Oceanside highlights energy performance work and hosts visit from New York State education commissioner

The Oceanside Union Free School District presented two videos on April 23 that the administration said highlight recent facilities and academic initiatives: a short promotional piece produced with Energy Systems Group (ESG) about the district's energy performance contract and a student-produced video documenting New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa's March 7 visit to Oceanside High School.

"We are continually looking to offer our community an amazing education, but at the same time, be as fiscally sound as we can," Superintendent Doctor Harrington said as she introduced the Energy Systems Group material. The district contracted with Energy Systems Group as part of an energy performance contract intended to modernize infrastructure and reduce utility consumption; the board and administration said the contract pays for many facility upgrades through guaranteed energy savings.

The ESG presentation summarized the firm's work nationally and showed district examples; the superintendent said Oceanside's project was highlighted at a statewide superintendent conference and that the student broadcasting program helped produce a shorter student-oriented film for the board meeting. "They did just that," Harrington said, praising the student production team for reducing hours of footage to a concise video about the March visit by Commissioner Rosa and Board of Regents Chancellor Lester Young.

The student video shows classroom visits and a student panel; the meeting record notes Commissioner Rosa toured courses including global solutionaries, AP Computer Science and biology, and participated in a Q&A with a student panel. Doctor Harrington credited district staff and the video broadcasting students for documenting the visit and said the footage was later shared with peers across the state.

Separately, district staff provided a brief capital projects update. Mr. Coakley reported the district restarted its high-school turf project, including a full renovation of tennis courts scheduled for completion in June or July, followed by a summer overhaul of baseball and softball fields. Coakley also said a Phase 5 construction project will add five instructional spaces, work that requires significant summer installation including crane and concrete pours into the interior courtyard.

Superintendent Harrington framed the communications as both public information and a recruitment/retention tool: the materials demonstrate facility improvements, instructional programs and student engagement. District leaders said they will continue to monitor utility savings under the energy performance contract and report back to the board on realized savings and timelines.