Saturday, October 10, 2026
Wantagh school district voters will decide in December whether to approve a $69.85 million bond referendum that would reshape athletic facilities, expand universal pre-kindergarten (UPK), overhaul the district auditorium and add new music spaces at Wantagh High School.
The Board of Education adopted the proposal at its Sept. 24 meeting, setting a Dec. 1 vote on a package that Superintendent John McNamara said represents the next phase of the district’s long-term facilities work.
“We’re just finishing up a round of work” from the district’s previous bond, McNamara said. “The focus of this bond was really taking the other portions of our facilities to the next level.”
The district’s previous bond, approved in 2022, focused heavily on infrastructure, including windows, classroom heating and cooling systems, cafeterias and bathrooms. McNamara said the new proposal shifts the emphasis toward extracurricular spaces, athletics and expanding classroom capacity.
One of the significant additions would be six UPK classrooms at Wantagh Elementary School. The roughly 7,100-square-foot addition is expected to cost about $5.12 million.
The district currently has nine UPK spaces, but McNamara said some will eventually need to return to other classroom uses. The new classrooms would allow the district to offer roughly 10 to 11 UPK classes each year, enough to meet demand.
The district currently serves about 160 UPK students, McNamara said, while a typical grade level has about 200 students.
“Ultimately, we will no longer need to do a lottery system for our UPK program,” he said.
The addition also would allow students to attend UPK at the elementary school they would later attend for kindergarten through fifth grade.
The bond also would make a major investment in the district’s performing arts facilities.
An approximately 6,000-square-foot music wing addition at the high school would provide a dedicated band room of more than 2,000 square feet and a new chorus space. The $8.05 million project also would allow the district to reclaim space behind the auditorium stage that was converted into a band room years ago.
That would give the high school’s drama program room for dressing areas, set construction and prop storage, amenities it currently lacks.
“We have an outstanding fine and performing arts program, great, great music program,” McNamara said. “And our current auditorium is dated and needs to be renovated.”
The $5.8 million auditorium renovation would affect more than just high school performers. The auditorium is the district’s only such space and is used for concerts, drama productions, awards ceremonies and moving-up ceremonies for students throughout the district.
“It’s really a space that’s very widely used,” McNamara said. “It’s in use daily for various functions.”
Athletics make up the largest portion of the proposal, with $38.02 million earmarked for improvements at the secondary campus and Forest Lake Elementary School. The work includes varsity fields and a new athletic building at the high school, improvements to the Forest Lake fields and additional parking there, along with improvements at Mandalay Elementary School.
More than 60 percent of Wantagh students in grades seven through 12 participate in at least one sports season, McNamara said.
The district’s layout is part of the reason for the athletic investment. Wantagh Middle School and Wantagh High School share a secondary campus, meaning the district effectively has one major athletic complex serving both schools.
McNamara envisions the renovated Forest Lake fields, a short walk from the middle school across the footbridge, as a junior varsity and middle school athletic complex, while varsity competition would remain centered at the high school.
The proposal also includes elementary playground improvements, plumbing and window replacements, paving and curb work, security upgrades, fencing and gates, bathroom renovations, a new maintenance building at the middle school and a new comfort station at Forest Lake.
The district’s capital improvements committee, formed in January and led by McNamara, included community members, administrators, the district architect, construction manager and facilities director. The group visited every district facility before presenting recommendations to the board.
If voters approve the bond, McNamara said the district hopes to begin some work as early as July 2027. Playground and athletic field projects could begin that summer, with the fields expected to be ready for the spring 2028 season. The auditorium renovation would begin in July 2027, with an anticipated reopening in January 2028.
The new band, chorus and UPK spaces would take longer, with the district targeting September 2028 openings.
A separate proposition on the Dec. 1 ballot would ask voters to authorize up to $1.3 million from the district’s existing Capital Reserve Fund for completion of the middle school window project and HVAC upgrades at the high school. That money is separate from the $69.85 million bond.
“The proposed bond represents a significant investment in our students, schools and community,” Board of Education President Jennifer Perfetti said in a statement. “These projects address critical facility needs while creating enhanced learning environments and opportunities that will benefit Wantagh students for years to come.”
The bond and capital reserve propositions will be decided Dec. 1 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Mandalay, Wantagh and Forest Lake elementary schools.
Voters who are not registered can do so through Nov. 25 at the district administration building, 3301 Beltagh Ave., during regular District Clerk office hours. A special registration day will be held Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
