The Pine Plains Central School District has formed a transition team to prepare for the relocation of Cold Spring Early Learning Center students to Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center for the 2027-28 school year, Superintendent Brian Timm said at the Nov. 3 Board of Education meeting.
Beginning in fall 2027, about 150 students in prekindergarten through first grade will attend classes at Seymour Smith after the board voted to close Cold Spring at its Oct. 6 meeting.
Timm said the team will coordinate the logistics of moving students and staff, communicate with the New York State Education Department, and identify potential changes to the buildings’ Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) codes, the unique identification numbers the state assigns to school buildings.
The 12-member team includes Timm and the following district staff:
- Julia Tomaine, personnel administrator
- Laura Rafferty, business official
- Kristen Fischetti, Cold Spring principal
- Julie Roberts, Seymour Smith principal
- Richard Harlin, technology director
- Richard McKibben, school facilities director
- Mike McCarthy, buildings and grounds maintenance crew
- Michael Dandola, food services director
- Kelly Roger, assistant transportation supervisor
- Janine Babcock, director of pupil personnel
- Gian Starr, curriculum director
Earlier that day, the district held a superintendent’s conference at Seymour Smith, where staff from both elementary schools had an opportunity to meet and tour the building to see where Cold Spring students might be accommodated next year.
“So the teachers and staff had the opportunity to walk the building and take a look and connect with some of the Seymour staff,” Timm said. “I know that they are colleagues but as we start to move in this direction, we’re going to look throughout the course of the year to try to set up some of these purposeful connections.”
Beginning in February 2027, the district also plans to organize events and activities at Seymour Smith for current prekindergarten through first-grade students to help familiarize them with the building before the move, Timm said.
Timm also updated the board on the second phase of the district’s $12.9 million capital improvement project, approved by voters in October 2025.
The first phase included replacing roofs at Stissing Mountain High School and resurfacing the track and tennis courts. The second phase calls for replacing the rear stairs and ramp at Seymour Smith to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as adding an exterior bathroom and storage area on campus.
Other planned improvements include sanding and refinishing the high school gym floors, constructing a concession building outside the gym, and bringing the bleachers into compliance with accessibility requirements.
The district hopes to review bids for the projects around Thanksgiving.
In other business, Amelia Bopp, a senior at Stissing Mountain High School and student council vice president, reported that the school’s new senior lounge opened Nov. 2 and has received positive feedback from students.
Located on the building’s first floor, the lounge provides seniors with a place to relax, complete homework, and spend time with friends between classes.
Access to the lounge is determined by a five-week eligibility system, Bopp said, using the same academic requirements that apply to school clubs. Students who fail two or more classes during the first five weeks of the school year lose access until the next marking period.
“That has been our work in progress for this year and I got a lot of good feedback about it yesterday, a lot of students really enjoyed going in there during their study halls,” Bopp said. “I think it’s a really good opportunity to reward those students who are doing well in school.”
Bopp said she is working with the student council and Principal Christopher Boyd to add a couch to the lounge, with a vending machine and gaming system also under consideration. Some students have even offered to bring in a streaming device to watch Netflix, she said.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Seymour Smith, beginning with a tour of the building.