The Pine Plains Board of Education reviewed a proposal to set aside $400,000 for renovations at Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center during its Oct. 20 meeting, following its decision earlier this month to close Cold Spring Early Learning Center. The board also received a clean financial audit and an annual report from Stissing Mountain High School Principal Christopher Boyd.
New York state limits a school district’s unassigned fund balance to 4% of its annual budget. District business official Laura Rafferty told the board that Pine Plains has $692,980 in unassigned funds above that threshold. She had previously recommended transferring the full amount to the district’s capital reserve fund.
But after the board voted Oct. 6 to close Cold Spring Early Learning Center, Rafferty revised her recommendation, proposing that $400,000 be set aside to prepare Seymour Smith to accommodate additional students and staff in the 2027-28 school year.
The proposed allocation is consistent with an Aug. 4 educational impact statement submitted by the district’s Building Utilization Advisory Committee, which estimated initial consolidation costs at $290,000 to $330,000.
“That would include the new playground, some new fencing, parking, and adult bathrooms,” Rafferty said.
She recommended transferring the remaining $292,980 to the capital reserve fund. Board member Fred “Chip” Couse emphasized that the renovations would be a one-time expense.
Separately, Sean Bannen of UHY LLP, the accounting firm conducting the district’s independent audit, presented a draft report that received an “unmodified or a clean opinion,” which he described as the desired outcome.
Boyd also led board members on a tour of Stissing Mountain High School before presenting his annual report.
“This year our focus is being present,” Boyd said.
Among the school’s new offerings is a sixth-grade communications class taught by social studies teacher Brendan Lobrutto, which focuses on leadership and public speaking. Art teacher Kaitlyn Niznik is teaching a digitally aided design course that introduces students to industry-standard Adobe software, while students in technology teacher James Benincasa’s classes have undertaken hands-on projects, including building a chicken coop.
Boyd said student interest appears to be shifting from computer science toward trade classes. The school hopes to bring more programs currently offered through the BOCES Career and Technical Institute (CTI) into its own classrooms.
The high school currently offers five Dutchess Community College courses, six Advanced Placement courses, and three courses through Marist University.
Among this year’s 52 seniors, Boyd reported 59 AP course enrollments, 59 Dutchess Community College enrollments, and 32 Marist enrollments. Students not attending CTI are taking an average of 3.4 college-level courses, he said.
“There is a cost for some of those classes, but it is significantly reduced. Marist College classes are $100 a credit, so it’s a $300 class, which is normally over $1,000,” Boyd said. “DCC is about $270. That’s one third of the cost if you took that same college class at DCC.”
The school also introduced a unified physical education program for students with disabilities, added an air hockey table to the cafeteria, and established a peer and community connections club. The club brings high school and middle school students together during lunch to talk and play games such as UNO.
Boyd said the initiatives are intended to strengthen communication and build a sense of community, particularly following the implementation of the state’s cellphone ban last year.
He also discussed plans to collaborate with Willow Roots, a local food pantry that recently moved next door to the school on West Church Street. The partnership would give students opportunities to volunteer and help with monthly food deliveries during lunch breaks.
Another planned initiative, called “Bomber Elite,” would recognize students who maintain attendance rates of 95% or higher.
Boyd connected the school’s academic offerings, extracurricular activities, and community initiatives to the state’s Portrait of a Graduate, adopted by the New York State Board of Regents in 2025. The framework identifies six attributes students should develop before graduation: academic preparedness, effective communication, critical thinking, creative innovation, global citizenship, and the ability to reflect and plan for the future.
During public comment, Kyle Stracher, a 2020 Stissing Mountain graduate who now coaches football at the school, raised concerns about the condition of the team’s equipment. He told the board that players are using the same shoulder pads and helmets he wore as a student.
“[They] have hooks and screws falling off so much that they have to be replaced multiple times during the week,” Stracher said, raising concerns about player safety and performance.
The meeting concluded with student council members from Stissing Mountain High School and Seymour Smith presenting board members with letters and drawings in recognition of School Board Recognition Week.
What are the proposed “upgrades” to Semour Smith …..Specifically?