In 2017, voters authorized Brighton Central School District to undertake a capital improvement project at all four of the District’s schools. At Council Rock Primary School, those improvements included a new entrance and main office, 12 new classrooms, and a new cafeteria and library. The main objective of the first phase was to build capacity to offer full-day kindergarten.
On December 4, 2024, the District is asking voters to consider Council Rock Primary School Phase 2, a project that would create consistent learning environments by upgrading classrooms and provide increased opportunities for active play and exercise. These educational spaces were not included in Phase 1 because of the tax implications at the time and the impact construction would have had on the educational program. Now, after the five-year state aid reset period and additional classrooms built in Phase 1, we can revisit the scope proposed in this project.
“Although the improvements that happened in our last renovation are incredible and are certainly most visible, there are still many areas of our school that continue to need updating,” Council Rock Principal Matt Tappon said. “The remaining classrooms are in need of not only some cosmetic face lifts, but also some critical electrical work and other infrastructure to allow them to be in line with those amazing new classrooms. We are excited to bring the whole building to this new level."
The scope of the project is as follows:
- Provide consistent learning environments by upgrading 31 classrooms. This includes: flooring and wall improvements, door replacement, flexible storage, toilet room upgrades, and lighting and electrical upgrades.
- Expanding the southeast playground and making it more inclusive and accessible.
- Flooring, door, and wall tile replacement in the west, east, and south wing corridors, including abatement as necessary.
- Roof reconstruction for the art room and northwest wing.
- Installation of a turf physical education space to provide increased opportunities for active outdoor play and exercise.
The 31 classrooms were built in 1957. The plumbing is original to the classrooms and the electrical setup is old and not prepared for today’s technology and devices.
In addition to the infrastructure improvements, the built-in cubbies, island countertops, and chalkboards would be removed. They would be replaced with movable cubbies and furniture and a wall-mounted Promethean board (which currently is on a large floor stand).
Second grade teachers Ashley Youngman and Nicole Ureles taught in the old-style classrooms before moving into the new wing.
“We really like that there’s no fixed placement of our furniture, and it's this open canvas that we can use and change for whatever type of lesson we're doing,” Ureles said. “The furniture is on wheels, so we could just wheel the furniture to the side and do a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) lesson with the students. Having that flexibility to change the space has been really great.”
By changing the layout to suit the day’s lesson, students are learning in different areas of the classroom and collaborating with different friends. The teachers love to ask students what’s working and not working with the layout and immediately moving things to accommodate their needs.
“I think that when you walk into these newer classrooms, it's a different feeling,” Youngman said. “And it's not due to anything other than the space. It's an invitation to make and think. It's just the sheer structure of the space and how everything is movable and flexible.”
Another element of the proposal is to make an addition to the southeast playground. The school’s two playgrounds can get crowded at recess with around 740 students in the school.
The addition would include a new poured-rubber surface as opposed to woodchips, making it easier to navigate for students who use wheelchairs and walkers or who have mobility challenges. New playground equipment that’s lower to the ground would be more accessible and inclusive.
“We want to create an environment where everybody can move together, feel welcome, and experience the joy of being physically active,” Council Rock Physical Therapist Dr. Barb Flender said. “It is a wonderful thing when all children, regardless of their abilities, can play and interact with each other, supporting equity and inclusion."
A visible improvement included in this project is upgrading the grass field used for physical education and youth recreation activities to turf. Physical education teachers Kristen Cooper and Max Krieger use a grass field for many of their lessons, including throwing, kicking, striking, catching, and field activities. They are limited in how often and consistently they can get outside due to the current field being unlevel and getting muddy after rain.
“The field now is a little unlevel which limits the amount of space we can use,” Krieger said. “A turf field would provide more suitable conditions for equipment and allow us to expand the range of usable space. This would allow students more room to explore various skills successfully, and ultimately, provide a more equitable space for all of our students.”
A more reliable surface would also provide more space when multiple classes have physical education class together. Council Rock’s physical education curriculum aims to be outside as often as possible to help promote healthy habits.
“Outside, we have the fresh air and the sunlight, and it gives a little bit more enjoyment to our students,” Cooper said. “Research shows that fresh air helps reduce anxiety, provides more social interaction to kids, promotes positive emotions, and most kids just love to be outside.”
Cooper also explained that they want to encourage outdoor play as much as possible while recognizing the school day may be the only time some students have an opportunity to play outside.
The capital project proposition would authorize the appropriation of $19,125,000 for building and site improvements at Council Rock Primary School. The proposition requests the authorization to withdraw $3,000,000 from the existing capital reserve fund. The balance of $16,125,000 would be paid through local taxes and state aid. The estimated future tax impact on homes assessed at $250,000 is $18.00 per year. While this phase of construction has a future tax impact, the cumulative impact on the local tax levy is less than the amount approved by the voters in the 2017 Brighton Facilities Improvement Plan.
Qualified residents of the Brighton Central School District will vote on a proposition in a special vote on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Central Administration Building, Gymnasium, Door 4, 2035 Monroe Ave.
A public hearing on the project is scheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Central Administration Building Board Room, 2035 Monroe Ave. A community forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in the same location. We look forward to sharing more information and answering your questions.
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Board of Education Presentation - Sept. 17, 2024