[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6079697,"mediaKeyId","2954796-29bfff2197658acd4b8983891685f834","parentId",2954796,"title","Somers board reviews roughly $64 million capital project; officials say bond proposal will be tax-neutral","audioSeconds",1668,"startMs",2134000,"endMs",3802000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2954796-29bfff2197658acd4b8983891685f834&start=2134&end=3802","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2954796-29bfff2197658acd4b8983891685f834/thumbnail_2134000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6079697/New-York/Somers-board-reviews-roughly-64-million-capital-project-officials-say-bond-proposal-will-be-tax-neutral","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6079697-b2ba9e30dca39ce27d36155f86240b30/orig.mp4?Expires=1775436035&Signature=Ibe1K7XUN4yKAcUHsU8sXkm9uSxaw1kZjmxUvUdutPWaP98ejtWR0Ga5UrZRwttZuZ4hU2yGiJ~97GwFe7nWAetc4o0ypORkEN37M0vNAXay8bqgaE5OIv3xsugDNawcPycAik-JM~xncN4IK4X21OvUT5AcwmughREWH0vKCfBWL6dmct3Swi8VEZRzFHjzaRZ~ivoBULadwSZ25gJRWbjZTKRHkVwNWr6~lbopGrpHJj0mZDq1o5xCqtqID~sVCbHVdTQKt7Hgq3h5zNhiW3eJXB7pGZjnpiqYGUMoqufYE7a8DFgYyvMZ7HgkL6QVMfqE69DEFAHJmKD1VigA2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-09T16:06:38Z","article","At an April 8 Somers Central School District Board of Education workshop, district staff and consultants from H2M Architects & Engineers and Triton Construction presented the draft scope, budget and schedule for a proposed capital project that the district plans to present to voters in May alongside the annual budget.

Consultants said the project, shaped from a multi-year building condition survey, targets infrastructure and facility repairs across the district rather than large new construction. Highlights described by presenters included roof replacements, building weatherization (window and masonry work), HVAC and unit ventilator work, electrical panel and fire alarm upgrades, flooring and classroom finishes, drainage and paving, retaining walls, and playground replacements. Select school-specific items cited were a new entrance canopy and playgrounds at Primrose, an artificial turf play area and renovated tech labs at the middle school, and track and locker-room upgrades at the high school. Presenters also showed a per-classroom allowance of about $25,000 to address highest-need rooms (casework, flooring, finishes) as projects proceed.

Consultants said the estimate has been reduced from an earlier higher list and that the draft package now under consideration is about $63,900,000 of work, with roughly $62,000,000 proposed for voter-approved bond financing and about $1.8 million from existing capital reserves. District staff described the proposal as structured to be \"tax neutral\" for the local share by aligning new debt with state building-aid reimbursement; presenters cited an estimated building-aid rate of about 39% on the proposed work and said that, because older debt is falling off, the district expects the net local share to stay consistent.

Michael Lanterra of H2M and John Hansen of Triton walked through renderings for a middle-school turf area and new playgrounds, conceptual tech-lab layouts and sample classroom upgrades. They outlined the public engagement and schedule: two public building tours (April 23 and May 13), a second public bond presentation on May 6, and a public vote scheduled for May 20 (polls 7 a.m.–9 p.m.). If approved, staff said design would begin immediately with anticipated permitting and approvals this year and construction starting in the summer of the following year and continuing through the subsequent summer.

Asked about construction inflation and material risk, presenters said the project budget includes escalation contingencies and that the construction team will use standard bidding strategies to mitigate market volatility; they said some highly disruptive work would be scheduled for summer months and that many system upgrades (for example, fire-alarm work) can be accomplished outside school hours.

The presentation included contact and outreach details; staff directed residents with questions to capitalproject@somerschools.org and posted project materials to the district's capital-project web page.

— Ending —
District leaders encouraged community members to attend building tours and presentations before the May vote and said additional Q&A material will be posted online as needed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Somers Central School District Board of Education Meeting April 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At an April 8 Somers Central School District Board of Education workshop, district staff and consultants from H2M Architects & Engineers and Triton Construction presented the draft scope, budget and schedule for a proposed capital project that the district plans to present to voters in May alongside the annual budget.","taxTitle","SOMERS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, New York","taxId",70147,"location","New York","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6079702,"Somers officials say Wit & Wisdom literacy rollout showing early classroom routines and engagement",2091,67000,2158000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2954796-29bfff2197658acd4b8983891685f834&start=67&end=2158","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2954796-29bfff2197658acd4b8983891685f834/thumbnail_67000.jpg","/articles/6079702/New-York/Somers-officials-say-Wit-Wisdom-literacy-rollout-showing-early-classroom-routines-and-engagement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6079702-50979fa176d15fe377ec551a4b5654cd/orig.mp4?Expires=1775436035&Signature=Vty99-JHr9TUevOonp5PUSZNoF9Z6V6HqR3popHXcTxMsjAYKJ3-keCL70nm64KL4jEvSahd8ZHBpJ-0Urmd9N2Q7m-rQDcYNYcwl0K7Yc9cJhrgW6qrME6tSlD7zAPsD4lCA~dpMS7jwR0a-~INEsn0CgEmL2FeA6tvnYDfztMRPzksmzsDNHbFBUGrN8yjXaRY2ZRLRp6GJ2AeP5WInXulIXITa6ayPmEi6FDUwA2BZ~slV08XnRQ~ZEuCwYqWmhvxFg5tvUxhupNKc6M-au8LQnKkMKy6I8BQTimvnENuhmGE6R2q7XClts3O3kqJPd9NF3ioujNRo6yHZAfQvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At an April 8 Somers Central School District Board of Education workshop, central office staff described a February walkthrough at Primrose Elementary School that showed K–2 literacy instruction using the Wit & Wisdom knowledge-building curriculum alongside explicit phonics instruction and decodable texts.

District presenters said the program pairs knowledge-building read-alouds, vocabulary and discussion with daily small-group instruction during a 30–40 minute \"What I Need\" block where students receive targeted phonics, fluency or comprehension practice. The district circulated samples of student work and decodable texts used in classrooms.

The central office framed the effort around the \"science of reading\" and Scarborough's reading rope, which the presenters said requires both explicit decoding instruction and knowledge-building to create skilled readers. \"Children need both the explicit skills instruction and phonological awareness and decoding ... and that needs to be paired with knowledge building,\" said Katie (Central office staff), summarizing the program's approach.

Staff described curriculum components in use: phonological programs named in the presentation (Heggerty and Fundations), a set of decodable texts and a partner series called Geodes that teachers use to link phonics practice to unit content. The presenters called out professional learning supports, consultants from Great Minds, and supplemental resources the district has used for small-group instruction.

Classroom examples cited in the presentation included kindergarten units on farm life, a first-grade unit on animal features, and a second-grade unit on the American West. Staff said the Geodes and other decodables were designed so students could apply phonics skills to connected content, and described a mix of independent practice, teacher- and assistant-led small groups, and student-led literature circles during the What I Need block.

District staff declined to provide districtwide longitudinal metrics at the workshop but said midyear checks showed encouraging results and that teachers reported stronger use of content vocabulary and more detailed writing tied to texts. \"We're very pleased with some of the scores that we saw for the students,\" a central office presenter said, while noting the year is the program's first and formal end-of-year reporting was forthcoming.

Staff also said the program's routines allow content and practice to transfer across subjects: procedures used in Wit & Wisdom are being reused in science and social studies lessons to pre-teach vocabulary and prompt inquiry protocols. Presenters credited teacher professional development and consultant support for smoothing the initial implementation load.

The board discussion included board members' praise for student work samples and the level of student engagement observed during the walkthrough. District staff said the work will continue to be tracked as students progress through the grade bands.

— Ending —
District staff encouraged board members and community members to review the circulated student work and referenced ongoing professional development supports; staff said end-of-year assessment and progress reports will be provided as results become available.","At an April 8 Somers Central School District Board of Education workshop, central office staff described a February walkthrough at Primrose Elementary School that showed K–2 literacy instruction using the Wit & Wisdom knowledge-building curriculum alongside explicit phonics instruction and decodable texts.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6079692,"Parents urge review after Somers varsity volleyball coach resigns; board cites personnel confidentiality",156,3894000,4050000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2954796-29bfff2197658acd4b8983891685f834&start=3894&end=4050","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2954796-29bfff2197658acd4b8983891685f834/thumbnail_3894000.jpg","/articles/6079692/New-York/Parents-urge-review-after-Somers-varsity-volleyball-coach-resigns-board-cites-personnel-confidentiality","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6079692-1446c41e859a0250eefd6215c50cd37e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775436035&Signature=gE~OACa4Nbh8IBR63k6iVlr5uD1notuUfJDwX12bq8W9Ob3zet3~OrRBtcwJ5vLg~HqiGz1MB3T6x1WfARG1PLhht~zpWRnmqKeD0kObsYwGfhYN8fGfbXpni4AE17s7~yb1bXYbrGQEVJh7nmoICksZyCqSB8XHfZU1HjC9g7UzT3NfziqNXWyS-rFviuKHGNSQBGjIJZBkrTRbuSFJWUpPYK5CQpIAlB-QK1k5YFn504d9NSB1eXTKcXlL0tdOpDEyr62YQJBPv~Oe5BvVdB0hs-xtgX7PwbrV~kLcMASTxnTRv9-gZIG5bH52e27RKY9RCQSYLwPWnCz9tEYtvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the April 8 Somers Central School District Board of Education workshop, two parents used the public-comment period to raise concerns about the recent resignation of the varsity volleyball coach, identified by speakers as Coach Pittman.

Edith Baboni, who said her daughter plays on the varsity volleyball team, told the board that Coach Pittman \"is a man with integrity\" and that the team benefited from his work. \"He put his heart and blood and sweat into this team,\" Baboni said, and asked the board to consider ways to keep him in the role.

Corey Mosta, a parent of middle- and high-school students, echoed those remarks and asked the district to \"look into it further,\" saying the community had not been given details about the administrative decision that led to the coach's departure. Mosta urged the district to review the decision and \"work towards a resolution that's good for the community.\"

Board members repeatedly told speakers they could not discuss personnel matters in public. At the workshop a board member said the board was not at liberty to discuss personnel issues but added, where appropriate, that the resignation \"has nothing to do with any kind of board decision,\" noting the board cannot comment publicly on personnel actions.

— Ending —
The board did not take a public action on the matter at the workshop. The district's personnel consent agenda was approved during the meeting by voice vote; board members said they are not able to provide details about personnel decisions in public sessions.","During the April 8 Somers Central School District board workshop, parents identified Coach Pittman as having resigned and urged the board to review or reverse the decision. The board repeatedly said it cannot discuss personnel matters in public; one board member said the resignation was not the result of a board decision.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Somers board reviews roughly $64 million capital project; officials say bond proposal will be tax-neutral

Somers officials say Wit & Wisdom literacy rollout showing early classroom routines and engagement

Parents urge review after Somers varsity volleyball coach resigns; board cites personnel confidentiality