Wyandanch Voters OK $46.1 Million School Bond

WYANDANCH, NY — A few Wyandanch school district voters came out Tuesday and approved the Board of Education's $46.1 million plan to build a school for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, plus make repairs and renovations at other district buildings.

The vote was 125 'yes' to eight 'no', district representatives told Newsday.

The district now rents space from a neighbor for pre-k and kindergarten, but the lease expires in June. District officials plan to house those 300-or-so pupils in portable classrooms for the 2024-25 school year while the new school is built next to the administration building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The other part of the bond proposition will ensure district buildings comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and required building codes:

Lafrancis Hardiman Elementary School

• Replace kitchen ceiling and light fixtures

Martin Luther King Jr. School

• Install Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant elevator.
• Create ADA-compliant access to main office, nurse and stage.
• Replace kitchen ceiling.
• Replace railings.

Milton L. Olive Middle School

• Install ADA-compliant elevator.
• Create ADA-compliant access to main office, nurse and stage.
• Hardwire Carbon Dioxide 2 (CO2) detection systems.
• Replace kitchen ceiling.

Wyandanch Memorial High School

• Create ADA-compliant access to auditorium, library, main office, nurse and stage.
• Create ADA-compliant access to all playing fields.
• Replace kitchen ceilings.
• Install three-compartment sink in kitchen.
• Hardwire CO2 detection systems.

All Schools

• Provide ventilation in occupied rooms as needed.
• Additional work identified in the 2022 Building Condition Survey

Construction of the Early Childhood Center is estimated at $33,575,000 and the safety and compliance work throughout the district will cost $12,571,000.

The project will have no effect on tax bills, district officials said.

$27,687,224 will be reimbursed through New York State Building Aid. The balance will be offset using $14,903,320 from the district capital reserve fund and $3,555,456 will be funded through the state's Smart School Bond fund.

"The new Wyandanch Early Childhood Center will ensure our youngest scholars receive the nurturing and educational foundation they deserve as they begin their academic journey," interim Superintendent Arlise Carson said in a statement given to Newsday.