The South Colonie School District is in the midst of a major transformation. In October 2022, voters approved a $112.5 million referendum to provide upgrades district-wide.

In January, the district closed on a property that previously housed Capital Region BOCES. The 14-acre, $1.9 million space will be used to construct a new transportation facility.

Those in the district said the upgrade is overdue since the Department of Transportation deemed the district’s current transportation building unsafe for its employees to inspect buses in 1990. 

Employees said they’ve been dealing with not enough storage space, cracks in brick, and dripping tar.

“I believe in 1986, they did some work on the roof and if you zoom in and look up, there’s lag bolts, hundreds of them throughout the roof that are dripping tar,” said Brian Sim, senior assistant transportation supervisor. "In the summertime, it gets very hot, obviously, in here, and the tar can actually get as low as your head when you’re walking through here. So you could go home with tar on your head."

The new building will also provide space to charge electric school buses.

The Next Generation Colonie project includes upgrades to district classrooms and other facilities, with the goal of updating buildings to serve future students.

“As a parent and a graduate of South Colonie, my children go to South Colonie, I am ecstatic to be a part of this process and to help the district take that next step for the next generation of our students and families,” said Jacqlene Mcallister, assistant superintendent for management services and strategic planning.

The district anticipates upgrades to all of its buildings will start in the fall, with completion in 2028.