Poughkeepsie City School District

On the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, the first sentence of a front-page Poughkeepsie Journal article made clear the importance of the day:

“The direction of the Poughkeepsie City School District for the next decade will be determined by voters today.”

The community on that day overwhelmingly approved a pair of propositions, the Strong Schools Equal Strong Communities capital project, which set the stage for what has become a decade of transformation within the school district.

Between those initial approvals and subsequent projects launched through votes and program opportunities in the following years, the district is in the midst of roughly $150 million in capital construction and improvements that have already made a sizable impact on the student experience and will continue for the next few years. State aid has paid for more two-thirds of the cost.

The work when it was conceived several years ago, was broken into five phases for managing the scope of the work and measuring progress. While those timelines have shifted and now overlap, they remain a roadmap for the district, and interested residents, to follow. The fifth phase is projected to be completed in fall 2026. Additional projects, including additions and fixes to the Jane Bolin Administration Building and a complete renovation of the facilities and transportation hub on 11 College Ave., are in the planning stages.

That’s in addition to other transformative projects not included in those capital projects, including the district’s initiative to remodel all building cafeterias and install updated playground equipment at each elementary school.

On these pages, take a look at what work has already happened, what work is in progress and what is still to come.