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Record of Proceedings

Joint School Construction Board (JSCB) Meeting – October 29, 2026

Public Meetings — Thursday, October 29, 2026
BodySyracuse, New York
SessionPublic Meetings
DateThursday, October 29, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

3:12

There we go.

3:13

There we go.

3:14

The magic part of the we blame them.

3:18

We blame them.

3:19

We were right.

3:21

Thanks, Caleb.

Speaker 2

3:23

So now we will call the order meeting of the uh October twenty-ninth JSCB meeting.

3:29

I'll uh entertain a motion for acceptance of the September twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-six minute meetings.

3:36

So moved.

3:39

Any abstentions, any objections?

3:41

Hearing none approved.

3:44

Secretary's report.

Speaker 1

3:46

Yes, good morning, Mayor and Board members.

3:53

We have three meetings scheduled, two in November and one in December.

3:59

So we know the the parties are very focused on

Unassigned speaker

4:03

it.

Speaker 1

4:17

So my proposal is at the next board meeting in November, we can bring in our outside PLA council and have an executive session because I think after our November tenth meeting with the trade unions, we'll have a better sense of where that stands.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

We'll we'll we've sent that to them and we'll see how it goes on November.

Speaker 2

5:03

Okay.

5:03

Thank you.

Speaker 1

5:04

And then we'll report back.

Speaker 2

5:05

Okay.

Speaker 1

5:06

Um a different front.

5:08

We have before you the annual directors and officers liability insurance.

5:13

The premium actually went down slightly this year, which is unusual in the world we live in.

5:18

Everything seems to be going up.

5:20

And it's uh the same insurance company that we've had for years.

5:24

We're we're kind of a hard board to write insurance bar because we're kind of a quasi board.

5:30

We we're a joint entity of the city and the school district, so we're not really an independent corporation, but they've always come through for us, so I would recommend we go with this policy again.

Speaker 2

5:42

Okay.

Speaker 1

5:44

And um finally uh when we can discuss it more with the program manager.

5:49

We have the ICO RFP ready for your consideration.

5:55

The Turner and JSCB staff has spent a lot of time trying to fine-tune the um, especially the fee portion in light of the previous RFP that um proved challenging.

6:08

And so we hope this new and approved version will get a better result.

Speaker 2

6:13

Awesome.

Speaker 1

6:14

That completes my report.

Speaker 2

6:15

Thank you, sir.

6:16

Thank

Unassigned speaker

6:16

you.

Unassigned speaker

6:17

Our

Speaker 2

6:17

report of the program manager.

Speaker 3

6:22

Good morning.

6:24

Um we did get uh SED submission response as part of our SED submission.

6:30

We submitted um

Unassigned speaker

6:33

uh

Speaker 3

6:33

revised calculations for building aid MCA.

6:37

We did get a response from SED.

6:39

The aid went down on two of the buildings.

6:41

Um we have had conversations with SED last week.

6:45

Uh we're scheduled to meet with them again next week to discuss um solutions to the reduction in aid at those two buildings, Webster and Seymour.

6:55

So hopefully um we can get that aid back

Unassigned speaker

6:59

up

Speaker 3

6:59

and would not have to cut back any scope at those buildings.

Speaker 2

7:02

What was the reasoning for the reduction?

Speaker 3

7:04

Uh primarily it's just uh overall the enrollment projection in the district is going down, so that drives

Unassigned speaker

7:11

the

Speaker 3

7:11

number of classrooms that they aid, but with the economic growth for the area, we're hoping to go back with a revised uh projection.

Speaker 2

7:22

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

7:25

The

Speaker 2

7:25

number of classrooms hasn't been reduced.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procurement█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Procedural██████████████████████████30%
Education Funding█████████████████19%
Summary of Proceedings

Joint School Construction Board (JSCB) Meeting – October 29, 2026

The Joint School Construction Board (JSCB) met on October 29, 2026, to review project updates, approve routine actions, and authorize key resolutions. The board discussed progress on the capital program, including a reduction in state aid for two schools, a shift in the comprehensive plan to prioritize Blodgett School, and the issuance of a new RFP for Independent Cost Oversight (ICO) services. All resolutions were approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The board approved the minutes from the September 24, 2026 meeting without objection or abstention.

Discussion Items

  • Secretary's Report (Joe):
    • Upcoming meetings scheduled: two in November and one in December. Proposed an executive session at the next board meeting with outside PLA counsel following a November 10 meeting with trade unions.
    • Annual Directors & Officers liability insurance premium decreased slightly this year; recommended renewal with the same insurer.
    • The ICO RFP is ready for consideration. The fee structure was refined based on challenges from a previous RFP, aiming for a better response.
  • Program Manager's Report:
    • State Aid Reduction: SED reduced building aid for two schools, Webster and Seymour, due to declining enrollment projections. Discussions with SED are ongoing to restore aid and avoid scope cuts.
    • Design Progress: Architects have completed design development (DD) documents and are moving to construction documents (CD). The construction manager is preparing estimates. Anticipated timeline: CD submission to state in April/May 2027, bid release in June 2027, construction start in September 2027.
    • Procurement: The ICO RFP, if approved, would be issued with proposals due by December 3, 2026. Board members were asked to review and provide feedback by the end of the week for potential addenda.
    • Comprehensive Plan Change: Blodgett School repairs are being prioritized over Delaware Primary School due to worse conditions (e.g., floors). Dr. Remember explained the plan is simply reordering phases; Delaware repairs would follow two years later. No objections were raised.
  • Board Discussion on ICO RFP: A board member inquired whether the ICO must submit a diversity plan. It was confirmed that the RFP includes an attachment (the JSCB diversity plan) that all vendors must comply with. The board noted the importance of consistent standards.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution #20 (Monthly Payment): Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution #21 (Comprehensive Plan Amendment): Approved unanimously, switching the order of work to prioritize Blodgett School over Delaware Primary School.
  • Resolution #22 (Directors & Officers Insurance): Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution #23 (ICO RFP Authorization): Approved unanimously, with the board allowed to submit feedback for potential addenda by the end of the week.
  • Executive Session: Scheduled for the November meeting (likely November 17 or 19) to discuss PLA matters with counsel.
  • 3B Buildings: Architect and CM services RFPs for three additional buildings planned for December authorization, with architect selection expected by Q2 2027.

Meeting Transcript

There we go. There we go. The magic part of the we blame them. We blame them. We were right. Thanks, Caleb. So now we will call the order meeting of the uh October twenty-ninth JSCB meeting. I'll uh entertain a motion for acceptance of the September twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-six minute meetings. So moved. Any abstentions, any objections? Hearing none approved. Secretary's report. Yes, good morning, Mayor and Board members. We have three meetings scheduled, two in November and one in December. So we know the the parties are very focused on it. So my proposal is at the next board meeting in November, we can bring in our outside PLA council and have an executive session because I think after our November tenth meeting with the trade unions, we'll have a better sense of where that stands. We'll we'll we've sent that to them and we'll see how it goes on November. Okay. Thank you. And then we'll report back. Okay. Um a different front. We have before you the annual directors and officers liability insurance. The premium actually went down slightly this year, which is unusual in the world we live in. Everything seems to be going up. And it's uh the same insurance company that we've had for years. We're we're kind of a hard board to write insurance bar because we're kind of a quasi board. We we're a joint entity of the city and the school district, so we're not really an independent corporation, but they've always come through for us, so I would recommend we go with this policy again. Okay. And um finally uh when we can discuss it more with the program manager. We have the ICO RFP ready for your consideration. The Turner and JSCB staff has spent a lot of time trying to fine-tune the um, especially the fee portion in light of the previous RFP that um proved challenging. And so we hope this new and approved version will get a better result. Awesome. That completes my report. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Our report of the program manager. Good morning. Um we did get uh SED submission response as part of our SED submission. We submitted um uh revised calculations for building aid MCA. We did get a response from SED. The aid went down on two of the buildings. Um we have had conversations with SED last week. Uh we're scheduled to meet with them again next week to discuss um solutions to the reduction in aid at those two buildings, Webster and Seymour.

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