By MIKE CAPUTO
In addition to the election of trustees and the proposed 2008-09 Lawrence school budget, which would increase by just over 3 percent and carry an increase of just under .5 percent in the tax levy, voters will decide on referendums that would authorize the use of reserve funds for two capital projects.
The school board approved all propositions for the May ballot - including the Peninsula Public Library's budget and trustee votes - at a meeting on April 1.
The first referendum, listed on the ballot as Proposition III, is a $16 million capital reserve project for districtwide improvements. A second referendum, Proposition IV, is a $1 million proposal to install an artificial-turf field at Lawrence High School.
Both projects would use funds from the $29.2 million sale of the Number One School in July 2007, money that continues to accumulate interest in a tax-reserve account. According to school officials, the reserve account is now worth about $30 million. The two projects would carry no additional cost to taxpayers.
A capital project has not been passed by District 15 voters since 1998, when a bond was approved for renovations to the Number Two School. The last referendum to rehabilitate school facilities, a proposed $20.7 million bond issue to upgrade roofs, boilers, fire escapes, masonry and plumbing, was rejected by voters in 2003 by a convincing count of 2,897 to 1,565.
Proposition III's numerous planned improvements include the refurbishment of 12 science labs in the high school and middle school; the repair of steam traps and heating systems across the district; the installation of air conditioning in the middle school auditorium; the reconstruction of the middle school's track and tennis, basketball and handball courts; and other repairs and replacements of roofs, electrical systems and windows. A more detailed description of both proposals is available on the district's Web site, lawrence.org.
Dr. David Sussman is the only current trustee who served on the school board when the first capital project was approved and the second was voted down. Sussman, the board's current vice president, who was first elected a trustee in 1995, appeared satisfied with the final proposal for Proposition III. "I feel we are attempting to create a wonderful capital repair plan that answers many needs and that will get voter approval," he said.
Vince DiFede, who represents the district's architectural firm, Weidersum Associates, presented the final proposal at the school board meeting on April 1. The proposed project underwent several revisions by the building committee, which is led by school board President Murray Forman and Trustee Uri Kaufman.
Trustee Stanley Kopilow sharply questioned DiFede about the process of making revisions. Although he supports the referendum, Kopilow has expressed concern that the building committee focused on keeping the project's expenditures at around $16 million instead of making all the necessary improvements. He also argued that he was never fully briefed on the final revisions.
"We need to make sure there is true funding to bring state of the art," Kopilow said. "I applaud the fact that the building committee is taking a very critical look at cost ... but there is a vast chasm [between] bringing a critical look to money [and] not spending what you need to spend to make capital repairs. And that is a chasm that Murray Forman has not found."
In response to the criticism from his rival trustee and a handful of residents during recent public-comment portions of meetings, Sussman alluded to the failed bond in 2003. "Those who would just stand up and try to criticize and say, 'More, more, more' can leave us in the same situation we were in several years ago, when the voters looking at the size of the plan said, 'Sorry,'" Sussman said. "Ultimately, we are all responsible to the voters."
Let the turf wars begin?
A rare 4-3 school board vote capped a spirited debate over the synthetic-turf field proposal. Trustee Michael Hatten made a motion to add the $1 million proposal to the capital project proposition, but the motion failed. It was the first time in the current school board's tenure that a motion was decided by one vote. Instead, the field proposal will appear separately on the ballot as Proposition IV, which has caused worry for Hatten.
"I was concerned that if it is singled out, it may set off inappropriate red flags, and that is a concern because in my view, it is, I believe, essential for us to capitalize on all the things this district does well," Hatten said. "We do many things well, and having a great football team is one of them."
The proposed artificial turf would replace the natural grass on the football field at the high school.
Pat Pizzarelli, the district's director of athletics, physical education and health, pitched the idea of installing an artificial-turf field with lights at a school board meeting in February. Pizzarelli has emphasized the flexibility of the synthetic field to serve teams and individuals from both the public and private school communities. "This is not just for the public school kids, this is for the entire community," he said.
Lights, which supporters said would have created more available field time for the community, were not included in Proposition IV.
The installation of artificial-turf fields has been the subject of heated debates in nearby communities, most recently in the Lynbrook school district. Opponents have raised both environmental and economic concerns. In Lawrence, Kaufman has publicly expressed concern about artificial surfaces and their impact on athletes' health.
Hatten and Pizzarelli cited several studies that concluded that synthetic surfaces are safe for students and economical for the district. In addition to reducing maintenance costs, the multi-use field could be utilized by the community, they said.
Like Hatten, Pizzarelli said he was disappointed at the decision to make the turf field a separate proposition, but pleased that it is on the ballot.
Across town, District 14 already has an artificial-turf field at the Hewlett High School, and is set to install a second one at Woodmere Middle School. More than a dozen schools, including Garden City, Oceanside and Cold Spring Harbor, either have similar fields on their grounds or use one at a nearby park. In the next two years, nine schools - including Lynbrook, Southside and Long Beach - will be installing synthetic-turf fields at their schools.
"Certainly, their children are no less important than our children," Hatten said.
Trustee Nahum Marcus, who voted against Hatten's motion along with Kaufman, Forman and Dr. Sol Blisko, said he has no objection to the new field and pledged that he would vote for Proposition IV. Marcus said, however, that in his view it is an "add-on" and should be separated from the projects included in Proposition III.
"I think a turf field is a lovely idea, but not as essential as all the items on [Proposition III]," Marcus said. "I wouldn't want that to be the cause of stopping the other."
See next week's Herald for a closer look at the Lawrence school district's proposed 2008-09 budget.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
