorous health, safety, and environmental standards and expands student access to athletic facilities. The addition of lights and addressing drainage issues will further expand availability. Some highlights of the new field include:

• The surface is more durable than natural grass, eliminating the need for the field to rest between practices and competitions, making it available to more teams and expanding availability for use by physical education classes. 
• The need for cancellations due to weather-related field conditions is reduced.
• Since scheduled maintenance for mowing, seeding and lining the field is minimal, availability for student use is increased. Reduced maintenance also allows staff to refocus their energy to other areas of need and saves labor costs.
• Teams can practice on the same type of surface they compete on at many other schools in the league.
• The soft, smooth surface does not deteriorate during gameplay, providing safer footing by preventing ruts and divots. 
• There is no need for watering, the use of pesticides or fertilizers, or for gasoline-powered mowers, which can reduce carbon emissions.