Lynbrook School District’s bond vote set for Oct. 3

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At its June 14 meeting, the Lynbrook Board of Education unanimously voted to set Oct. 3 as the date for a public vote on its $28.9 million bond proposal — a decision residents have anticipated since a $46 million proposal was voted down on March 15, 2016.

“This becomes a very important night in bond world,” said Paul Lynch, the assistant superintendent for finance, operations and information systems for Lynbrook Public Schools. The decision ended 15 months of discussions about what to do after the previous bond failed.

Dr. Melissa Burak, the Lynbrook School Disrict superintendent, said it made sense to have the vote in October. “This way, we’ll have the summer to prepare everything and have September to be able to communicate more to the community,” she said at the meeting.

The board revealed the new bond proposal at its Jan. 11 meeting, noting that the total cost of the projects would be $33.9 million, but capital reserves would cover $5 million. The remaining $28.9 million would come from the bond. As a result, residents would see a tax increase if they were to approve the bond. According to Lynch, homeowners would see an average annual increase of $168 in their school taxes, above what they paid in the 2016-17 school year.

The bond would fund three new science classrooms; upgrades to the science research facility; new classrooms for the chorus, band and orchestra; a new classroom for the Career Development program; a school store that would teach students how to run a business; and renovations to the auditorium. It would also update middle school locker rooms and add air conditioning to the elementary and middle school gyms.

History of the bond

Since residents voted down the initial proposal in March 2016, the Board of Education has discussed putting another bond up for a vote. Board members have brainstormed ways to fund school upgrades without overburdening the taxpayers. The board has also listened to feedback from community members at each of its meetings since proposing the new bond.

Some renovations included in last year’s bond proposal were cut from the updated one after voters turned it down by 314 votes. A survey conducted afterward revealed that 85 percent of respondents did not support the bond for financial reasons. “In response to that feedback, the revised proposal has been reduced by $15 million,” Burak said in a statement.

One of the cuts included a new 646-seat auditorium. Instead, the board decided to renovate the current auditorium by adding a new sound system more lighting, and improving the acoustics.

In the post-bond survey results, which the board members read publicly at the September meeting, 45.7 percent of respondents said that a new auditorium would be too costly. “That was the greatest financial component of the original bond,” Burak said at the Jan. 11 meeting. “That was an area we needed to scale back on in order to reduce the financial burden.”

While many residents believed the auditorium upgrade was unnecessary, those with children in school performance arts expressed their dissatisfaction with its elimination at the January meeting. “There is one glaring omission to this plan, in my mind,” resident Veronica Sympson Kreudel said at the time. “That is the inadequacy of the current performance space for the concerts.”

On Feb.8, two local business owners also expressed concerns about how the bond would affect them. Harold Reese Jr., president of Harrontine Realty Corp., told the school board how the increased taxes would impact him. “It’s very tough on a small scale to make payroll, to pay employees, the health insurance and all the rest of it,” he said. Jeffrey Greenfield, the owner of NGL Insurance Group, LLC, expressed a similar sentiment.

At the April 20 board meeting, the auditorium controversy was raised again. Trustee Robert Paskoff suggested cutting $2 million from the library upgrades and another $2 million from the auditorium repairs to help fund a new performance space. Trustee Alicemarie Bresnihan said that making the cuts would take too long. “I think that to redraw plans and to go back to the beginning again would only delay what is really needed,” she said.

The board members also discussed moving forward with a bond vote. While some were wary about the possibility of having a second bond vote fail and a lack of community enthusiasm for the plan, they reached a consensus that upgrades to the school were vital. The vote became official at their next meeting.

Residents’ reaction

The bond proposal has received mixed reviews from residents. Some said they believe the upgrades are more important than worrying about the financial burden, while others have expressed concern over the tax hike.

“I already pay well over $12,000 per year in school taxes,” Ed Farrell said. “The residents are sick of paying such high taxes.”

Ivy Reilly, meanwhile, said she was happy to see the school board proposing a renovation plan, even if it does not include all the upgrades the district needs. “It’s not enough, but better than nothing,” she said. “The school district is top-notch, and the facilities should match. I’m voting yes, and I urge everyone else to also.”

Nicole Gandolfo Aroksaar urged residents to show up to vote no matter which way they are leaning. “If you didn’t educate yourself and vote, then that is your mistake,” she said. “The turnout for the budget vote [on May 16] was appalling — 1,435 residents.”

Polls will be open for registered voters at Lynbrook North Middle School, South Middle School and the high school from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 3. Residents can register to vote at the Office of the District Clerk from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Fridays from July 1 to Aug. 31. “We encourage all residents to make their voices heard and vote on Oct. 3,” Burak said in a statement.

More information about the bond can be found at lynbrookschools.org under the “Bond Follow Up” tab.