Election results: Following months of build up, $39 million bond fails to pass

After months of build up and several informational meetings, a $39 million bond failed to pass last week in the North Bellmore School District.

The district, which serves the North Bellmore and a small portion of the North Merrick community across six elementary schools, underwent a mandatory buildings conditions survey in Dec. 2020.

The results were submitted to the state in early 2021, and uncovered the need for some extensive renovations — including a complete overhaul of every building’s HVAC system, the addition of elevators to five of the schools, and new playgrounds.

To cover the cost of these renovations, the district’s Board of Education adopted a bond resolution, totaling just over $39 million, during its October meeting. A detailed presentation was given, detailing the cost breakdown of the project, when certain renovations would take place, and the impact the bond would have on taxpayers if adopted.

It was slated to be paid back over a 15-year period.

Last week, the community took to the polls to decide the fate of the bond, with roughly 45 percent of the voters in favor of it, and 55 percent of the voters against it. Over 1,100 residents cast their votes — 533 voters were in approval of the proposition, and 628 voters rejected it. 

On a few community Facebook pages the day before, district residents discussed and debated the bond. There was a general consensus that some things, such as the HVAC overhaul, needed to be done, but some of the smaller, miscellaneous projects just tacked on costs.

In the past, the district was able to cooperate with Parent-Teacher Associations in order to raise money for new playgrounds. During a recent board meeting, the superintendent of schools, Marie Testa, said the district was no longer allowed to do this for liability purposes.

New playgrounds were added to this bond because of the fact that within the district’s boundaries, there are no public parks. Outside of school hours, the grounds of every elementary school serve as that outdoor space.

A few questioned why one school building, Jacob Gunther Elementary School, was included in the bond, because it is no longer operating as a kindergarten through sixth-grade facility. Testa told the Herald in November that even though the building is not an elementary school, it houses Wee Friends Too nursery school, and several district offices. Being that Wee Friends Too offers spaces to the district’s Universal Pre-K program, there are children living within the North Bellmore community attending the school.

“When the district closed Jacob Gunther as an elementary school,” she added, “the board made a promise to the community that they would upkeep that property, including the school, to keep it at pace with the other schools.”

If the bond had passed, depending on a taxpayer’s home’s assessed value, some residents could see increases of over $400 a year on their tax bills. Testa said the district was understanding of the fact that the bond was costly, and added that she felt like the community had been receptive to the information the district provided.

“I’m just wondering about the cost of it,” she said. “Some may feel it’s very expensive, and they can’t afford it.”

Last week, in a district released announcement which informed the community that the bond didn’t pass, Testa thanked everyone for casting their votes.

“This was a very close margin, with over 45 percent approval to upkeep the district’s aging infrastructure,” she stated. “The Board of Education and I appreciate all of the voters who came out, and we look forward to continuing our work on behalf of the North Bellmore community.”

Taxpayers who voted last week were also able to bring their children, if they had any enrolled in North Bellmore’s schools, to vote for a district wide “theme day.”

“It gave us great pleasure to see the children participate in the democratic process,” Testa added. “We look forward to hearing the results from the PTA Coordinating Council, and appreciate their collaboration in this long standing tradition.”

Because the bond did not pass, there are several renovations the district still would like to see through, and Testa said it is committed to working strategically to address necessary capital projects and recommendations as indicated by the buildings conditions survey.