Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Capital Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Community Board 2 outlines preliminary school capital and expense priorities ahead of fiscal‑year awards
Summary
The Community Board 2 Schools & Education Committee reviewed principals’ capital and expense requests — technology, playground and gymatorium projects, accessibility upgrades and a proposed new school — and said most awards will be announced this month, with the committee to revisit in September.
Patricia Lariat, chair of the Community Board 2 Schools & Education Committee, briefed members on preliminary capital and expense requests gathered from district principals ahead of the fiscal‑year 2026 award process.
“Most of that money will be awarded this month. So we won't know what got funded until September,” Lariat said as she introduced the committee’s outreach summary and the list of school requests.
Lariat reported principals’ recurring priorities: classroom and school‑level technology (including requests for laptops and upgraded smart boards), playground and outdoor projects, gymatorium renovations and air‑conditioning work for shared facilities, window and light‑fixture upgrades, accessibility and sensory‑friendly design elements for D75 programs, and cafeteria renovations. Schools named in the committee briefing included PS 341; 75 Morton (75 Wharton); Broom Street Academy; Chesapeake Area Technical; New York High School; City High School (co‑located with a D75 program); Harvest Collegiate; PS 3; and a D75 occupational training center listed as N721 on Clarkson Street.
Lariat said one principal reported a playground project had been approved by the School Construction Authority but the start date remained pending. She also said some principals continue to ask the committee to advocate for technology replacements and classroom upgrades that appear in the SCA five‑year plan.
On citywide asks, the committee noted an item in the budgeting conversation for class‑size hiring — a placeholder figure of $137,000,000 for teacher hires in a five‑year phase — and other recurring requests: baseline funding for arts education, funding for new school construction and planning, and allocations for evidence‑based literacy training (committee members discussed using the “science of reading” terminology in advocacy language).
Lariat encouraged principals to pursue other funding streams as well, including council member discretionary allocations and participatory budgeting; she said the district’s principals have sometimes used council offices successfully for smaller projects such as tree replacement.
The committee agreed to revisit capital awards in September after the city releases final funding decisions and to reach back out to principals in August for funding confirmations and updates. Lariat said the district would continue to advocate for projects that did not receive awards.
No formal votes were taken at the meeting; members described the briefing as preliminary planning and outreach to prepare for fall advocacy and monitoring of awarded projects.
