Community Update December 15, 2023
NCS Community Update 12/15/23
NCS Community:
As they so often are, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation as we approach the Holiday break and transition to the new year. Our goal for the next few days is to maintain a healthy focus on learning while also recognizing the need to celebrate the season through a variety of events.
Over the past few weeks, it has been a pleasure to watch both our elementary school musicians and high school musicians perform their holiday concerts. Both were well attended and as always, the performances were outstanding. Further adding to the spirit of the season, our chorus and band members at the HS provided some wonderful music last week end at the Light Up Naples event-this is truly a unique community event and as a school district we are grateful to be a part of it.
As you may recall, last year NCS received and accepted a grant to cover the majority cost of two electric school buses and related infrastructure. Given the current NYS mandates around transition to EV buses, it made sense to pursue the grant when the opportunity arose. Whether or not these mandates remain or change in the future is unknown; currently there is much debate across the state regarding them and it is my belief this is a good thing as many questions remain as to how districts could afford such costs should the mandate remain in place. We expect to take delivery of our buses within the next month with infrastructure work to follow. We anticipate adding these vehicles to our fleet later this school year.
In regard to our capital project, work is progressing on schedule. Significant abatement and demolition has been completed in our HS Auditorium, and we are nearing closer to the completion of the first round of remodeled classrooms at NES. Our final inspection for the completed NES playground will be taking place within the next few days; we look forward to celebrating the grand opening with our students who have patiently been waiting for the day since last spring! We have and continue to be very appreciative of the flexibility shown by staff and students throughout this work, and it should also be noted that the contractors involved in the projects have been exceptional in terms of their responsiveness and care when it comes to minimizing disruptions.
I hope each of you enjoys a happy holiday and I wish you all the best in 2024. As always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Kevin Swartz
NCS Superintendent
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