With the first day of school just two weeks away, the Pine Plains School Board finalized its policy to mitigate extreme classroom heat and reviewed plans for the stricter cellphone ban at its Wednesday, Aug. 19, meeting.
Legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul last December established that students and staff should be moved to cooler spaces if the classroom temperature reaches 88 degrees. The law also requires action at 82 degrees, such as turning off overhead lights or turning on fans. District policies must be in place by Sept. 1 — two days before school begins.
In presenting his heat mitigation plan to the board, Facilities Director Richard McKibben said he measured temperatures in the second-floor classrooms at Stissing Mountain High School. “These are the hottest locations in the district,” he said. “I did this on a day (in late June) where [the heat index] was nearly 105 degrees outside. It was so humid that all you could do was sit and sweat.”
McKibben checked the temperature at desk level in the center of each room between 2 and 5 p.m. “I was surprised to find that the classroom temperatures ranged from 84 to 88 degrees,” he said. “This was probably because the shades were down and the lights were out.”
McKibben said that Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center is mostly air-conditioned, but that Cold Spring Early Learning Center has nine classrooms that need cooling. “Residential air conditioners available at Home Depot wouldn’t be strong enough — especially when you add the body heat from 20 students and a teacher,” he said. “You need commercial units, which would cost around $38,000 annually to rent.”
According to McKibben, a cost-effective alternative would be to install ductless mini-split systems. “We’ve put two in Seymour Smith that are working flawlessly, and should last at least 10 years,” he said. “We’re going to install a third at Cold Spring.” McKibben said that one mini-split cools one classroom; nine would cost $38,150. “But it’s a one-time purchase, and the units also provide some heat in the winter,” he said.
The cost of air-conditioning is not in the 2025-26 district budget. “That is a future conversation,” Superintendent Brian Timm said. “For this school year, if we know it will be ridiculously hot in the instructional spaces, we’ll have the Cold Spring students move to Seymour Smith. In the junior/senior high school, we’ll plan for hot rooms to move into the [air-conditioned] library or auditorium, or a room where we can put fans.”
McKibben also recommended that staff members close the blinds to keep out the morning sun on hot days. “We may also use window foam for insulation and to reflect sunlight,” he said.
Another new state law signed by Hochul in May bans the use of internet-enabled devices — such as personal smart phones and watches — from bell to bell (7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.). School-issued electronics like laptops are excluded. “All districts must develop a board-approved policy by Sept. 1,” Timm said, noting that the district’s guidelines had already been updated at the July 15 board meeting.
Students must store smart devices in their secured lockers during the school day. “We don’t anticipate any problems at Cold Spring or Seymour Smith,” Timm said. “[Any issues] would be addressed on a case-by-case basis.” Timm expects more challenges at the high school, in part due to the higher number of cellphone users. “If some students find it difficult, they may have to bring their phone to the front office,” he said. “This would also be case-by-case.”
According to Timm, an adult who sees a student using their device would notify Principal Christopher Boyd. “There will be growing pains in the beginning,” he said. ”But we will smooth things out over time.”
School Board President Amie Fredericks added, “We’re in a much better place than other schools, since we’ve already had rules in place [for two years]. Other districts are starting from ground zero.” (Pine Plains banned cellphone use during class and study hall beginning September 2023, but not at lunch or between classes.)
In other business, the board voted to hold a public referendum on its $12.9 million capital projects proposal on Oct. 15. “We will use $9.1 million out of our capital reserve fund, with the intention of borrowing up to $3.8 million if needed,” Timm said. “If the first phase of the building projects comes in under budget” — which includes the repair of the high school roof, elevator, and sports facilities — “then we may not need to borrow the full amount.”
The board approved a scholarship account for the class of 2026, a new fourth- and fifth-grade club sponsored by the Stissing Theatre Guild, and hired several teachers. Timm said the district now has a full complement of instructional staff, but added, “We still need more bus drivers.”
Timm will be meeting with all district town boards to discuss the possibility of closing one school due to declining enrollment — a 44% drop since 2004. “I will present an abridged version of what we’ve discussed the past school year: It is not new information,” he said. “I’ll explain why we’re right-sizing to make the town boards aware, so they can ask questions.”
After speaking to the Pine Plains Town Board on Thursday, Aug. 21, Timm will attend the Town of Stanford meeting on Sept. 11, and the Town of Milan’s on Sept. 15. The remaining schedule is pending.