Letter to the Editor: Support for Clarkstown School Bond Issue

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Clarkstown Central School District’s facilities improvement bond – the CCSD 2015 Bond for Critical Repairs. In 2000, I ran for a seat on the Board of Education because I thought our buildings, the backbone of our district, were being ignored and falling into disrepair at the expense of building a swimming pool. Now, 15 years later, I am still advocating for the same thing, fixing our buildings! On December 10th, we have the opportunity to vote YES on the bond, YES to repairing, replacing and upgrade our failing critical systems, AND YES to receiving 55% in State Aid (our tax money coming back to us) while doing it.

This proposal will allow the district to issue a bond for the maximum amount of $36,161,198. This money can only be used for the district wide critical repairs in this bond, which include roofs, boilers and electrical work.

The nuts and bolts:

· Roofs There is over 1,000,000 square feet of roof spread across our 16 buildings, 70% of which have far exceeded their life expectancy. Many of these roofs leak directly into the hallways of our buildings. The replacements will be made with high performing materials that have improved insulation and thermal performance.

· Boilers Four boilers will be replaced at the middle and high school buildings, with improvements to the space and supporting equipment. These boilers require constant repairs and have frequently caused interruptions to the school day when they malfunction. Replacement of these heating systems will greatly improve comfort and efficiency, while lowering annual fuel costs.

· Electrical Systems \ Transformers Twelve buildings will receive improvements to their electrical systems. Most of the transformers in our district are original to the buildings and are decades past their life span. Improvements will include transformers and feeder cable replacements, switchboards and circuit breakers, along with other modernizations that impact safety and reliability.

Critical vs. Emergency: The term “critical” in “critical repairs” refers to items that, when they fail, would close a school. If these items are left in their current state, without repair, the likelihood of a disastrous infrastructure failure greatly increases. If we don’t repair and replace the critical infrastructure of our District buildings, we face escalating costs, constant class-time interruptions and the possible loss of the use of one or more of our buildings. When they fail, it will be an emergency at a much higher cost.

Timeline: As I learned during my six years on the Board, nothing in the educational system happens fast. It takes about one and a half years to draw up the engineering plans, receive approval from the New York State Education Department, go through the competitive bidding process and line up the crews and supplies to actually start the work.

Since the repairs that are being proposed are critical items in each building, the buildings will have to be taken “off line” or out of service while repairs are being completed. Therefore, repairs will be done in the summer months while schools are closed. This timeframe will also allow for the relocation of camps and summer programs so as to disrupt the students and community as little as possible. The work has been outlined in three organized stages that will be completed in the summers of 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Waiting another six months to a year to bond for these critical repairs will do nothing but let our buildings fall further into disrepair!

The Cost and Paying for it: The proposed amount to be bonded has been thoroughly researched by a professional engineering firm, and includes projected cost increases for the timeline through 2019, as well as a contingency margin for unexpected work directly related to the repairs stated in the Plan. The maximum allowable amount to be spent is $36,161,198, but the District expects to ultimately spend less than this amount. The most recent CCSD construction project at the Congers school building came in nearly 20% under budget, which means $1.1M of the $6.5M approved for that project was never used or bonded. The actual monies spent will be bonded for once all repairs are completed.

The District has received, in writing from the State Education Department, a commitment to pay State Aid on the great majority of this project (except for the Administration building), which covers 55% of both the bond amount and the associated interest. That means approximately 55 cents on the dollar will be paid for by the State. This is OUR tax money being returned to us! This money cannot be taken away from us once the bond is approved by us, the voters, and the work is completed as outlined.

The remaining 45% of the bond cost will be paid for through the District’s annual budget. In recent years, the District allocated $1.5 million per year toward Capital Improvements. For the past 4 years, the Board has used this money on critical projects – a boiler and transformer at North High School, and two sections of roof at Felix Festa (NO State Aid). It is proposed that the $1.5 million be moved from the Capital Improvements budget line to the Debt Service line. By doing so, each year the $1.5 million will be made in payment towards the remaining balance that State Aid (our tax dollars) doesn’t cover. This is not free – it’s just a better use of money already included in our tax bill. By moving the existing budgeted funds to the Debit Service line, there is no increase in tax dollars. It remains neutral.

Trust: The CURRENT Board of Education has done everything it possibly can to answer every question the community has regarding THIS bond. That does not mean that everyone likes the answers. It doesn’t mean some community members aren’t going take the information presented (or seek out their own unrelated information) or the actions of THIS Board of Education, relating to THIS bond, interpret it and then purport their interpretation to be fact. That is certainly their right, but it does a huge disservice to the entire community.

Again, THIS Board of Education and Administration has been very detailed in laying out the complete facts of this bond proposal at many, many public meetings (no less than 8 public informational meetings, presentations to almost every PTA and PTSA unit, and participation in numerous local community group meetings). Every piece of information included in the presentation of the complete plan, videos of the meetings, engineering reports, bond resolution language, absentee ballots and a full list of FAQs have been posted to the Districts bond website:www.ccsd.edu/2015Bond (You can also find information on voting districts and polling locations)

Will the Board of Education make the repairs as presented? Yes, they are legally restricted to only spend this money on the work stated in the presented plan, which is on file at the District Clerk’s office, and has been submitted to the State Department of Education. By law, they cannot spend this money on anything else beyond what is in the plan.

The Bond Proposition and Vote: The Bond proposition has been prepared by the District’s Bond Counsel, a well reputed law firm. The Bond proposition that is presented on the ballot is the “condensed form” that legally represents the full proposition and associated plans, which is shared on the above web site and will also be laminated and available at every polling station. Some community members have claimed a “bait and switch” of the condensed form versus the complete resolution – however, the FACT is the Board of Education is legally bound by the entire proposition and filed plans. This is the standard process used during every school bond vote around the state. The bond resolution mentions that the bond is ultimately covered by tax dollars. Most school bonds are authored this way, and the payment plan described above explains that the District has a written commitment to state aid and existing budget dollars (tax dollars) to pay off the bond.

The bond does contain wording that allows for monies to be moved from one line of repair to another, if for instance one roof comes in a little bit under budget and another a little bit more. Any movement of monies must be approved by a public “change order” vote by the Board of Education, during a public meeting. As an example, a few change orders were issued during the reconstruction of the Congers school building, yet everything approved was within the plan and the project was completed under budget. This does not allow for monies to be spent on anything outside of the plan – it is specifically restricted to items within the plan, and may not exceed the maximum approved amount. Some have implied this is nefarious – the fact is, this is a standard clause and helps ensure the entire project can be completed.

This is how the work will be completed within this proposal, these are the rules and laws on how the bond money can be spent, this is the timeline within which the work will be done, and everyone has access to all the information and how we the taxpayers are going to pay for it.

The question is: Is this the right time? Without hesitation, YES! This District has been sorely remiss in not bonding for repairs and receiving State Aid to help fund those repairs for over 20+ years. We could discuss the many reasons for that, but we can’t go back in time and change it.

The only thing we can do right now is move forward and Vote YES on December 10th and fix these roofs, boilers and electrical systems. If we don’t do it now, we will pay a much higher price later when these items fail. There is no “threat” intended, it is reality. If you don’t fix the roof on your house today while it is leaking, what are you going to face in another 5 years in repairs and damage?

Some community members have rallied for a no vote. Many have planned and come out strong to support the YES vote. Some naysayers are labeling these supporters as “bond cheerleaders” for the Board of Education and the Administration. They are partially correct. We are cheerleaders, but cheerleaders for OUR community, OUR school district and OUR children.

Please join your fellow community members on December 10th, and vote to move this District forward by voting YES.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Kasman

Parent of 2 CCSD Graduates

CCSD Board of Education Trustee 2000-2006