Albany

City School District residents will have an opportunity at the polls Tuesday to approve or reject two facility proposals aimed at alleviating space constraints and providing equitable education to the city's middle school students.

The proposals total about $10.6 million, and would be financed through a mix of capital reserves and state aid. School tax bills will not increase as a result, district officials say.

The first proposal asks residents to approve a $6.5 million renovation project at the district's 50 N. Lark Street building that would bring it up to snuff with the district's other middle schools, Hackett and Myers. The second proposal asks voters for permission to buy the former Brighter Choice charter middle school building at 395 Elk St. for $4.1 million.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Tuesday. The votes will be at the polling locations typically used for the school budget vote in May, not at the locations used for the general election in November.

The district plans to open 50 North Lark St., currently used to house alternative education programs, as its newest middle school in the fall. This will happen with or without the proposed renovations. But if the district is serious about providing equitable education to its students, regardless of ZIP code, then the three-story building on the city's north side is going to need some work, board of education members say.

"The proposition is not about whether or not to open a new middle school," district spokesman Ron Lesko said. "Proposition #1 is about what type of school the students will attend when the 2017-18 school year begins."

Repairs and upgrades are needed to the gym, pool area, science classrooms and roof, he said. In addition, the district wants to install a commercial kitchen suitable for feeding up to 600 and expand the cafeteria and serving area.

State aid would cover $5.2 million, or 80 percent, of the renovation costs. The district would use $1.3 million from its capital reserve fund to cover the rest. District officials point out that voters established this fund in 2014 to allow the district to save money for long-term facility needs.

The North Lark Street building will serve as a temporary middle school site for 3 to 5 years while the district's grade configuration committee evaluates options for a permanent site. Given its relative good shape and size, the building is already a serious contender for the site, officials said. Even if the committee doesn't pick it, the district has other potential uses for the space, like a newcomer school for its rapidly growing population of immigrants and refugees.

The second proposal asks voters for the go-ahead to purchase the former Brighter Choice charter middle schools building on Elk Street. At $4.1 million, the district would be getting the building for 27 cents on the dollar; the since-shuttered charter schools built the school 6 years ago for $15.1 million.

The district plans to use the Elk Street space for alternative education programming. It has been using the site since Brighter Choice closed its middle schools in 2015. Forced to suddenly accommodate several hundred displaced charter school students, the district leased the space that summer and opened West Hill Middle School that fall.

But the site was only approved for temporary use as a middle school. Classrooms are smaller than the State Education Department allows for public middle schools, but ideal for the smaller class sizes characterized by alternative education, officials said.

District officials said the 54,000-square-foot building — with a total capacity of 350 to 400 students — was also unable to accommodate its burgeoning middle school population. District enrollment from prekindergarten through grade 8 has grown by 1,400 students or 26 percent over the past eight years and is projected to continue growing over the next decade.

In that case, it made sense to swap the middle school and alternative education sites, officials said. Alternative education serves far fewer children (about 140 currently), while the district expects to enroll 600 middle school students at the North Lark Street site by 2019.

Recently departed school board member Rose Brandon is urging community members to protest if the first proposal goes down. At several board meetings last year, she expressed vehement opposition to putting one segment of the city's children into a "substandard" building and at her retirement party in December called on community members to protest if the vote fails.

bbump@timesunion.com • 518-454-5387

Albany school vote

When: Tuesday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Where: Your normal school budget voting site. Click here to find your polling place or here if you know your ward.