Danielle Schaff, external affairs manager for the School Construction Authority’s Queens South office, briefed Community Education Council 28 on the SCA’s November amendment to the 2025–2029 capital plan at the council’s Dec. 4 meeting.

Schaff said the capital-plan amendment documents a $20.9 billion program across multiple buckets: roughly $6–7 billion for capacity/seat creation, about $7.92 billion for capital improvement projects to existing buildings, $2.3 billion for “healthy schools” initiatives (including cafeteria enhancements and electrification) and a package of other mandated and accessibility projects. Schaff cited allocations for electrification ($1.4 billion), technology ($1.25 billion), accessibility ($800 million), and a $150 million cafeteria enhancement line.

Schaff described how SCA develops projects — annual building condition BCAS assessments, referrals from district facilities staff (DSF), and prioritized lists including reso A funded school-specific projects that elected officials sponsor. She noted district highlights that include window- and roof-replacement projects, auditorium and science-lab upgrades, and an MWLBE mentor program; in fiscal year 25, SCA awarded about $28.1 million in prime CIP contracts to MWLBE firms in District 28 (about 23% of district CIP contracts, the presentation said).

Public commenters used the SCA presentation to press for action on MS 217 (Briarwood). A parent who inspected MS 217 reported a detached 25-year-old trailer/mini building with extensive water damage, closed bathrooms, unfinished STEM lab and exercise-room construction, and a neighboring city-park playground in disrepair. The principal and SCA staff said some items are under Parks Department jurisdiction or are maintenance tasks, while other work was held up because reso A funding had not been fully secured and additional funding conversations with the relevant elected official were ongoing. SCA staff said the school’s demo of a room and initial preparations were known to SCA and that the project had been referred back to the legislator pending additional funding, with an anticipated allocation in FY26 if approved.

Both the UFT and a UFT industrial-hygienist’s review were cited in public comment as urging demolition of the mini building and construction of a permanent addition, describing chronic dampness and mold remediation needs that custodial cleaning could not sustainably resolve. SCA responded that the structure is currently classified as a permanent “mini building” rather than a temporary TCU trailer and that options — including annexes, seat-creation planning and park coordination — require interagency work and elected-official funding commitments.

Why it matters: SCA’s plan shows billions earmarked for capacity and building upgrades in Queens, but parents and staff told the CEC that some District 28 schools have long-standing safety and habitability problems that they say need more urgent attention or different solutions than routine maintenance.

Next steps: SCA said it will share the presentation materials, will follow up with DSF about maintenance items, and recommended that the CEC and principals use reso A application windows (January–March) to prioritize school projects for elected-official funding. Parents and UFT representatives said they will continue to press elected officials to secure funding and to explore demolition/replacement for the deteriorated mini building at MS 217.