How Much of School Budget Hike is Tied to Bond?

In alignment with the Board of Education’s goal to enhance communications with the community, Garden City Public Schools continues its “Question of the Week” feature to provide information and address concerns of village residents. A complete listing of questions and answers to date is posted on the district’s website, www.gardencity.k12.ny.us.

Below is this week’s question and answer:
          
Question of the Week: Exactly what percentage of the 2012-2013 proposed budget increase is the result of the community-approved 2009 School Investment Bond?

Answer: Twenty-nine percent of the 2012-2013 budget increase is the result of the 2009 School Investment Bond. The budget figure without the bond would be $102,797,509, which would be a budget increase of 1.66 percent and a tax increase of 1.98 percent.

The School Investment Bond was approved by the community at a special referendum vote held on October 27, 2009, and was proposed to address basic health and safety code requirements, complete essential repairs, replacements, and retrofitting to maximize energy savings, provide new learning spaces at the high school (music addition), middle school (new gymnasium, locker rooms, and fitness center), and Homestead (new addition to provide new art, music, library, support services and storage spaces), and repurpose existing spaces to maximize instructional time.

Each of the nine buildings will be touched by the 2009 bond. A video overview of the need for the bond projects, the architect’s renderings of the three additions, and a newsletter outlining the scope of the projects are available on the district website: http://www.gardencity.k12.ny.us/board_of_education/bond_referendum_page/

A good deal of the bond work discussed in the video has been completed and is in use by students, staff and the community. At the high school, for example, the old bleachers on Warren King Field were demolished and replaced with new bleachers and a press box, the leaking high school roof has been replaced, and the construction of a new bus loop separating loading and unloading students from busy Merrilon and Rockaway Avenues has been accomplished. The new music addition, a much needed space to house the district’s growing music program, is approximately 25 percent complete.

At the middle school, the new gymnasium addition is 65 percent complete, and at Homestead, the addition and alterations are 55 percent complete. Both projects are on-time for the September, 2012, opening of school.

At the bus garage, the old trailer-style office building was demolished and a new modular office now stands in its place. Also at the bus garage, repaving of the bus parking area was completed, and the dismantling of the old boiler is underway – part of the school district’s Energy Performance Contract (EPC).

With New York State Department of Education’s approval of the EPC, other energy upgrades are underway across the district. These replacements and retrofits are guaranteed to increase energy efficiency and accomplished at no cost to taxpayers.

Of additional benefit to the district, savings achieved with the “A list” projects, have enabled several “B list” items to be completed under the bond, such as a new roof at Locust and new auditorium sound systems, as well as additional masonry repairs, at Stewart and Stratford.

To view photos of the 2009 School Investment Bond construction projects, visit: http://www.gardencity.k12.ny.us/board_of_education/bond_referendum_page/fall-_winter_2011-2012_construction_photos/