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Overcast North Shore School District seeks to amend capital reserve
The North Shore School District is looking to amend its capital reserve fund to help cover the cost of replacing the high school’s artificial-turf field.
The proposed amendment, an-nounced at the March 23 Board of Education meeting, would allow for the use of money from the fund to cover the cost of a new field.
A capital re-serve fund is effectively a savings account for the district, in which unused budget funds are set aside to pay for certain projects. The North Shore’s capital reserve was established in 2016 following a public vote.
This year, the district is hoping to use the capital reserve, which currently holds $1.9 million, to fund the replacement of the field, which is technically not covered by the original terms of the reserve. The district is also proposing using some of the funds to convert an unused space into a dance studio, but since that is covered under the terms of the reserve, it is not part of the proposed amendment.
Chris Zublionis, North Shore’s superintendent of schools, said the district was looking for a way to replace the field, but due to the reduced income from the Long Island Power Authority deal and the end of several government bonds, it wasn’t able to afford it through the regular budget.
“When we began the budget process we had a very clear goal,” Zublionis said. “That goal was zero percent tax levy increase, turf field, dance studio and the continuation of all of our programming. It soon became very clear that that was going to be much more of a challenge than we thought.”
The district has already set aside $350,000 from the 2023-24 budget for the field and the studio, and is also expecting a grant from Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan to help cover the cost.
Even so, Zublionis said, the district lacks the funds to complete both projects without dipping into the capital reserve.
Replacing the turf has been a hot-button topic for many parents and students the last few years, and parent groups such as the Booster Club and North Shore Athletics Advocates have spoken out on the project’s necessity. The push to replace the turf field has become particularly relevant as it was installed a decade ago, which is the field’s typical lifespan.
Once a turf field reaches 10 years old, it can develop issues which affect quality of play and even the health and safety of student-athletes. Last year several parents blamed the old turf field for leg injuries sustained by their children, asserting that the turf’s age increased the students’ chances of rolling their ankles or getting shin splints.
Dave Ludmar, president of the district’s Board of Education, explained that fixing the turf has been a top priority for some time, and that he and the other trustees were excited at the opportunity to address the concerns of the athletic community. He also emphasized that drawing from the capital reserve will not cost taxpayers any extra money.
“The turf really serves our students, both in school when they’re doing gym classes and our extracurricular athletic teams, and it also serves the community as a whole,” Ludmar continued. “Very importantly, this doesn’t ask for any more money from our taxpayers. It just allows us to use the money that’s already in there to be spent on this project instead of the ones that are still remaining from the original creation of the fund.”
The creation of the dance studio sits high on the district’s project list because as Zublionis and Ludmar both cited, participation in the dance department has grown, despite the lack of established space for them to practice. Added as an alternative to athletics four years ago, the dance department has never had its own space and has practiced in various gyms and empty rooms throughout the years.
Taxpayers in the district will have the chance to vote on whether to approve the amendment on the same day as the budget vote — May 16. They will also be able to vote on whether to approve the use of the capital reserve funds, as the district is not allowed to use them without voter support.
