Rye City residents have varying opinions on upcoming school bond referendum– Will it be positive or negative for the school district and the Rye community?
The revenue generated from the proposed $19,996,000 dollar bond referendum will be used to construct 16 new classrooms, 12 science labs and 4 general education classrooms. Completion could be completed by the 2014-2015 school year. The district says there is a necessity for more modern learning facilities as well as bathrooms and locker rooms.
If the bond referendum succeeds, Rye residents will pay an average $47.17 increase in taxes for the first year that will increase to $300 by the year 2015.
Wendy Bafone has children in the middle school and high school: “I am for the bond. I feel that with the amount of kids that need the space, we need the updates for facilities, such as bathrooms, classrooms, nurse’s office. Enrollment has increased greatly.”
Nancy Pasquale, also a school district parent agrees: “The current third grade class is 273 students. At one point, there was a perception or an idea that this enrollment expansion was, in fact, a bubble. The reality is, if you look through that third grade class which would be the Rye High School class of 2021, there’s no decline in enrollment.”
But parent Ed Pellen isn't as enthusiastic: “My biggest concern is the impact…on our houses and taxes…everything’s growing out of proportion.”
But parents aren't the only residents who will vote on the referendum or shoulder its costs. Rye residents without children in the school district also have opinions.
Tom Fendler said: “I’m against the bond issue… I do not think it’s been properly presented…I think it’s been pushed through.”
Bill Becker thinks under current economic conditions, support for the bond is unrealistic: “I can’t see why they can’t just renovate the classrooms. Why do they have to replace them? If they can teach foreign languages in elementary school, why can’t they juggle the resources that they have in order to do this?”
Parent Nancy Pasquale disagrees with that strategy: “I believe that they have not included anything other than the absolute core needs, so that there’s room for kids to sit in desks and get the public education they deserve. I think every child in Rye, regardless of income, should have the ability to get the excellent education that the Rye City School District provides. I think that’s our obligation as a community.”
The bond referendum vote is Tuesday, December 13, 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. in the Rye Middle School Gymnasium.
Joan
I don't see the real rush to get this done on such short notice and the Vote Yes signs around the school are nauseating and could be illegal. I think this bond can be pared down to the $10,000,000 range then and resubmitted some time next year to the taxpayers. There may have been some improvements to the math instruction or some of the overall grades. There is still a lot of room for improvement. Why this was ignored for so long is inexcusable.
Of course, a 25 percent increase in taxes over 5 years is unsustainable, even for “wealthy” Rye. But that problem won’t be fixed by nixing the bond. It will be fixed by the District using its reserves appropriately, tightening expenses (including employee contracts), and by NYS fixing unfunded mandates – including moving to a defined contribution retirement plan. But none of these areas will be affected by the $20 million bond vote. Some will be affected by the next schools budget. And if you want to make sure spending is kept “tight”, then speak up during budget preparation and be prepared to vote “No” on the budget. The Budget increase passed earlier this year -- so now the bucks stop here. I plan to take your advice Bob and VOTE NO on the BOND. The entire thing is fiscally irresponsible in my opinion. Thanks!
I think you make a mistake tying responsibility for budget growth to the proposed bond because spending will grow w/ or w/o the bond unless budgeting practices and unfunded mandates change. And yes, I voted "No" on last year's budget (and the year prior) because there were too many expenses budgeted to increase w/o a basis for doing so. If the same happens with the next budget, I'll vote "No" again - that is, after all, a large reason for how the District runs surpluses year in and year out.
With interest-rates at historic lows and excess construction capacity available this is an ideal time to make the necessary investment....wait and we'll just pay more in either higher taxes or lower home values.