School officials outline $20 million capital reserve and wide-ranging facilities, IT and safety upgrades

Sylvia Wallach, the district’s business‑operations presenter, told the Marinette Union Free School District board that staff have secured financing for an energy performance contract and will propose a 15‑year capital reserve with a $20,000,000 maximum and up to $2,000,000 added in any single year.

The proposal is intended to fund a range of projects, Wallach said, including HVAC replacements, gym and locker‑room renovations, auditorium audio upgrades, corridor and classroom ceiling and lighting work, and continued IT and network improvements. "We secured the financing for the energy performance contract," Wallach said, and later added that the district will present the reserve’s detailed list when it returns to the board.

Staff described completed work the district’s trades performed this year: masonry and a new STEM classroom window at Central, kitchen renovation at Mamaroneck Avenue School, new carpeting and painting, greenhouse ventilation upgrades, pool‑area lighting, and multiple flooring and ceiling projects across schools. IT upgrades staff said are finished include network switch and Wi‑Fi upgrades, Chromebook management, new classroom displays, and installation of SureCall to provide cell service inside buildings.

Wallach said planned spring and summer work will include adding access‑control swipe points at the middle and high schools, replacing public‑address systems at Mamaroneck Avenue and Murray Avenue schools, upgrading power supplies, and enrolling another roughly 1,500 Chromebooks. She also said the district is exploring camera analytics — including license‑plate reader cameras — piloting a Rave mobility safety application and the Gaggle student‑safety platform, and replacing auditorium audio systems.

On state review and approvals, Wallach said the Hammocks air‑conditioning project was sent to the State Education Department for review and has returned comments; staff expect SED approval soon before ordering units.

Budget context: Wallach said the tax‑levy cap will be “about 2.87%” and that the district may exceed it to add staff and meet program mandates. She warned that employee‑benefit costs are changing: ERS rates are up slightly while TRS rates are lower, and FICA exposure will increase partly because of higher salaries and an $8,000 rise in the FICA wage base. The business office also said it is examining broader health‑insurance eligibility that would extend coverage to more employees and will increase benefit costs.

Wallach said some of the planned work will be funded via budget transfers that will appear on future agendas. She noted the district secured financing for the energy contract in December and has rolled out a business‑credentialing system to manage contractors and facility users, a new service the district said is still in early implementation.

The meeting record shows the board asked clarifying questions about whether specific HVAC units were part of the energy performance contract; Wallach said the Hammocks rooftop unit replacements (covered by a purchase order of about $1,600,000 for eight units) were not part of the energy contract because they likely would not produce the energy savings required to be included.

The board did not take a formal vote on the capital reserve during this session; the proposal will return to the board with details and supporting documents, including the reserve’s prioritized project list and any required budget transfers.