New Vote on School Bond Issue

Putnam Valley's Board of Education agreed last night to put a new bond proposal up for consideration at the district's next voting opportunity on May 20th. In January, the board's $14.2 million proposal to support capital improvements at the school district's two campuses was defeated by 42 votes.

Although the final number will not be set until the formal resolution is presented to the board on March 27th, based on last night's conversation, the new proposal will likely clock in at about $13.5 million. Responding to voter criticism of the original proposal, the new number reflects a $1,025,000 reduction in the proposed scope of work. However, the new bond proposal will only decline by about $525,000 because the six-month delay in decision-making will push some of the construction from the summer of 2026 to the summer of 2027, resulting in about $519,000 in "escalation costs" for labor and materials that the district anticipates.

"So, we're essentially getting less and paying more," said Trustee Crystal Hernandez at last night's meeting. After she and other trustees bemoaned that unfortunate result, she noted the benefit of the community being forced to immerse itself in the complexities of school funding, especially given that annual budget votes are also nail biters, passing with razor-thin margins. "I see the silver lining in this process," Hernandez said. "I think there's a lot of good that's going to come out of the process that we've gone through since the vote failed. The district will be better for it, as will, I believe, our community."

The last few weeks have indeed felt like the town was taking a crash course in School Finance 101. To decide what to cut from the original proposal, the district asked the public for feedback at a February 26th meeting. An impressive 100 or so residents attended, identifying their top three priorities and three lowest ones. The district accepted that feedback and removed from its original plans the fitness/dance studio, better performing arts lighting, and improvements to the elementary school library and middle school instructional spaces.

This pared down approach was then unveiled to about 50 residents attending another Facilities Planning Meeting on March 12th. Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Luft drove home these points that evening:

• If the town had approved the original, $14.2 million proposal, New York State would have covered 66% of it with state building aid. In future years, that 66% reimbursement level is likely to decline, due to the state's growing fiscal challenges
• Had the town voted to approve the original $14.2 million bond, $1,025,000 of that (now excised) work would ultimately have cost the town only $340,000 (after the 66% paid for by the state). If the district decides it still has to get that work done, it will need to use funds from its operating budget or other reserves, none of which are eligible for state reimbursement
• The benefit to taxpayers from the reduction of the bond from $14.2 million to $13.5 million amounts to a decline of about $2 a month in taxes for a house assessed at $415,000
• Putnam Valley has the distinction of being the only town in the region to have defeated a school bond referendum that would not have raised taxes

Tensions rose in the room on March 12th as attendees seemed to grasp the nature of the trade off that had resulted from the combination of voter apathy, a communications effort by the district that was considered ineffective, and the impact of a small but vocal group of fiscal conservatives who fought to defeat the original proposal even though it would not have raised taxes.

In advance of the May 20th vote, when next year's budget and two trustee seats will also be on the ballot, the district says it will do more far-reaching outreach. In January, only 1,292 people voted out of 7,942 eligible in the school district. At last night's meeting, Trustee Hernandez implored people to exercise their right to vote. "We want to make sure it's the entire community's voice that's being represented in the vote," she said. "It's costing us more money to do less work, and I think that has to be something that's considered, especially when, in the past, our regular general budget vote has only passed by 4 percent. I think that really needs to be a message that our community hears. We need everyone to please vote."

Voting will take place between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20th at the Putnam Valley Elementary School, 171 Oscawana Lake Road. To participate, you must be a registered voter residing in the Putnam Valley Central School District. That includes most of Putnam Valley, as well as small portions of other towns such as Cortlandt Manor and Carmel. Voters who can't get to the school on that date can apply after April 21st for an early mail-in or absentee ballot. Click here for details on that somewhat complicated process.

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