LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Lackawanna City School District students are getting a few extra days of summer vacation. Classes will now start on September 8, the day after Labor Day instead of September 2.
"We are very excited to welcome our students back, and we're ready to welcome them back," Dr. Elizabeth Giangreco said.
Giangreco is assistant superintendent for Instructional Services.
She tells me district leaders pushed back the start date to give teachers more time to prepare their classrooms following the completion of major renovation work.
"And we're used to having teachers come into our buildings weeks ahead of time, and so that was part of the factor of the decision -- is also thinking about what do our teachers need as well," Giangreco said.
WATCH: Lackawanna City School District pushes back start of school year to September 8
Giangreco said the district is grateful to parents who were understanding about the situation, particularly those who may have had scheduling issues.
"But we do recognize that some of our families do have planned for that childcare, and that's why we wanted to get the message out sooner than later," Giangreco said.
The district is in the midst of an $81 million capital project in its first and second phases, impacting all 4 buildings across the district.
Nicole Balon, acting director of facilities, highlighted some of the upgrades students will find when they return.
"At the high school, we have newly renovated STEM classroom. It's beautiful. It opens out to a green space on the campus where students can go out," Balon said.
Work is also underway at the middle school.
"In the middle school, we are renovating the library that is used for both middle and high school. That will be finished in December. We had a bunch of middle school classrooms renovated. They're all ready to go for the new school year," Balon said.
The district's athletics complex has also undergone extensive renovations.
"We have new turf fields for football, softball, baseball," Balon said.
New outdoor lighting is also part of the upgrades.
"We've never had outdoor lighting before, so we'll be able to have evening games at home. And I know the community is really looking forward to that," Balon said.
More improvements are on the way as the district says it continues to experience enrollment spikes.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
