Protecting and preserving town and school assets for the long-term was the goal of capital maintenance projects completed in school buildings this summer.

The primary project was to replace two oil-fired boilers at the high school with two new dual-fuel efficient boilers; this project also included a task to replace the existing oil burners in the middle school furnace with new dual-fuel burners. Both schools will now be able to use natural gas as the main heating fuel but can also use oil when required.

Business Manager Lesley Wysocki in April estimated that by using lower cost natural gas for heating, the district could save $132,000 in the first year alone. Since the town authorized spending up to $300,000 for the project, the town’s investment will be paid back within just a little over two years through energy unit cost savings.

“Based on a typical consumption of 80,000 gallons of fuel oil, [at current unit prices] converting from oil to natural gas fuel in 2012-13 will save $132,000,” said schools business manager Lesley Wysocki. “There also is the potential for fuel consumption reductions due to improvements in efficiency of the new boilers.”

New exterior paint freshened up the high school’s street view. This time, the school administration hopes the painting process chosen is the right one so the paint won’t peel as the last one did. After stripping off the old paint this time, the concrete blocks received a special sealant before a paint primer and then final finishing coat were applied.

Parents will also notice new art display panels the district installed in the middle school lobby to add display surfaces for student art.

Technology

This year’s budget also allowed the district to replace eighty computers at the high school and middle school as part of the computer obsolescence program.

A new computer lab was added this summer at Daisy Ingraham Elementary School to allow core classroom teachers access to a computer classroom in support of curricular activities. This new lab is in addition to the school’s main computer lab where students are taught basic computer and keyboarding skills.

The high school this year continues to support a “bring your own device” policy for students. Under the policy, students can use iPhones, iPads, and other advanced devices to augment the classroom learning experience. Technology students also got a boost this year with two new developments: a new advanced computer-aided design system to build three-dimensional design skills and a new video lab where students record and then broadcast a daily news program to the school’s classrooms.

New devices continue to be integrated into the curriculum including Apple iPads. These devices proven have proven to be extremely effective for synthesizing speech for non-verbal special education students.

“The students touch icons on the screen and the word is voiced. With this [technique] they can create sentences,” explained Superintendent of Schools Pat Charles last month.