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The Norwood East Campus Lobby - Bronx

Our Work

The SCA is responsible for the construction and renovation of all New York City public schools. Our responsibilities include the development and amendment of the Department of Education's (DOE) Five Year Capital Plans, as well as the design and construction of new capacity and capital improvements to our existing buildings. Details are provided in the DOE's Five-Year Capital Plan published on this site under Capital Plan Management Reports and Data.

The Plan's Capacity Category encompasses all aspects of creating new seats necessary to provide for the expansion of our system and the replacement of seats no longer available. It includes the following programs:

  • New Capacity Program
  • Pre-Kindergarten Initiative
  • Class Size Reduction Program
  • Facility Replacement Program

The Plan's Capital Investment Category focuses on improvements in existing facilities with the aim of continuing the DOE's effort to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment which helps to maximize every student's opportunity to learn. This category includes the following programs:

  • Capital Improvement Program
  • Facility Enhancements

The Plan's Mandated Program Category includes funding for non-discretionary elements such as remediation/code compliance work, prior plan completion costs, emergency work, building condition assessments, and contractor insurance.  This category also includes funding for projects required by local law or City agency mandates.

Borough listing of current active Capital Improvement and Capacity projects in construction, excluding emergency projects.

  • Capital Improvement Projects: CIP projects maintain and upgrade existing school facilities.
  • Capacity Projects description: Capacity projects are large-scale construction jobs that create additional seating capacity to the system.

*School Web Sites are created and maintained by the NYC DOE and may not yet be established.

Click on the link to see Active Projects in Construction for Capital Improvement and Capacity Projects 

The capacity category includes all programmatic elements related to creating, expanding or replacing school buildings or capacity in our school system. Given the funding constraints, the DOE has prioritized projects based on an analysis of district overcrowding. Projects that have been sited in areas of severe and persistent overcrowding are prioritized for construction. The analysis is reviewed annually based on updated enrollment projections, capacity changes and housing information.

Click here to see the new School Openings for 2015.

In addition to new school buildings and additions, the SCA invests millions of capital dollars annually to maintain and upgrade existing school buildings. Every year, the SCA manages a team of architects and engineers who visit every school to assess and rate existing building systems. Those systems rated as being in the worst condition are contemplated to be included in the Capital Plan as new projects. One primary goal is to make sure that our existing aging buildings are watertight. In order to accomplish this goal, those exterior systems that are rated poorly are prioritized to be replaced.

In a five year capital plan funding is provided for thousands of interior and exterior projects. They include new roofs, parapets, and/or windows as well as hundreds of upgrades to electrical systems, heating plants and climate controls. Other projects such as new science labs, kitchen and other room upgrades enhance the learning environment for our students. To ensure that this work does not disrupt the learning process, our contractors perform most of this work after normal school hours.

Click here to see Renovation Projects.

With over 1,500 schools and 1.1 million students, the New York City public education system is the biggest and oldest in the country. Our city has a proud history of commitment to public education since the creation of the Board of Education in 1843. When the boroughs consolidated in 1898, standardization of its architecture, construction and maintenance was overseen by the Division of School Buildings and, later, in 1989, by the New York City School Construction Authority. With this oversight comes a responsibility to honor and preserve the architectural integrity of hundreds of historic school buildings. New York City has more than 200 schools that were built more than 90 years ago.

Erected in 1787, the oldest school building is Erasmus Hall Academy in Brooklyn, which is presently a museum in the courtyard of Erasmus Hall Educational Campus. Designed by Samuel B. Leonard and built shortly after the Civil War in 1897, the oldest school still in use is PS 34 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. During the period from 1879 to 1898, James Naughton designed more than 100 schools, including Brooklyn’s first high schools. As Superintendent of School Buildings and its chief designer from 1891 to 1922, C.B.J. Snyder was credited with the construction of 350 schools and additions, which provided 80,000 seats for the city’s children. These and other outstanding architects have provided hundreds of beautiful schools that remain today as vibrant places of learning.

The SCA works closely with the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to ensure that all proposed school work conforms with standards appropriate for the age of the buildings. Design plans are submitted to SHPO for determination of eligibility in the National Register of Historic Places. If eligible, all work to be done is reviewed by the State. This process ensures that the rich architectural history of New York City public education buildings is preserved for generations to come.

Click here to see Historic School Projects.

Resolution "A" (Reso "A") projects are school specific capital improvement or enhancement projects that are funded through individual grants which are allocated by the Borough Presidents or members of the New York City Council. These projects are very important to the school community because they provide enhancements and upgrades to existing facilities. The most common Reso "A" projects are upgrades to a school's technology, auditorium, playground, science Lab and other specialty classrooms. The SCA has also been able to utilize Reso "A" funding to complete some unique and innovative projects such as a Challenger Space Center, an Edible Schoolyard (farm), planetarium upgrade and Green roofs. The SCA is grateful to our elected officials for entrusting us with this capital funding that has led to numerous enhancements in schools throughout the City.

Click here to see Resolution A Projects.

The Pre-Kindergarten Initiative creates high quality seats in every borough and closes the access gap for neighborhoods throughout the City.  In order to ensure the greatest availability and distribution of seats, the SCA is leasing spaces for pre-kindergarten centers and expanding the number of pre-kindergarten classrooms in new buildings where Elementary level seats are offered.

Click here to see Universal Pre-Kindergarten School Projects.