By: Jennifer Marino
We-re all very pleased and very relieved, said Board of Education President Marcia Hirsch. Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Johnson summed it up in one word, Phew. Dr. Johnson also thanked everyone who came out to support the bond.
The bond is funding a long term five-year-plus capital projects plan. The projects being funded by the bond issue would have had to be undertaken whether or not the bond passed. In the event that the bond did not pass, funding for these projects would have been put into the budget. The idea to use a bond to fund capital projects came up during the budget process in January and February. A list of possible projects first surfaced in July with the emphasis on health, safety and repair.
Throughout the summer the list was honed to cover the most necessary work. The Board of Education tour of the school buildings on Sept. 1 helped the board to prioritize the list in time to make a formal presentation to the public on Sept. 22.
The final list of projects included in the bond added up to $15,170,732. The projects include repairing bathrooms, installing new lighting in classrooms and replacing doors and windows.
Residents will begin to see an increase in their taxes starting in the 2006-07 school year. The school district used a $500,000 home to represent the average homeowner in Rockville Centre when figuring out the tax impact. The average homeowner will see an increase in their taxes of less than $20 in 2006-07. The full impact will be in 2009-10, when the average homeowner will see an increase about $140, or $3 per $100 of assessed valuation.
The school district hopes to start work as soon as possible. One major project that will probably take place next summer is the replacement of the heating system at South Side Middle School. Some of the high-cost items at each school include $64,000 for classroom lighting at Covert, $385,000 for window replacements at Hewitt, $200,000 for two new boilers at Riverside, $302,000 for windows at Wilson, $46,000 for asphalt work at Watson, $800,000 for windows at South Side High School and $1,125,000 for the new heating system at South Side Middle School. These figures are estimates.
A full list of all projects for each school is available at the school district Web site www.rvcschools.org.
Comments on this story? JMarino@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext 221
