Richard Cohen believes that the Planning Board, and not the School Board, should be deciding what's best for the New Paltz Middle School property. He seems to suffer from a common, and understandable, misconception: that Planning Boards actually have anything to do with planning.
I've served on both the town and village Planning Boards and I can say with confidence that nothing could be further from the truth. What a Planning Board does is decide if the developer's project will go through or not. They don't decide on the zoning, they don't get to choose among several alternatives and they don't tell developers, "What the community wants is..." The very name "Planning Board" is a misnomer; laws governing Planning Boards make them reactive bodies, not at all involved in any real planning.
Mr. Cohen is also under the impression that the Board of Education made the decision to keep the middle school at its present location in a vacuum, completely understandable for anyone just waking up to an issue that has been actively discussed for years, not the few months some naysayers seem to believe. I was at the meetings and debates about whether it was better to keep it where it is or move it, and it was the community that gave the Board of Education its marching orders. Or, I should say, it was those of us who decided to show up. I imagine that the debate would be differently framed if those in opposition had helped the board make its initial decision, rather than pitching a fit now, after they did a tremendous amount of work to figure out what's best for the students and taxpayers.
For the record, as a taxpayer I'm not looking forward to what this project has in store for me. We can probably find ways to make it less expensive, but two things are clear: we have dragged our feet on this issue for too long and cannot delay, and it will cost us much less money to renovate it on the same site. That's what came out of the forums over two years ago, along with a desire to see our kids educated in a school they can walk to, and a desire to avoid the problems of what to do with the athletic field if the school isn't there anymore. (For those just joining the debate now, the New Paltz Lumber Company deeded the athletic field to the district under the condition that it be used for that purpose only, and the land will return to whoever its successors in interest are should that change. This means additional busing to cart kids into town to use the field.)
The real problem here is that property taxes are regressive and medieval. Once we stop trying to tie wealth to land and tax people intelligently, maybe we can have a rational debate about how to educate our children without having to punish those on fixed incomes for the sin of being successful at some point in their lives. I'm not holding my breath about that happening in my lifetime, but I am getting ready to bite the bullet for the sake of our kids -- even though I don't have any in school right now.
Terence Ward
New Paltz
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Mathew Swerdloff's Letter to the Editor 12/30/09: Make Your Decision Based on Fact
Earlier this month I attended a New Paltz Board of Education meeting and heard many residents speak eloquently for and against the proposed middle school renovation project. I also heard some using scare tactics and personal intimidation to get their point across. Personally, I will listen to any opinion if it is presented in a respectful and polite way. I'm not so accommodating to the person hurling personal insults or using inflammatory and misleading rhetoric. In this instance I have the advantage of not serving on the Board of Education, so I can just walk away from someone using that communication method. At the last board meeting I witnessed our unpaid, volunteer board members listened and responded to many individuals speaking in such a hostile and intimidating manner. Much to my amazement I heard several outright lies and a lot more simple errors in the facts. All of us should keep in mind that School Board members are elected by us, they are trained by the New York State School Boards Association and other bodies and they work in partnership with licensed and experienced school administrators.
I ask those who are interested in this issue to consider the facts, not the threats, rhetoric or doomsday scenarios presented by the vocal opposition. The New Paltz Middle School is an outdated and inadequate structure that requires significant repair or renovations to continue to function at the current level. However, the current level is sub standard. For example, the building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The central kitchen for the entire district, housed in the middle school, is grossly under equipped for serving a district of this size. Mechanical systems (heating, plumbing, ventilation) are in poor order and highly inefficient. The real question is not "do we renovate?" The real question is "do we renovate now, proactively, in an efficient and well-planned manner, or do we pump more money into quick fixes which will eventually be replaced anyway?" The real question is not "can we afford this now?" The real question is "can we afford to not do this now?" The real question is not "can the Board of Education handle this project?" The real question is "what can we as a community do to support our elected representatives in serving the needs of our students today, tomorrow and long into the future?"
Thomas Jefferson once said that "whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government." The New Paltz Board of Education and superintendent have lived up to this ideal by providing this community with a plethora of information for over a year on the middle school and the proposed renovation. We have literally had community forums, a blog, print newsletters, website pages, guided building tours, morning coffees, PTA presentations and open board meetings. I have never seen such an abundance of information on a topic and such a measured outreach asking for community input. I encourage those of you that are interest in this issue to come to board meetings, get the facts from the source (the district, board trustees, the superintendent), not rumors, partisan newspaper ads, or innuendo. Ultimately, we all get to decide on this issue on Feb. 9 at a special election to approve funding for the project. The Board of Education and administration has put this initiative forward because they feel it is essential to the success of our district and our students. You decide, but please decide based on the facts, not your fears.
Mathew Swerdloff
Gardiner
I ask those who are interested in this issue to consider the facts, not the threats, rhetoric or doomsday scenarios presented by the vocal opposition. The New Paltz Middle School is an outdated and inadequate structure that requires significant repair or renovations to continue to function at the current level. However, the current level is sub standard. For example, the building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The central kitchen for the entire district, housed in the middle school, is grossly under equipped for serving a district of this size. Mechanical systems (heating, plumbing, ventilation) are in poor order and highly inefficient. The real question is not "do we renovate?" The real question is "do we renovate now, proactively, in an efficient and well-planned manner, or do we pump more money into quick fixes which will eventually be replaced anyway?" The real question is not "can we afford this now?" The real question is "can we afford to not do this now?" The real question is not "can the Board of Education handle this project?" The real question is "what can we as a community do to support our elected representatives in serving the needs of our students today, tomorrow and long into the future?"
Thomas Jefferson once said that "whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government." The New Paltz Board of Education and superintendent have lived up to this ideal by providing this community with a plethora of information for over a year on the middle school and the proposed renovation. We have literally had community forums, a blog, print newsletters, website pages, guided building tours, morning coffees, PTA presentations and open board meetings. I have never seen such an abundance of information on a topic and such a measured outreach asking for community input. I encourage those of you that are interest in this issue to come to board meetings, get the facts from the source (the district, board trustees, the superintendent), not rumors, partisan newspaper ads, or innuendo. Ultimately, we all get to decide on this issue on Feb. 9 at a special election to approve funding for the project. The Board of Education and administration has put this initiative forward because they feel it is essential to the success of our district and our students. You decide, but please decide based on the facts, not your fears.
Mathew Swerdloff
Gardiner
Rachel Lagodka's Letter to the Editor 12/30/09: A Wise Investment
I am writing this letter to counteract claims that the proposed New Paltz Middle School renovation is extravagant. The School Board is actually playing it safe and being realistic, not extravagant. New York just happens to be the most expensive state to build a school. We have more expensive labor and materials and have higher standards to meet for our students. It is unfair of the opponents of the school to compare the price of building a school in a different state to the price of a school in New Paltz. The middle school is going to cost the same price as it costs to build at SUNY right down the block; that would be a fair comparison.
The School Board understands that they are making an investment in the future for the whole community and that is why they are playing it safe. They chose firms with 100% track records for coming in on time and within budget. There are two firms so far, architects and construction managers, and both have perfect records. They got an estimate for a building that is not extravagant, but is high performance. We will be buying a building that is ADA compliant with healthy air quality and green energy that will pay us back in half the lifespan of the loan. This is not extravagance. This is a wise investment.
We live in an expensive state where taxes are high already and there has been an economic downturn. That is why now is the time to build, to provide jobs for people and to get a lower price as there is more competition. If the bids come in lower for the building, the taxpayers will get that money back. The School Board has offered to pro-rate and spread out the payments so people will not be hit so hard by the expense. It comes out to less than $13.55 per month for the majority of residents -- people who own homes assessed at $300,000. There should be assistance available to people who need it, but that is not the majority of this school district by a long shot. New Paltz has one of the lowest foreclosure rates in the country. There are even people in New Paltz who can afford to spend $800 on a full-page ad in the paper encouraging people to vote "no" on the bond we need to fund the school. This is not the way to contribute to building a future for the children of the community, my friends.
Please take a look at this project again and see the value of it.
With this new middle school, New Paltz has the chance to be a leader that lowers statewide demand for oil and raises attendance rates at the same time. Studies have shown that the well-circulated air and calibrated lighting of a high-performance building lowered flu outbreaks and caused there to be fewer problems for students who suffer from asthma. Going green is also good statewide because it creates the right kind of infrastructure and manufacturing jobs and more jobs are created by renewables than by the fossil fuel and landfill industries.
A green high-performance building is nothing less than a step in the direction of a more just and economical future because it is a step away from global warming, the global trade imbalance and endless wars over oil. A conventional repair or a conventional building is a retreat to the dark ages. We can't let fear paralyze us and stop us from moving forward; we need to make an investment in the future now. This is our chance to let our children know that we can change with the times when we learn a better way and we know that solar and geothermal is a better way. The science is in and our children are learning along with us about global warming. What will be our legacy to the young people of New Paltz? A school we can be proud of or a pathetic history of divisiveness and inertia?
This is an opportunity for an investment in the future that represents two years of sound research by dedicated community servants into a project to make a better life for the youth of the community, for the state and for the world.
Please don't blow it New Paltz. Vote "yes" for the bond.
Download the PDF file at http://www.cap-e.com/ewebeditpro/items/O59F9819.pdf to learn more about the benefits of a green school.
Rachel Lagodka
New Paltz
The School Board understands that they are making an investment in the future for the whole community and that is why they are playing it safe. They chose firms with 100% track records for coming in on time and within budget. There are two firms so far, architects and construction managers, and both have perfect records. They got an estimate for a building that is not extravagant, but is high performance. We will be buying a building that is ADA compliant with healthy air quality and green energy that will pay us back in half the lifespan of the loan. This is not extravagance. This is a wise investment.
We live in an expensive state where taxes are high already and there has been an economic downturn. That is why now is the time to build, to provide jobs for people and to get a lower price as there is more competition. If the bids come in lower for the building, the taxpayers will get that money back. The School Board has offered to pro-rate and spread out the payments so people will not be hit so hard by the expense. It comes out to less than $13.55 per month for the majority of residents -- people who own homes assessed at $300,000. There should be assistance available to people who need it, but that is not the majority of this school district by a long shot. New Paltz has one of the lowest foreclosure rates in the country. There are even people in New Paltz who can afford to spend $800 on a full-page ad in the paper encouraging people to vote "no" on the bond we need to fund the school. This is not the way to contribute to building a future for the children of the community, my friends.
Please take a look at this project again and see the value of it.
With this new middle school, New Paltz has the chance to be a leader that lowers statewide demand for oil and raises attendance rates at the same time. Studies have shown that the well-circulated air and calibrated lighting of a high-performance building lowered flu outbreaks and caused there to be fewer problems for students who suffer from asthma. Going green is also good statewide because it creates the right kind of infrastructure and manufacturing jobs and more jobs are created by renewables than by the fossil fuel and landfill industries.
A green high-performance building is nothing less than a step in the direction of a more just and economical future because it is a step away from global warming, the global trade imbalance and endless wars over oil. A conventional repair or a conventional building is a retreat to the dark ages. We can't let fear paralyze us and stop us from moving forward; we need to make an investment in the future now. This is our chance to let our children know that we can change with the times when we learn a better way and we know that solar and geothermal is a better way. The science is in and our children are learning along with us about global warming. What will be our legacy to the young people of New Paltz? A school we can be proud of or a pathetic history of divisiveness and inertia?
This is an opportunity for an investment in the future that represents two years of sound research by dedicated community servants into a project to make a better life for the youth of the community, for the state and for the world.
Please don't blow it New Paltz. Vote "yes" for the bond.
Download the PDF file at http://www.cap-e.com/ewebeditpro/items/O59F9819.pdf to learn more about the benefits of a green school.
Rachel Lagodka
New Paltz
Steve Greenfield's Letter to the Editor 12/30/09: Why We Should Renovate Now
This statement is from me as an individual and does not speak for an elected body or any other individuals who belong to it.
This week I have come under attack as sloppy, superficial and under the influence of subjective political ideology in the execution of my due diligence. These attacks are mounted by people who have had no exposure to the degree and depth of my due diligence processes, no awareness of the length and amount of time invested or the experience and expertise of successful, non-ideological professionals in the topics under investigation in my public service or private advocacy. While opinions on matters of ideology range widely and compete in the marketplace of democracy, facts are facts, and math is math. Two plus two equaling five can be somebody's ideology, but someone who finds that it equals four cannot be accused of personal ideology or exposure to only biased influences. To wit: Building new gets much less state aid than renovating and requires buying property. Therefore, renovation is cheaper.
Selling the New Paltz Middle School and its property to finance building new does not change the outcome. The property has no commercial value because it is zoned residential. Selling it to the town and village for a combined municipal center does nothing either, and likely makes it even more costly, since that purchase would be made with tax dollars from the same taxpayers and would not be useful as a municipal center without substantial renovations, again charged to the same taxpayers. If we did not sell to the town and village for the maximum possible price, we'd be undercutting the interests of school taxpayers, many of whom do not reside in New Paltz.
Not renovating at all is more expensive than renovating and will jeopardize our educational standards. The middle school is in terrible condition. It has been absorbing high maintenance costs for two decades now. Renovations come from the capital budget and 60% of those costs are reimbursed to us by Albany. Maintenance costs come out of the operating budget and are not aidable one cent, and since they are in the operating budget, are subject to the state cuts that have been announced. As that's the same budget from which teachers are paid and class sizes maintained, declining to renovate and leaving all the known repair costs in the operating budget results in zero state aid and substantial risk that necessary repairs on matters that affect health and safety will force substantial teacher layoffs and increased class size, serious tax increases or all of the above. The uncertainty of state aid to operating budgets means the best way to save money is to put as much maintenance as possible into a capital budget. When you add in today's historic low interest rates and low contractor bids, we can save much more.
Crossroads, if constructed, will add a substantial amount of students to the district, far in excess of tax revenues generated. That means much higher taxes, and by the average New Paltz demographics for occupancies of the configuration proposed for Crossroads, probably not less than 3% just from that project, likely more. And that's only if the extra population doesn't put us over the tipping point of maximum occupancy for our buildings, which would force new construction throughout the district that would easily surpass $100 million. I don't make this up -- it comes from figures in the developers' impact statements, which I read carefully. Stoneleigh Woods listed its annual negative impact on school taxes as $500,000 per year, every year. That's nearly 2% on your taxes, just from the one project. Should these projects be built, the tax implications are devastating and it isn't because the School Board wildly wastes your money. That's fact. I own a house and pay taxes here, too. So do almost all my friends. That's why I spend so much time researching the tax implications of everything that reaches my desk.
There will always be people who disagree with me, but one thing I know with certainty is it's not because I don't do sufficient due diligence or because my math comes out wrong. Two plus two always equals four. I have put at least 1000 hours over two years doing due diligence on these matters, all of it on a strictly volunteer basis. I have listened to people who disagree with me very carefully throughout that process, calculator in hand. All of the above information is factual and I stand behind it 100%. It is why I think we should renovate now.
Steve Greenfield
New Paltz
This week I have come under attack as sloppy, superficial and under the influence of subjective political ideology in the execution of my due diligence. These attacks are mounted by people who have had no exposure to the degree and depth of my due diligence processes, no awareness of the length and amount of time invested or the experience and expertise of successful, non-ideological professionals in the topics under investigation in my public service or private advocacy. While opinions on matters of ideology range widely and compete in the marketplace of democracy, facts are facts, and math is math. Two plus two equaling five can be somebody's ideology, but someone who finds that it equals four cannot be accused of personal ideology or exposure to only biased influences. To wit: Building new gets much less state aid than renovating and requires buying property. Therefore, renovation is cheaper.
Selling the New Paltz Middle School and its property to finance building new does not change the outcome. The property has no commercial value because it is zoned residential. Selling it to the town and village for a combined municipal center does nothing either, and likely makes it even more costly, since that purchase would be made with tax dollars from the same taxpayers and would not be useful as a municipal center without substantial renovations, again charged to the same taxpayers. If we did not sell to the town and village for the maximum possible price, we'd be undercutting the interests of school taxpayers, many of whom do not reside in New Paltz.
Not renovating at all is more expensive than renovating and will jeopardize our educational standards. The middle school is in terrible condition. It has been absorbing high maintenance costs for two decades now. Renovations come from the capital budget and 60% of those costs are reimbursed to us by Albany. Maintenance costs come out of the operating budget and are not aidable one cent, and since they are in the operating budget, are subject to the state cuts that have been announced. As that's the same budget from which teachers are paid and class sizes maintained, declining to renovate and leaving all the known repair costs in the operating budget results in zero state aid and substantial risk that necessary repairs on matters that affect health and safety will force substantial teacher layoffs and increased class size, serious tax increases or all of the above. The uncertainty of state aid to operating budgets means the best way to save money is to put as much maintenance as possible into a capital budget. When you add in today's historic low interest rates and low contractor bids, we can save much more.
Crossroads, if constructed, will add a substantial amount of students to the district, far in excess of tax revenues generated. That means much higher taxes, and by the average New Paltz demographics for occupancies of the configuration proposed for Crossroads, probably not less than 3% just from that project, likely more. And that's only if the extra population doesn't put us over the tipping point of maximum occupancy for our buildings, which would force new construction throughout the district that would easily surpass $100 million. I don't make this up -- it comes from figures in the developers' impact statements, which I read carefully. Stoneleigh Woods listed its annual negative impact on school taxes as $500,000 per year, every year. That's nearly 2% on your taxes, just from the one project. Should these projects be built, the tax implications are devastating and it isn't because the School Board wildly wastes your money. That's fact. I own a house and pay taxes here, too. So do almost all my friends. That's why I spend so much time researching the tax implications of everything that reaches my desk.
There will always be people who disagree with me, but one thing I know with certainty is it's not because I don't do sufficient due diligence or because my math comes out wrong. Two plus two always equals four. I have put at least 1000 hours over two years doing due diligence on these matters, all of it on a strictly volunteer basis. I have listened to people who disagree with me very carefully throughout that process, calculator in hand. All of the above information is factual and I stand behind it 100%. It is why I think we should renovate now.
Steve Greenfield
New Paltz
Monday, December 28, 2009
$49.8M School Project Awaits New Paltz Vote: Kingston Freeman 12/27/09
By KYLE WIND
NEW PALTZ — New Paltz school district voters on Feb. 9 will decide the fate of a proposed $49.8 million project to renovate New Paltz Middle School.
The proposal calls for renovating and reformatting the building to meet the needs of a 21st century education, district officials say.
The Board of Education voted 6-1 earlier this month to hold a public referendum on the plan. The vote came after four hours of deliberation, said school board Vice President Donald Kerr, who chairs the district’s facilities committee.
Kerr said board members were concerned about proposing the project when “the economy is in the toilet,” but he believed it was the most fiscally prudent decision to not continue to “kick the can down the road.”
A BUILDING condition survey in 2005 revealed “critical physical deterioration” of the middle school, according to a district presentation on the plan. What district officials called “Band-Aid solutions” costing $254,223 and $160,000 were applied that year and in 2007, respectively.
Kerr said the survey showed the middle school, which is at the corner of South Manheim Boulevard and Main Street, needs $10 million in emergency repairs and that even after they are completed, it probably will need another $10 million in renovations in several years. The presentation of the plan, available on the school district’s Web site, www.newpaltz.k12.ny.us, also says that amount in repairs probably would be needed “every 10 years or so for the next 20-plus years.”
Therefore, Kerr said, because $20 million of the $49.8 million project would be funded with state aid, it will prove wiser in the long run for district residents to finance a “fully renovated, green school” rather than pay just as much in the long term to maintain a shoddy one.
AN OUTLINE of the plan said the 1960s section of the building would be replaced with a new, three-story addition “to provide improved space for student instruction.” The new design would increase instruction space to meet state standards and support a “house” system, which divides schools into smaller communities.
The project would include 58,000 square feet for students and administration; five team multi-use areas; a small gym and a gym storage area; and three classrooms that would be leased to Ulster BOCES, the outline reads.
The plan also calls for relocating the school district’s offices to the site by renovating the 1930s section of the middle school building. Officials noted the district currently pays $87,750 to rent administrative office.
Other benefits of the plan, district officials wrote in the outline, would include updating “existing antiquated infrastructure conditions” to improve the building’s electrical capacity, energy efficiency, plumbing, structural integrity and handicapped accessibility; as well as improving safety by designing a drop-off area to redirect traffic from pedestrians and reconfiguring access to the building to a single entry point.
TO MINIMIZE the project’s impact during tough economic times, Kerr said the district’s business administrator crafted a plan to delay the tax impact until September 2012 by using district reserves in the near term. Then, for the first four years of the 20-year payback period for project’s borrowed money, the district’s property tax levy would increase 1.1 to 1.2 percent. After that, he said, there would be no tax impact because other debt obligations will have ended.
If approved, the building plan would be further developed and submitted to the state Education Department in December 2010; bids would be sought and contracts would be awarded in early 2011; the groundbreaking would occur in June or July of 2011; and the project would be completed by September 2012.
KERR SAID the building will be out of commission during construction, but he noted that school district Superintendent Maria Rice and Ulster BOCES Superintendent Martin Ruglis have developed a plan to ensure students’ education is not compromised.
Sixth-graders would be moved to the district’s Lenape Elementary School and maintain their middle school schedules there, Kerr said; and seventh- and eight-graders would be taught in the Kingston school district’s vacant Tillson Elementary School building, about 6 miles away from New Paltz Middle School.
Kingston school district officials had considered converting the Tillson building into an alternative high school but decided against the plan after investigating the cost of the needed structural work. Superintendent Gerard Gretzinger told the Kingston Board of Education early this year that the work would cost about $1.2 million.
Kerr said the plan for the New Paltz Middle School renovation includes $500,000 for relocation costs but that district officials expect to use $250,000 of that to renovate the building for their own uses in lieu of paying rent to the Kingston school district.
NEW PALTZ — New Paltz school district voters on Feb. 9 will decide the fate of a proposed $49.8 million project to renovate New Paltz Middle School.
The proposal calls for renovating and reformatting the building to meet the needs of a 21st century education, district officials say.
The Board of Education voted 6-1 earlier this month to hold a public referendum on the plan. The vote came after four hours of deliberation, said school board Vice President Donald Kerr, who chairs the district’s facilities committee.
Kerr said board members were concerned about proposing the project when “the economy is in the toilet,” but he believed it was the most fiscally prudent decision to not continue to “kick the can down the road.”
A BUILDING condition survey in 2005 revealed “critical physical deterioration” of the middle school, according to a district presentation on the plan. What district officials called “Band-Aid solutions” costing $254,223 and $160,000 were applied that year and in 2007, respectively.
Kerr said the survey showed the middle school, which is at the corner of South Manheim Boulevard and Main Street, needs $10 million in emergency repairs and that even after they are completed, it probably will need another $10 million in renovations in several years. The presentation of the plan, available on the school district’s Web site, www.newpaltz.k12.ny.us, also says that amount in repairs probably would be needed “every 10 years or so for the next 20-plus years.”
Therefore, Kerr said, because $20 million of the $49.8 million project would be funded with state aid, it will prove wiser in the long run for district residents to finance a “fully renovated, green school” rather than pay just as much in the long term to maintain a shoddy one.
AN OUTLINE of the plan said the 1960s section of the building would be replaced with a new, three-story addition “to provide improved space for student instruction.” The new design would increase instruction space to meet state standards and support a “house” system, which divides schools into smaller communities.
The project would include 58,000 square feet for students and administration; five team multi-use areas; a small gym and a gym storage area; and three classrooms that would be leased to Ulster BOCES, the outline reads.
The plan also calls for relocating the school district’s offices to the site by renovating the 1930s section of the middle school building. Officials noted the district currently pays $87,750 to rent administrative office.
Other benefits of the plan, district officials wrote in the outline, would include updating “existing antiquated infrastructure conditions” to improve the building’s electrical capacity, energy efficiency, plumbing, structural integrity and handicapped accessibility; as well as improving safety by designing a drop-off area to redirect traffic from pedestrians and reconfiguring access to the building to a single entry point.
TO MINIMIZE the project’s impact during tough economic times, Kerr said the district’s business administrator crafted a plan to delay the tax impact until September 2012 by using district reserves in the near term. Then, for the first four years of the 20-year payback period for project’s borrowed money, the district’s property tax levy would increase 1.1 to 1.2 percent. After that, he said, there would be no tax impact because other debt obligations will have ended.
If approved, the building plan would be further developed and submitted to the state Education Department in December 2010; bids would be sought and contracts would be awarded in early 2011; the groundbreaking would occur in June or July of 2011; and the project would be completed by September 2012.
KERR SAID the building will be out of commission during construction, but he noted that school district Superintendent Maria Rice and Ulster BOCES Superintendent Martin Ruglis have developed a plan to ensure students’ education is not compromised.
Sixth-graders would be moved to the district’s Lenape Elementary School and maintain their middle school schedules there, Kerr said; and seventh- and eight-graders would be taught in the Kingston school district’s vacant Tillson Elementary School building, about 6 miles away from New Paltz Middle School.
Kingston school district officials had considered converting the Tillson building into an alternative high school but decided against the plan after investigating the cost of the needed structural work. Superintendent Gerard Gretzinger told the Kingston Board of Education early this year that the work would cost about $1.2 million.
Kerr said the plan for the New Paltz Middle School renovation includes $500,000 for relocation costs but that district officials expect to use $250,000 of that to renovate the building for their own uses in lieu of paying rent to the Kingston school district.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Where would the kids go? New Paltz Times 12/23/09
by Mike Townshend
One key concern among parents has been where students would end up if the 14 months of construction does actually occur in 2011-2012.
Superintendent Maria Rice released her plan for the potential move. It would involve moving the sixth-graders to Lenape Elementary School -- but they would keep their 7:55 a.m. middle school start time.
Regular Lenape students would come in 1 1/2 hours later at 9:25 a.m. Staggering the kids' schedules like that would allow sixth-graders to use the gym, music rooms, the cafeteria and other special classrooms without conflicting with younger pupils.
Seventh- and eighth-graders would attend classes at Tillson Elementary School in the nearby Town of Rosendale.
"We would be the only students in that facility," Rice explained. Tillson's building is part of the Kingston City School District, but is currently unoccupied.
New Paltz would use $250,000 of the renovation project's $500,000 student relocation budget to refurbish the space and move furniture into the building. But that's less than half the cost of a two-classroom modular building, and it gives students the benefit of a full-blown school building, Rice said.
New Paltz United Teachers and other school union contracts would not be in breach if the district uses this relocation plan.
One key concern among parents has been where students would end up if the 14 months of construction does actually occur in 2011-2012.
Superintendent Maria Rice released her plan for the potential move. It would involve moving the sixth-graders to Lenape Elementary School -- but they would keep their 7:55 a.m. middle school start time.
Regular Lenape students would come in 1 1/2 hours later at 9:25 a.m. Staggering the kids' schedules like that would allow sixth-graders to use the gym, music rooms, the cafeteria and other special classrooms without conflicting with younger pupils.
Seventh- and eighth-graders would attend classes at Tillson Elementary School in the nearby Town of Rosendale.
"We would be the only students in that facility," Rice explained. Tillson's building is part of the Kingston City School District, but is currently unoccupied.
New Paltz would use $250,000 of the renovation project's $500,000 student relocation budget to refurbish the space and move furniture into the building. But that's less than half the cost of a two-classroom modular building, and it gives students the benefit of a full-blown school building, Rice said.
New Paltz United Teachers and other school union contracts would not be in breach if the district uses this relocation plan.
To the Polls - New Paltz Middle School will be on Feb. Ballot: New Paltz Times 12/23/09
by Mike Townshend
After deliberations that stretched on for nearly four hours, the New Paltz Board of Education voted 6-1 to hold a special Feb. 9 election and allow voters to decide the fate of a proposed $49.78 million renovation to the New Paltz Middle School.
That project has already caused a rift in the community -- with landowners, professors, former and current village officials, a county legislator and laypeople all sounding off for and against the project.
The group Concerned Citizens of New Paltz has so far taken out two full-page ads in this paper to persuade voters not to support the middle school ballot initiative. The Feedback page in our Dec. 17 issue features two letters -- one letter against the project with 46 signatures, and one for the project with 42 signatures.
Dec. 16's vote was years in the making. Former school board member Barbara Carroll admitted that the middle school had been a financial drain on the district even during her tenure.
"I think that you're right to be biting the bullet and looking at it now," Carroll said. The past president of the board also told the board members that she felt that, recession or not, elements of the public would always oppose a large building project. "You're kind of damned if you do, and damned if you don't."
Board member Daniel Torres said that his vote to place the middle school on the ballot was a matter of doing the right thing.
"The burden's been placed on us right now to do something right," he said. Torres, a freshman at Marist College, has memories of being in the middle school building at the beginning of this decade. He moved to New Paltz and took remedial classes in the middle school, but he graduated New Paltz Central High School with honors, as class vice president and a devoted community activist.
Torres said he attributed part of his turnaround to going through the New Paltz schools.
Board member Steve Greenfield also voted to place the initiative on the ballot. "Bizarre layout in the middle school leaves first-time students confused -- and the building, which is a hodgepodge chimera of an original 1930s building with later-added wings, is out of touch with what students need now," said Greenfield.
"What a wonderful opportunity we now have to offer these outstanding educators facilities that actually serve, rather than obstruct, the team learning philosophy that has long existed and succeeded at our middle school," Greenfield added. "Now, after two years of intensive study and design exploration ... we as a community are poised to solve our problems and meet the needs of our children as we raise them to adulthood in the complex and challenging 21st century."
KT Tobin Flusser also voted with the majority to place the initiative on the ballot. She stressed the years of work on the project. About 50 official school board meetings featured discussions on the middle school -- not including subcommittee meetings.
"All of them were public meetings," Tobin Flusser said. "All of this equates to thousands of hours."
While she admitted that $49.78 million is a lot of money, the trustee also said she felt opponents of the project were wrongly attacking the board as elitist, rich and out of touch with local taxpayers.
"Don't think that the people on this board are rich fat cats who want to do something silly. We're typical New Paltzians," she added.
President David Dukler agreed that the $49.78 million price has caused a lot of sticker shock locally. But he also said that the district has been neglecting the middle school for at least 20 years.
"I accepted that it was our time to act," he said. Putting off the project would likely mean inflated construction costs and interest rates -- neither of which would be any more popular with voters.
Financial worries are real and are heading in at the district, according to Patrick Rausch.
With Gov. David Paterson working feverishly to control the budget in Albany, future funding to the schools is totally unknowable. Add that to a school board that wants to keep the tax levy growing by a steady four percent each year, and "whether we do the middle school or not really doesn't matter," Rausch said.
Despite his worry, Rausch voted to put the measure on the ballot. To not do so would be "depriving the community of a vote."
Trustee Edgar Rodriguez was the lone person on the board to vote against the initiative.
"As a trustee, I have the fiduciary and ethical responsibility to weigh the needs of the children and the community. I have done this and, at the moment, the preponderance of the evidence presented by the school district does not convince me to vote yes for the proposed bond," Rodriguez said.
Part of how the school district has presented the middle school project to the community also didn't make sense to Rodriguez.
"There are too many wants in the current plan and the needs are not clear at all," he said. "I would dare say that there is not a clear and present danger in the middle school that warrants $77 million."
Assuming a 4.5 percent interest rate, the total principal and interest payments for the renovated school comes out to that $77 million.
According to Assistant Superintendent Richard Linden, that 4.5 percent interest rate is a conservative estimate and the district might actually end up paying less than that for interest if voters approve the project.
Of the total $49.78 million project, the State of New York is expected to cover just more than $20 million with building aid money. That would leave local taxpayers with a $29.75 million local share.
However, state building aid will also apply to the interest payments for the new building, and could bring in an additional $10 million, according to Linden.
The district would not borrow the $49.78 million this year. Instead, they would lock in construction rates and actually borrow the money during the 2012-2013 school year. In this way, taxpayers would not immediately feel the pinch from borrowing in 2010.
Polls for the special election will be open at New Paltz Central High School from noon until 9 p.m. on Feb. 9.
For more information on the school district's plans, head to www.newpaltz.k12.ny.us and check the "Announcements" section.
After deliberations that stretched on for nearly four hours, the New Paltz Board of Education voted 6-1 to hold a special Feb. 9 election and allow voters to decide the fate of a proposed $49.78 million renovation to the New Paltz Middle School.
That project has already caused a rift in the community -- with landowners, professors, former and current village officials, a county legislator and laypeople all sounding off for and against the project.
The group Concerned Citizens of New Paltz has so far taken out two full-page ads in this paper to persuade voters not to support the middle school ballot initiative. The Feedback page in our Dec. 17 issue features two letters -- one letter against the project with 46 signatures, and one for the project with 42 signatures.
Dec. 16's vote was years in the making. Former school board member Barbara Carroll admitted that the middle school had been a financial drain on the district even during her tenure.
"I think that you're right to be biting the bullet and looking at it now," Carroll said. The past president of the board also told the board members that she felt that, recession or not, elements of the public would always oppose a large building project. "You're kind of damned if you do, and damned if you don't."
Board member Daniel Torres said that his vote to place the middle school on the ballot was a matter of doing the right thing.
"The burden's been placed on us right now to do something right," he said. Torres, a freshman at Marist College, has memories of being in the middle school building at the beginning of this decade. He moved to New Paltz and took remedial classes in the middle school, but he graduated New Paltz Central High School with honors, as class vice president and a devoted community activist.
Torres said he attributed part of his turnaround to going through the New Paltz schools.
Board member Steve Greenfield also voted to place the initiative on the ballot. "Bizarre layout in the middle school leaves first-time students confused -- and the building, which is a hodgepodge chimera of an original 1930s building with later-added wings, is out of touch with what students need now," said Greenfield.
"What a wonderful opportunity we now have to offer these outstanding educators facilities that actually serve, rather than obstruct, the team learning philosophy that has long existed and succeeded at our middle school," Greenfield added. "Now, after two years of intensive study and design exploration ... we as a community are poised to solve our problems and meet the needs of our children as we raise them to adulthood in the complex and challenging 21st century."
KT Tobin Flusser also voted with the majority to place the initiative on the ballot. She stressed the years of work on the project. About 50 official school board meetings featured discussions on the middle school -- not including subcommittee meetings.
"All of them were public meetings," Tobin Flusser said. "All of this equates to thousands of hours."
While she admitted that $49.78 million is a lot of money, the trustee also said she felt opponents of the project were wrongly attacking the board as elitist, rich and out of touch with local taxpayers.
"Don't think that the people on this board are rich fat cats who want to do something silly. We're typical New Paltzians," she added.
President David Dukler agreed that the $49.78 million price has caused a lot of sticker shock locally. But he also said that the district has been neglecting the middle school for at least 20 years.
"I accepted that it was our time to act," he said. Putting off the project would likely mean inflated construction costs and interest rates -- neither of which would be any more popular with voters.
Financial worries are real and are heading in at the district, according to Patrick Rausch.
With Gov. David Paterson working feverishly to control the budget in Albany, future funding to the schools is totally unknowable. Add that to a school board that wants to keep the tax levy growing by a steady four percent each year, and "whether we do the middle school or not really doesn't matter," Rausch said.
Despite his worry, Rausch voted to put the measure on the ballot. To not do so would be "depriving the community of a vote."
Trustee Edgar Rodriguez was the lone person on the board to vote against the initiative.
"As a trustee, I have the fiduciary and ethical responsibility to weigh the needs of the children and the community. I have done this and, at the moment, the preponderance of the evidence presented by the school district does not convince me to vote yes for the proposed bond," Rodriguez said.
Part of how the school district has presented the middle school project to the community also didn't make sense to Rodriguez.
"There are too many wants in the current plan and the needs are not clear at all," he said. "I would dare say that there is not a clear and present danger in the middle school that warrants $77 million."
Assuming a 4.5 percent interest rate, the total principal and interest payments for the renovated school comes out to that $77 million.
According to Assistant Superintendent Richard Linden, that 4.5 percent interest rate is a conservative estimate and the district might actually end up paying less than that for interest if voters approve the project.
Of the total $49.78 million project, the State of New York is expected to cover just more than $20 million with building aid money. That would leave local taxpayers with a $29.75 million local share.
However, state building aid will also apply to the interest payments for the new building, and could bring in an additional $10 million, according to Linden.
The district would not borrow the $49.78 million this year. Instead, they would lock in construction rates and actually borrow the money during the 2012-2013 school year. In this way, taxpayers would not immediately feel the pinch from borrowing in 2010.
Polls for the special election will be open at New Paltz Central High School from noon until 9 p.m. on Feb. 9.
For more information on the school district's plans, head to www.newpaltz.k12.ny.us and check the "Announcements" section.
Jason West's Letter to the Editor 12/23/09: Vote Yes on the Middle School Proposition
On Dec. 16, the New Paltz School Board voted to put a bond measure up for public referendum asking if we should renovate the middle school. Almost no one is saying we don't need to renovate the middle school -- those who oppose the renovation simply state that times are too hard right now to justify it. A small number of opponents make the ridiculous claim that we shouldn't do this because it 'divides the community'. Come on -- I've been here 15 years and New Paltz has pretty much always been divided over one thing or another. It's what makes us great -- passionate civic engagement. Don't underrate it.
The simple truth is that we need to renovate the middle school. In fact, it should have been renovated years ago. Instead of biting the bullet and making the necessary repairs, prior School Boards voted to simply patch up the building we have. As was mentioned at last night's School Board meeting, one such 'band-aid' cost us $14 million. Yes, times are tough, but the longer we wait, the more expensive this necessary work becomes. Capital projects don't get cheaper if you put them off year after year -- they get more expensive. And in this case the recession works in our favor because of the low interest rates, low cost of labor and lower cost of materials.
Yes, $49.8 million dollars is a lot of money if you're buying a house. But it's not a lot of money if you're re-building a middle school. In fact, it's eerily average for what other local school districts have spent recently on similar projects.
We need this renovation. It's cheaper to do it now than in a few years. We need to do this not only for those children going to the middle school in the next few years, but for those who will be going to the middle school over the course of the next century. The question is: do you want to spend money now to get these desperately needed renovations done, or do you want to spend a lot more money a little bit later in order to do the exact same work?
It would be irresponsible of us to do anything but vote YES on this proposition.
Jason West
New Paltz
The simple truth is that we need to renovate the middle school. In fact, it should have been renovated years ago. Instead of biting the bullet and making the necessary repairs, prior School Boards voted to simply patch up the building we have. As was mentioned at last night's School Board meeting, one such 'band-aid' cost us $14 million. Yes, times are tough, but the longer we wait, the more expensive this necessary work becomes. Capital projects don't get cheaper if you put them off year after year -- they get more expensive. And in this case the recession works in our favor because of the low interest rates, low cost of labor and lower cost of materials.
Yes, $49.8 million dollars is a lot of money if you're buying a house. But it's not a lot of money if you're re-building a middle school. In fact, it's eerily average for what other local school districts have spent recently on similar projects.
We need this renovation. It's cheaper to do it now than in a few years. We need to do this not only for those children going to the middle school in the next few years, but for those who will be going to the middle school over the course of the next century. The question is: do you want to spend money now to get these desperately needed renovations done, or do you want to spend a lot more money a little bit later in order to do the exact same work?
It would be irresponsible of us to do anything but vote YES on this proposition.
Jason West
New Paltz
Stacey Schaffer's Letter to the Editor 12/23/09: Support the Middle School Renovation
For a second consecutive week another $800 anonymous ad attacking the proposed New Paltz Middle School renovation is in the paper. That brings us up to 50% of what a home of $300,000 would pay for the renovation -- ten years' worth of payments -- in just two weeks, supposedly in support of ordinary folks' inability to afford an amount of money that's the equivalent of one-sixth of a typical monthly cable bill, which virtually everyone in this community pays -- good times or bad. Our inability to sell our houses is attested to by people who tried to sell their homes for a million-and-a-half dollars. These are not my spokespeople.
Is anyone besides me finding a painful -- dare I say manipulative -- paradox in the lavishing of so much money to be protected from having to spend less money than the cost of advertising to not spend the money? Many of our children are walking around with cell phones that cost more for monthly service in two months than I'm being asked to pay in taxes for this renovation in a full year. I can afford this renovation. I want to afford this renovation and I will find room for it in my modest budget. Our children's ability to thrive in adulthood, our community's ability to bring forth future generations of high-functioning citizens to keep our home safe, sound and productive and even our ability to maintain our property values through the attraction quality public education holds for young families all depend upon it. Please join me in supporting the middle school renovation.
Stacey Schaffer
Esopus
Is anyone besides me finding a painful -- dare I say manipulative -- paradox in the lavishing of so much money to be protected from having to spend less money than the cost of advertising to not spend the money? Many of our children are walking around with cell phones that cost more for monthly service in two months than I'm being asked to pay in taxes for this renovation in a full year. I can afford this renovation. I want to afford this renovation and I will find room for it in my modest budget. Our children's ability to thrive in adulthood, our community's ability to bring forth future generations of high-functioning citizens to keep our home safe, sound and productive and even our ability to maintain our property values through the attraction quality public education holds for young families all depend upon it. Please join me in supporting the middle school renovation.
Stacey Schaffer
Esopus
Charlie West's Letter to the Editor 12/23/09: Let's Get This Project on the Road
Times are tough, I have to agree, and there is no guarantee of what tomorrow will be. But do we really want to wait to pass the New Paltz Middle School project? There will always be a reason why "now" is not the right time. So let's get this project on the road. Other towns and cities in the country are in the same situation and no one knows what the future will bring. But we must not hinder the education of our children, our future. It has been proven that proceeding with another "band aid" won't work. A temporary fix is just that, temporary. We need a school that will help to prepare our children for the 22nd century. And as for waiting better technology, if we did that, none of us would own a computer or a new car. So let's try to be optimistic about our future and give our children a competitive chance. After all, we had no problem voting for the money for the library.
Charlie West
New Paltz
Charlie West
New Paltz
Don Kerr's Letter to the Editor 12/23/09: A Yes Vote for Middle School Renovation
This letter is a personal statement. It has not been reviewed by, and does not constitute a statement from, the Board of Education.
I am writing this letter a few hours prior to the school board's vote to place the proposed renovation to the New Paltz Middle School on the ballot in February.
I have heard from dozens, if not hundreds, of people on this project and the two most FAQs are: a) Why do we need to take on a large project at the New Paltz Middle School? And b) Can't we wait until the economy bounces back?
We need to act because there are $10 million in emergency repairs needed to keep the school running for another six to eight years. So the cost of "nothing" is $10M vs. $29M for the proposal (after state aid). AND after spending $10 million now, we would come back to the community with the same problems in five to eight years (only they would cost a lot more to address at that time).
I, and other members of the Board of Ed, have been studying this situation for years; acting now is the most fiscally responsible course of action to preserve our educational program.
The proposal is structured in a way that maximizes the benefits of acting in a downturn, while minimizing the effect on taxpayers. The financing is set up so that bids get locked in now at economic downturn rates, but tax impact is not felt until the 2012-13 school year, when the economy has bounced back.
Staff at the New Paltz Middle School has reported several times that education is delivered despite the facility. The widely practiced "House" concept to middle school education is frustrated by the configuration at the building; and band practice takes place in the middle of academic classrooms. An engineer reported in 2005 that there were sections of the oldest portions where they had found cloth insulation on the wires (pre-rubber) -- the school simply cannot support the technology that today's and tomorrow's students will NEED to be competitive. And, as a steward of all students, I hang my head in shame that kids with physical challenges cannot access all programs at that school.
For those reasons and many more, I will be voting yes to bring the proposal to voters in February.
Donald Kerr
BOE Facilities Committee Chair
I am writing this letter a few hours prior to the school board's vote to place the proposed renovation to the New Paltz Middle School on the ballot in February.
I have heard from dozens, if not hundreds, of people on this project and the two most FAQs are: a) Why do we need to take on a large project at the New Paltz Middle School? And b) Can't we wait until the economy bounces back?
We need to act because there are $10 million in emergency repairs needed to keep the school running for another six to eight years. So the cost of "nothing" is $10M vs. $29M for the proposal (after state aid). AND after spending $10 million now, we would come back to the community with the same problems in five to eight years (only they would cost a lot more to address at that time).
I, and other members of the Board of Ed, have been studying this situation for years; acting now is the most fiscally responsible course of action to preserve our educational program.
The proposal is structured in a way that maximizes the benefits of acting in a downturn, while minimizing the effect on taxpayers. The financing is set up so that bids get locked in now at economic downturn rates, but tax impact is not felt until the 2012-13 school year, when the economy has bounced back.
Staff at the New Paltz Middle School has reported several times that education is delivered despite the facility. The widely practiced "House" concept to middle school education is frustrated by the configuration at the building; and band practice takes place in the middle of academic classrooms. An engineer reported in 2005 that there were sections of the oldest portions where they had found cloth insulation on the wires (pre-rubber) -- the school simply cannot support the technology that today's and tomorrow's students will NEED to be competitive. And, as a steward of all students, I hang my head in shame that kids with physical challenges cannot access all programs at that school.
For those reasons and many more, I will be voting yes to bring the proposal to voters in February.
Donald Kerr
BOE Facilities Committee Chair
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Dan Torres' Comments Before His YES! Vote on 12/16/09
At our Middle School there is a program called Step Up. This is where students are rewarded for doing the right thing, and sometimes doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest thing. I think that perfectly describes our current project. In my opinion we as a board have “Stepped Up.” We have acted responsibly financially, environmentally, and in how we are utilizing 21st century technology.
Fifty million dollars is obviously a lot of money and simply a burden. Sadly, that burden has fallen on us. I wish that some other board had taken the initiative in repairing our Middle School facility but they didn’t. Now it is our job to take the initiative to do something for our community and students. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of the project both literally and figuratively.
I think that sometimes due to my age people may have the misconception that I don’t feel the current economic times that we are in. This simply isn’t true, I am balancing 16 credits and three jobs and with a month of school off I am currently looking for a fourth... so if anyone would like to hire me please talk to me later. I just graduated high school and I had to watch my friends who did all the right things and work so hard for so many years have to go to their second or third school choice or even community college because they couldn’t afford the price tag.
In closing, today I was asked during public comment if I felt that the district or the Middle School had failed me… I think it is well known by anyone who attended my graduation that I was class Vice President, a member of National Honor Society, and that I graduated with an Advanced Placement Diploma. What isn’t as well known is that while I was in Middle School and through the beginning of my high school career I was in entirely remedial classes. There were few people who didn’t graduate with my class but most of them came out of those classes that I was once in.
I am not saying that it was necessarily because of the Middle School facility that I attended nearly all remedial classes, but the closest I ever came to failing a class was because of that facility. When I was in 7th grade I had a knee injury and due to the layout of the building I was unable to attend one of my classes. I made it to two weeks out of a ten week marking period and I came very close to failing. So do I think that the Middle School failed me? No, but I think more could have and probably should have been done for me. With all that said I will be voting yes tonight and on February 9th.
Daniel Torres
New Paltz
Fifty million dollars is obviously a lot of money and simply a burden. Sadly, that burden has fallen on us. I wish that some other board had taken the initiative in repairing our Middle School facility but they didn’t. Now it is our job to take the initiative to do something for our community and students. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of the project both literally and figuratively.
I think that sometimes due to my age people may have the misconception that I don’t feel the current economic times that we are in. This simply isn’t true, I am balancing 16 credits and three jobs and with a month of school off I am currently looking for a fourth... so if anyone would like to hire me please talk to me later. I just graduated high school and I had to watch my friends who did all the right things and work so hard for so many years have to go to their second or third school choice or even community college because they couldn’t afford the price tag.
In closing, today I was asked during public comment if I felt that the district or the Middle School had failed me… I think it is well known by anyone who attended my graduation that I was class Vice President, a member of National Honor Society, and that I graduated with an Advanced Placement Diploma. What isn’t as well known is that while I was in Middle School and through the beginning of my high school career I was in entirely remedial classes. There were few people who didn’t graduate with my class but most of them came out of those classes that I was once in.
I am not saying that it was necessarily because of the Middle School facility that I attended nearly all remedial classes, but the closest I ever came to failing a class was because of that facility. When I was in 7th grade I had a knee injury and due to the layout of the building I was unable to attend one of my classes. I made it to two weeks out of a ten week marking period and I came very close to failing. So do I think that the Middle School failed me? No, but I think more could have and probably should have been done for me. With all that said I will be voting yes tonight and on February 9th.
Daniel Torres
New Paltz
Monday, December 21, 2009
kt Tobin Flusser's Comments Before Her YES! Vote on 12/16/09
When I ran for school board last May I said the following:
“I submitted my name for election to the school board because I want to focus on maintaining educational excellence despite fiscal pressures. I want to participate in the middle school renovation process, as I believe this project is an opportunity for the district to concretize its commitment to 21st century education while going green and staying fiscally sound. I want to continue to be a voice for transparency in government - we need to continue to open up the process and promote citizen involvement.”
As we sit here about to vote on the proposed Middle School Project bond date and amount I am confident that I have done what I promised to do and here's why.
Since Jan 2008 when the resolution was passed to focus on the Middle School green renovation on the current site in the village this board has met nearly 50 times for regular BOE meetings (and before I was even on the board they can all attest that I attended many of them). This project was more often than not in some way on the agenda. Also in that time period there have been two dozen Facilities Committee meetings, and since late summer our board has met as a whole numerous times as the Committee of the Whole just to discuss this topic to narrow and refine the scope. All of this equates to thousands of hours reviewing, discussing, researching, and asking hundreds of questions to get to where we are today. These were all public meetings that were filmed and televised.
I am incredibly impressed by all my colleagues’ intelligence and work ethic. We are all elected, but we are all volunteers and my experience is that this project – in addition to regular board duties – has been taken absolutely seriously and with a high degree of commitment & professionalism.
This project has gone through many phases over the past two years. It started with the selection of architects via the RFP process followed by a feasibility study which confirmed the site was viable for a revovation/combination/new construction project. There have been many configurations and iterations in the Rhinebeck proposals (and later Palumbo cost estimates). How much of the old building components would stay? What needed to go? There were extensive discussions about where to put what - shipping and receiving, the kitchen, parking, buses, the district office; what could we afford? and most importantly, what would be the best configuration for contemporary education? By this fall the results of this work was ready for presentation and evaluation through a public forum and presentation series.
Over twenty open forums and presentations were held at all of our schools and at locations across our community. Staff, faculty, PTAs, community groups, and residents of the district provided us with feedback about the proposed project. Really good questions were asked and there were great ideas offered that helped us modify this proposal in important ways, for example:
• affirmation that the community wants us to maintain full day Kindergarten
• that we needed a relocation plan and dollars in the budget for it before voting
• adjustment of the bond timeline to delay impact till 2012
• the possibility of flexible payment of taxes across the year
• removal of the amphitheater and auditorium renovations
There are some things we heard about and can't do: for example, the pool – with a $6 million price tag. Or, as express by a small handful, a postponement – but that is a price tag for students and our community and our pocketbooks that makes no sense.
$49.8m is a lot of money - there is no getting around it. I had sticker shock when I first heard this ballpark figure and since then I – along with my peers at the board table - have worked diligently to figure out why this is the amount we need to spend on this project.
We have "interrogated" our architects and construction manager for months – drilling down all the scenarios - the hows and the whys – and came to understand that this is the appropriate price tag for a capital project for a public building built properly to last a century.
We have done our due diligence to determine what constitutes the right cost for this project – and that this is the best proposal for the needs of this district and community. Our professionals - architects and builders - are basing these costs on their databases of projects done in our region. And outside of the board and district administration and consultants, well-respected community members who work in related fields like Floyd Kniffen, Kevin O'Connor, Rick Alfandre, and John McEnrue at the college have affirmed that these costs are right on target.
And while these may be the worst of times for the economy, in many ways they are also the best of times - construction costs and interest rates are at historic lows. It is very likely that the costs will never be lower than what they are now.
The condition of the building is appalling and it is reprehensible that we have neglected to act sooner. The 2005 building survey identified critical physical deterioration. The building is a fossil fuel nightmare and large portions are inaccessible to the disabled and injured. Classrooms are not configured for modern education and are on average 30% smaller than current state requirements. There’s too much heat, not enough heat, mold, air quality problems – it is a maze. It would be irresponsible to not acknowledge and act on these problems now.
I am typical New Paltz. I am a working mom in a dual earner household with three kids – my middle child will be relocated during the project. My house is assessed at just a hair above the median - and the cost for my household will be right in line with the typical New Paltzians – as I guess it will for most of us at the board table (and Dan’s parents :) ).
We are all neighbors, and we need to share this cost. At less than $5 a month for the first four years and starting in 2012 an average of $14 a month for the twenty-year loan– which by the way is the same cost of HBO on a monthly basis - we can afford this. We can do this – and if there are people who are on the precipice of losing their homes because of impacts like these we need to find better ways to identify them and help them keep their homes.
Since I graduated from SUNY New Paltz I have lived all over Ulster County, we moved back when my first child was born. New Paltz is one of the most expensive places to live in the county but I love the community and the schools are #1 in the region - as Don Kerr affectionately says - the jewel of the valley. People move here because of the schools. The price may be higher than average but the outcome is exceptionally higher than average. We have a nationally ranked high school.
Middle school is a difficult age. Schools do well at high school and elementary levels – middle school is perhaps the most challenging years and much research says these years have the most impact on eventual success – this is a critical age. Our superior staff of administrators and teachers at the middle school is successful despite the building they work in.
Think of the positive impacts for the education of our children in a contemporary, clean, green, healthy building. At a minimum, because of the new design they will get a net increase in actual instruction time. Absenteeism because of healthier conditions will decrease, and productivity for both staff and students will increase. The facility will be technologically appropriate for modern education.
I support this project for educational, health, safety, environmental, and financial reasons.
It is time for the community to vote, and I am confident in our community’s ability to evaluate this proposal. This is what it costs. This is what we need to do for our community. I will vote yes tonight and on February 9th.
kt Tobin Flusser
New Paltz
“I submitted my name for election to the school board because I want to focus on maintaining educational excellence despite fiscal pressures. I want to participate in the middle school renovation process, as I believe this project is an opportunity for the district to concretize its commitment to 21st century education while going green and staying fiscally sound. I want to continue to be a voice for transparency in government - we need to continue to open up the process and promote citizen involvement.”
As we sit here about to vote on the proposed Middle School Project bond date and amount I am confident that I have done what I promised to do and here's why.
Since Jan 2008 when the resolution was passed to focus on the Middle School green renovation on the current site in the village this board has met nearly 50 times for regular BOE meetings (and before I was even on the board they can all attest that I attended many of them). This project was more often than not in some way on the agenda. Also in that time period there have been two dozen Facilities Committee meetings, and since late summer our board has met as a whole numerous times as the Committee of the Whole just to discuss this topic to narrow and refine the scope. All of this equates to thousands of hours reviewing, discussing, researching, and asking hundreds of questions to get to where we are today. These were all public meetings that were filmed and televised.
I am incredibly impressed by all my colleagues’ intelligence and work ethic. We are all elected, but we are all volunteers and my experience is that this project – in addition to regular board duties – has been taken absolutely seriously and with a high degree of commitment & professionalism.
This project has gone through many phases over the past two years. It started with the selection of architects via the RFP process followed by a feasibility study which confirmed the site was viable for a revovation/combination/new construction project. There have been many configurations and iterations in the Rhinebeck proposals (and later Palumbo cost estimates). How much of the old building components would stay? What needed to go? There were extensive discussions about where to put what - shipping and receiving, the kitchen, parking, buses, the district office; what could we afford? and most importantly, what would be the best configuration for contemporary education? By this fall the results of this work was ready for presentation and evaluation through a public forum and presentation series.
Over twenty open forums and presentations were held at all of our schools and at locations across our community. Staff, faculty, PTAs, community groups, and residents of the district provided us with feedback about the proposed project. Really good questions were asked and there were great ideas offered that helped us modify this proposal in important ways, for example:
• affirmation that the community wants us to maintain full day Kindergarten
• that we needed a relocation plan and dollars in the budget for it before voting
• adjustment of the bond timeline to delay impact till 2012
• the possibility of flexible payment of taxes across the year
• removal of the amphitheater and auditorium renovations
There are some things we heard about and can't do: for example, the pool – with a $6 million price tag. Or, as express by a small handful, a postponement – but that is a price tag for students and our community and our pocketbooks that makes no sense.
$49.8m is a lot of money - there is no getting around it. I had sticker shock when I first heard this ballpark figure and since then I – along with my peers at the board table - have worked diligently to figure out why this is the amount we need to spend on this project.
We have "interrogated" our architects and construction manager for months – drilling down all the scenarios - the hows and the whys – and came to understand that this is the appropriate price tag for a capital project for a public building built properly to last a century.
We have done our due diligence to determine what constitutes the right cost for this project – and that this is the best proposal for the needs of this district and community. Our professionals - architects and builders - are basing these costs on their databases of projects done in our region. And outside of the board and district administration and consultants, well-respected community members who work in related fields like Floyd Kniffen, Kevin O'Connor, Rick Alfandre, and John McEnrue at the college have affirmed that these costs are right on target.
And while these may be the worst of times for the economy, in many ways they are also the best of times - construction costs and interest rates are at historic lows. It is very likely that the costs will never be lower than what they are now.
The condition of the building is appalling and it is reprehensible that we have neglected to act sooner. The 2005 building survey identified critical physical deterioration. The building is a fossil fuel nightmare and large portions are inaccessible to the disabled and injured. Classrooms are not configured for modern education and are on average 30% smaller than current state requirements. There’s too much heat, not enough heat, mold, air quality problems – it is a maze. It would be irresponsible to not acknowledge and act on these problems now.
I am typical New Paltz. I am a working mom in a dual earner household with three kids – my middle child will be relocated during the project. My house is assessed at just a hair above the median - and the cost for my household will be right in line with the typical New Paltzians – as I guess it will for most of us at the board table (and Dan’s parents :) ).
We are all neighbors, and we need to share this cost. At less than $5 a month for the first four years and starting in 2012 an average of $14 a month for the twenty-year loan– which by the way is the same cost of HBO on a monthly basis - we can afford this. We can do this – and if there are people who are on the precipice of losing their homes because of impacts like these we need to find better ways to identify them and help them keep their homes.
Since I graduated from SUNY New Paltz I have lived all over Ulster County, we moved back when my first child was born. New Paltz is one of the most expensive places to live in the county but I love the community and the schools are #1 in the region - as Don Kerr affectionately says - the jewel of the valley. People move here because of the schools. The price may be higher than average but the outcome is exceptionally higher than average. We have a nationally ranked high school.
Middle school is a difficult age. Schools do well at high school and elementary levels – middle school is perhaps the most challenging years and much research says these years have the most impact on eventual success – this is a critical age. Our superior staff of administrators and teachers at the middle school is successful despite the building they work in.
Think of the positive impacts for the education of our children in a contemporary, clean, green, healthy building. At a minimum, because of the new design they will get a net increase in actual instruction time. Absenteeism because of healthier conditions will decrease, and productivity for both staff and students will increase. The facility will be technologically appropriate for modern education.
I support this project for educational, health, safety, environmental, and financial reasons.
It is time for the community to vote, and I am confident in our community’s ability to evaluate this proposal. This is what it costs. This is what we need to do for our community. I will vote yes tonight and on February 9th.
kt Tobin Flusser
New Paltz
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Download, Print, and Put This Poster in Your Car Window
Download, Print, and Put This Poster in Your Car Window
Vote YES! in the Poll --------------------------------->
Vote YES! in the poll in the top right corner of the website: "Will you vote YES on the proposed Middle School Project?" YES!
David Dukler's Comments Before His YES! Vote on 12/16/09
I want to first thank my colleagues, the SOS and her staff, and the public for all the work that we have done collectively over the past years and especially the past few months that has brought us to this day.
I am in support of bringing this vote to the public so they can exercise their democratic right to vote and make decisions regarding their lives and the life of their community.
In my years on the board, I cannot recall a time when making a decision has both been so necessary and so disquieting. When we started on this path, little did I expect that we would be in the economic situation we are in currently. But here we are.
Over the course of the development of this project, I have mirrored many of the sentiments expressed here tonight by community members and those I have encountered elsewhere. I was originally in favor of a project on South Putt Corners in proximity to the high school. Our work at the time resulted in an outpouring of public sentiment for retaining the in-town site. OK, I said, not my first choice but the community has spoken. Move on. We then were presented with options by our architectural firm. After I picked my jaw off the floor when I heard the price tag, I took a deep breath and educated myself about what was behind those numbers. I went beyond my initial shock to understand our needs, our options, and the price of inaction.
In my role as a member of the board, it was my job to look hard at all points of view, to understand whenever I had questions, to put aside by own personal prejudices, and, as Patrick says, to get the view from 10,000 feet. What I saw first was an educational need that had existed for many years and that had not been dealt with in a meaningful way. I felt that it was our time to step into the arena and have the integrity to act. Next I saw a community caught between its support for education and its concern for those who are stressed and strained by both the present economic crisis and an outmoded and highly problematic state system of education funding.
As best as we can tell, putting this off for another day will eventually wind up being more expensive and probably no more popular than it is now. From a financial perspective, there will be no better time to undertake this project. It will NEVER be less expensive. I believe this is the time to act. The Board will also be undertaking additional actions to address the financial concerns of citizens and to continue to lower the costs to taxpayers. We have already lowered the scope of the project. If achieved, such actions will result in a lower final cost. The amount we are authorizing today does not mean we have to use it all. At another time, I will speak to what additional actions we can take on behalf of the taxpayers of this district.
However this vote turns out, to build or not, we will only be able to confront the challenges ahead if we do it together in a respectful and collegial PROBLEM SOLVING manner. Or we can degenerate into finger pointing, enemy-making and blame seeking. I believe that choice is ours.
David Dukler
Gardiner
I am in support of bringing this vote to the public so they can exercise their democratic right to vote and make decisions regarding their lives and the life of their community.
In my years on the board, I cannot recall a time when making a decision has both been so necessary and so disquieting. When we started on this path, little did I expect that we would be in the economic situation we are in currently. But here we are.
Over the course of the development of this project, I have mirrored many of the sentiments expressed here tonight by community members and those I have encountered elsewhere. I was originally in favor of a project on South Putt Corners in proximity to the high school. Our work at the time resulted in an outpouring of public sentiment for retaining the in-town site. OK, I said, not my first choice but the community has spoken. Move on. We then were presented with options by our architectural firm. After I picked my jaw off the floor when I heard the price tag, I took a deep breath and educated myself about what was behind those numbers. I went beyond my initial shock to understand our needs, our options, and the price of inaction.
In my role as a member of the board, it was my job to look hard at all points of view, to understand whenever I had questions, to put aside by own personal prejudices, and, as Patrick says, to get the view from 10,000 feet. What I saw first was an educational need that had existed for many years and that had not been dealt with in a meaningful way. I felt that it was our time to step into the arena and have the integrity to act. Next I saw a community caught between its support for education and its concern for those who are stressed and strained by both the present economic crisis and an outmoded and highly problematic state system of education funding.
As best as we can tell, putting this off for another day will eventually wind up being more expensive and probably no more popular than it is now. From a financial perspective, there will be no better time to undertake this project. It will NEVER be less expensive. I believe this is the time to act. The Board will also be undertaking additional actions to address the financial concerns of citizens and to continue to lower the costs to taxpayers. We have already lowered the scope of the project. If achieved, such actions will result in a lower final cost. The amount we are authorizing today does not mean we have to use it all. At another time, I will speak to what additional actions we can take on behalf of the taxpayers of this district.
However this vote turns out, to build or not, we will only be able to confront the challenges ahead if we do it together in a respectful and collegial PROBLEM SOLVING manner. Or we can degenerate into finger pointing, enemy-making and blame seeking. I believe that choice is ours.
David Dukler
Gardiner
Steve Greenfield's Comments Before His YES! Vote on 12/16/09
Back in 2005 the New Paltz Central School District was advised that the physical structure of the Middle School was failing in many areas due to age, wasting energy in copious quantities, and likely to suffer critical failure in less than a decade, even if the ten million dollars in immediate repairs were undertaken. It stated in no uncertain terms that the district would both save money and better solve its problems by either substantially renovating or building a new Middle School. That is the origin of the discussion that’s been going on in earnest at this table and throughout our community for the last two years. This report came on top of educational shortcomings of which we, our administrators, and our teachers were already painfully well aware – that the aged infrastructure was interfering with our teachers’ ability to readily deliver the quality of education today and into the future that we have expected in the past and that every generation of New Paltz students deserves. Now, after two years of intensive study and design exploration, with the able assistance of our dedicated staff and top contracted engineering, architectural, and construction talent in the educational field, we as a community are poised to solve our problems and meet the needs of our children as we raise them to adulthood in the complex and challenging 21st century.
A few months ago a team of teachers from the Middle School gave us overwhelming testimony in support of the proposed concept. We were told of how teachers push materials from classroom to classroom on teacarts. We were told of how collaborative classes frequently meet in hallways due to lack of classrooms that can hold two classes. We were told of the noise disruptions in the vicinity of our music programs. We were told of the lack of handicap access to many programs, and the challenges achieving inclusion for special ed students. We were told that our classrooms don’t even have sufficient outlets to plug in as many computers and other technology that is needed for today’s education. We were told of the security risks and loss of classroom time due to the labyrinthine locker system and long walks between classes. We were told in no uncertain terms how the proposed concept solves all of these problems and more, while providing sufficient flexibility to allow our programming to change and grow. What a wonderful opportunity we now have to offer these outstanding educators facilities that actually serve, rather than obstruct, the team learning philosophy that has long existed and succeeded at our Middle School.
I’d also like to say what an honor it has been for me to serve this community in this capacity, and to have been allowed by their support to work with such capable board colleagues, administrators, teachers, staff, and top-flight contracted expertise to reach this moment where I can truly say to my neighbors that they will soon have the opportunity to provide a continuum of the best education our children can receive at a price our community can afford. Throughout our region over the last two weeks almost $200 million dollars in capital improvements have been approved by voters, several at much higher total and individual cost than ours, showing that even in these hard time, or perhaps because of them, citizens are willing and able to distinguish between the wants and needs of their school districts, to capitalize on current low interest rates and lock in competitive construction bids for the long-term benefit of their communities. I cannot think of a better time or a better place to build a 21st century educational facility on a site that preserves the living history of New Paltz public education and affirms and strengthens the ties between community and education that builds the knowledge and citizenship that prepares children to not only enter, but to successfully participate in the modern adult world.
I will cast my vote yes to bring this referendum before the public for their approval.
Steve Greenfield
A few months ago a team of teachers from the Middle School gave us overwhelming testimony in support of the proposed concept. We were told of how teachers push materials from classroom to classroom on teacarts. We were told of how collaborative classes frequently meet in hallways due to lack of classrooms that can hold two classes. We were told of the noise disruptions in the vicinity of our music programs. We were told of the lack of handicap access to many programs, and the challenges achieving inclusion for special ed students. We were told that our classrooms don’t even have sufficient outlets to plug in as many computers and other technology that is needed for today’s education. We were told of the security risks and loss of classroom time due to the labyrinthine locker system and long walks between classes. We were told in no uncertain terms how the proposed concept solves all of these problems and more, while providing sufficient flexibility to allow our programming to change and grow. What a wonderful opportunity we now have to offer these outstanding educators facilities that actually serve, rather than obstruct, the team learning philosophy that has long existed and succeeded at our Middle School.
I’d also like to say what an honor it has been for me to serve this community in this capacity, and to have been allowed by their support to work with such capable board colleagues, administrators, teachers, staff, and top-flight contracted expertise to reach this moment where I can truly say to my neighbors that they will soon have the opportunity to provide a continuum of the best education our children can receive at a price our community can afford. Throughout our region over the last two weeks almost $200 million dollars in capital improvements have been approved by voters, several at much higher total and individual cost than ours, showing that even in these hard time, or perhaps because of them, citizens are willing and able to distinguish between the wants and needs of their school districts, to capitalize on current low interest rates and lock in competitive construction bids for the long-term benefit of their communities. I cannot think of a better time or a better place to build a 21st century educational facility on a site that preserves the living history of New Paltz public education and affirms and strengthens the ties between community and education that builds the knowledge and citizenship that prepares children to not only enter, but to successfully participate in the modern adult world.
I will cast my vote yes to bring this referendum before the public for their approval.
Steve Greenfield
Thursday, December 17, 2009
42 Supporters' Letter to the Editor 12/17/09: School District Has Earned Our Trust
It is understood that an informed public is the backbone of democracy. So when the public is misinformed, democracy is at risk, as poor decisions may result. But when the public is deliberately misinformed, democracy is being threatened. Last week's issue of the New Paltz Times contained an expensive full-page advertisement (complaining about money, no less, in an advertisement costing $800*, as much money as 60 months -- five years or 25% of the full 20-year total -- of the taxes an owner of a $300,000 home would pay for the middle school project) that was a stream of false information designed to create fear and compromise the public's good judgment on this important civic matter. So the truth must be told, so that it will be known and the public's ability to make its free choice is preserved.
1. The local taxpayers' portion of the loan, including interest over the 20 years, is not $80 million. It is $45 million. But even that number doesn't tell you what your personal share will be, since it doesn't tell you how many taxpayers it's going to be spread over. Factoring that in, the median annual tax burden for this project, which, like mortgage payments will remain unchanged over the 20 years regardless of inflation, will be $13.55 per month. That's the real number. And it won't start until 2012. This is a plan this community can afford.
2. There are not 13 years left on $24 million in debt. There are two years and $668 thousand left on one debt, nine years and $12 million left on another and 13 years remaining on $10.8 million. All figures are principal plus interest. That debt load is well below average for districts of our size. Our school district's credit rating is high due to the combination of low debt load and effective, conservative financial management, which enables our community to finance this project at the lowest possible rate.
The current middle school is certified by state-mandated inspections as considerably deteriorated and unsuited to contemporary education and more expensive to maintain than to renovate. The project is necessary. It contains no luxuries. It's projected cost is exactly average for school renovation in this region. It is affordable. Our community is being asked to ensure that we will have a middle school that meets the actual educational and physical well-being needs of our students at an affordable rate that protects the taxpayers from the huge ongoing costs of repairs and energy loss. It is being presented at a time when interest rates and contractor bids are coming in at historic lows. The board and administration of the New Paltz Central School District have earned our trust, respect and thanks for their sound financial and educational management and the two years of due diligence that has made this project ready for an honest, informed vote by district residents.
Brian Obach, Ilgu Ozler, Carol Richman, Celeste Cleary, Cordell Stahl, Jasmine Redfern, Ellen Marshall, Gene Fischer, Guy Kempe, Eric Schwartz, Stacey Schaffer, Jason West, Terry Dungan, Jenna Dern, John Bligh,Lagusta Yearwood, Lorin Rotzler, Rebecca Rotzler, Maria Davila, Marianne Sennett,Jonathan Sennett, Matthew Maley,
Mathew Swerdloff, Rachel Doldorf, Rachel Lagodka, Tessa Killian, Todd Quinlan, Wendy Baur, Josh Baur, William Weinstein, Eleanor Wolfe, Hector Rodriguez, Margaret Human, Michael Pardus, Karen Edelman, Nicole Lane, Peter Kaufman, Renee Brenner, Ariana Basco, Sadia Gilmour, Kim Sturgis, Mary Guirma
New Paltz, Gardiner and Esopus
*A similar full-page ad was run in the 12/17 edition bringing the total to $1600.
1. The local taxpayers' portion of the loan, including interest over the 20 years, is not $80 million. It is $45 million. But even that number doesn't tell you what your personal share will be, since it doesn't tell you how many taxpayers it's going to be spread over. Factoring that in, the median annual tax burden for this project, which, like mortgage payments will remain unchanged over the 20 years regardless of inflation, will be $13.55 per month. That's the real number. And it won't start until 2012. This is a plan this community can afford.
2. There are not 13 years left on $24 million in debt. There are two years and $668 thousand left on one debt, nine years and $12 million left on another and 13 years remaining on $10.8 million. All figures are principal plus interest. That debt load is well below average for districts of our size. Our school district's credit rating is high due to the combination of low debt load and effective, conservative financial management, which enables our community to finance this project at the lowest possible rate.
The current middle school is certified by state-mandated inspections as considerably deteriorated and unsuited to contemporary education and more expensive to maintain than to renovate. The project is necessary. It contains no luxuries. It's projected cost is exactly average for school renovation in this region. It is affordable. Our community is being asked to ensure that we will have a middle school that meets the actual educational and physical well-being needs of our students at an affordable rate that protects the taxpayers from the huge ongoing costs of repairs and energy loss. It is being presented at a time when interest rates and contractor bids are coming in at historic lows. The board and administration of the New Paltz Central School District have earned our trust, respect and thanks for their sound financial and educational management and the two years of due diligence that has made this project ready for an honest, informed vote by district residents.
Brian Obach, Ilgu Ozler, Carol Richman, Celeste Cleary, Cordell Stahl, Jasmine Redfern, Ellen Marshall, Gene Fischer, Guy Kempe, Eric Schwartz, Stacey Schaffer, Jason West, Terry Dungan, Jenna Dern, John Bligh,Lagusta Yearwood, Lorin Rotzler, Rebecca Rotzler, Maria Davila, Marianne Sennett,Jonathan Sennett, Matthew Maley,
Mathew Swerdloff, Rachel Doldorf, Rachel Lagodka, Tessa Killian, Todd Quinlan, Wendy Baur, Josh Baur, William Weinstein, Eleanor Wolfe, Hector Rodriguez, Margaret Human, Michael Pardus, Karen Edelman, Nicole Lane, Peter Kaufman, Renee Brenner, Ariana Basco, Sadia Gilmour, Kim Sturgis, Mary Guirma
New Paltz, Gardiner and Esopus
*A similar full-page ad was run in the 12/17 edition bringing the total to $1600.
Eleanor Wolfe's Letter to the Editor: Vote Yes on the Middle School
I am a New Paltz resident and mother of a third grader now attending Lenape Elementary School. We moved here 2 1/2 years ago from New York City where my child attended PS 11, housed in a 1920's vintage building. New York City is not known for having all wonderful schools, but PS 11 is a gem. I was pleased to discover that our new home in New Paltz also boasted a good school system -- this comes at a price. I rent a home in the village and, via my rent, pay for taxes assessed on this property. With a child in the school system I get immediate value from tax dollars. All residents should realize that money spent on education is money invested wisely in the future. Our children will thrive in life based on the quality of their early education. This is a proven fact.
The arguments put forth by the "vote no" campaign are loud voices using fear and smear tactics to distort the realities of this proposal based solely on their desire to avoid increases in taxes. Tax dollars -- local, state and federal -- are monies collected to redistribute across communities, they are inescapable, but when well administered, create more bang than for the individual buck. Here, in New Paltz, we have reasonable, educated, credible administrators working diligently to prepare this project which promises to move this district into the future safely, strongly and with integrity.
Building green is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Once upon a time indoor plumbing was considered a luxury. If we fail to plan for the future, we will find ourselves, in 30 years, tearing down this school, just as now, we are faced with trashing the buildings that were put up in the 60's and are now toxic and unsalvageable. It is a great testament to the earlier construction techniques of the 1930's that we can save that beautiful structure and keep it functioning as our district office.
This project has been developed over the same 2 1/2 years that I have been living in New Paltz. I have attended board meetings and witnessed the same questions asked, repeatedly, by a vocal minority. Our volunteer elected officials answer the queries and have followed proper procedures to develop this plan. They have delivered to us a plan that looks into the future and will take only one year to complete. This isn't a visionary plan, but it is a reasonable, affordable -- check the real numbers on the district website -- and exciting plan that we can live with, fiscally and morally.
There is no advantage to putting off this task. The district was informed in 2005 that the middle school was inadequate at best, unsafe at worst. Too much time has passed and as it stands now, the new building won't be completed until 2012! We have run out of time and have a workable plan that meets the current and future needs of our community. Vote yes on the middle school.
Eleanor Wolfe
New Paltz
The arguments put forth by the "vote no" campaign are loud voices using fear and smear tactics to distort the realities of this proposal based solely on their desire to avoid increases in taxes. Tax dollars -- local, state and federal -- are monies collected to redistribute across communities, they are inescapable, but when well administered, create more bang than for the individual buck. Here, in New Paltz, we have reasonable, educated, credible administrators working diligently to prepare this project which promises to move this district into the future safely, strongly and with integrity.
Building green is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Once upon a time indoor plumbing was considered a luxury. If we fail to plan for the future, we will find ourselves, in 30 years, tearing down this school, just as now, we are faced with trashing the buildings that were put up in the 60's and are now toxic and unsalvageable. It is a great testament to the earlier construction techniques of the 1930's that we can save that beautiful structure and keep it functioning as our district office.
This project has been developed over the same 2 1/2 years that I have been living in New Paltz. I have attended board meetings and witnessed the same questions asked, repeatedly, by a vocal minority. Our volunteer elected officials answer the queries and have followed proper procedures to develop this plan. They have delivered to us a plan that looks into the future and will take only one year to complete. This isn't a visionary plan, but it is a reasonable, affordable -- check the real numbers on the district website -- and exciting plan that we can live with, fiscally and morally.
There is no advantage to putting off this task. The district was informed in 2005 that the middle school was inadequate at best, unsafe at worst. Too much time has passed and as it stands now, the new building won't be completed until 2012! We have run out of time and have a workable plan that meets the current and future needs of our community. Vote yes on the middle school.
Eleanor Wolfe
New Paltz
Floyd Kniffen's Letter to the Editor 12/17/09: We Must Fix the Problems at the Middle School
"If you're gonna do something, do it right!" I have always been a big believer of this principle.
We must fix the problems at the New Paltz Middle School. This is a fact that we cannot escape. This building has served us well, but now it's time to renovate to meet our current and future needs.
Not addressing all of the problems at the middle school during this renovation will only make it more costly to address them in the future. This is why the School Board is proposing such an extensive project. This money is more wisely spent now than put off into the future.
With that said, I can understand why some will criticize the School Board for proposing such an extensive project. But we must look at this cost over a period of time. The proposed middle school renovation will provide the best return on the money spent now. This is why I support the School Board's efforts to do the right thing (and not the popular thing) -- to fix our middle school in the most cost-efficient manner.
I have been attending middle school forums and School Board meetings. At these meetings, I have learned a lot about this project. I have also become acquainted with the project's consultants and spoken to them about the type of construction being proposed. I am certain that this project will be built to last, will be energy efficient and will also include energy-producing systems. This is the right type of building construction for our community. This is the right investment to make for our future.
Construction has been my life. After college, I spent many years managing projects of this magnitude. I have researched school construction costs in our area and concluded that the cost per square foot and cost per student of this project is in line with other local projects.
Please do not allow efforts from critics to scare you from investing in our schools. Vocal opponents and full-page ads are impressive tactics. This type of fear mongering is not only wrong, but potentially damaging to our community. If you have any doubts about this project, please attend the forums and meetings. If you would like me to share my thoughts and research, I would be more than happy to discuss them with you.
Floyd Kniffen
New Paltz
We must fix the problems at the New Paltz Middle School. This is a fact that we cannot escape. This building has served us well, but now it's time to renovate to meet our current and future needs.
Not addressing all of the problems at the middle school during this renovation will only make it more costly to address them in the future. This is why the School Board is proposing such an extensive project. This money is more wisely spent now than put off into the future.
With that said, I can understand why some will criticize the School Board for proposing such an extensive project. But we must look at this cost over a period of time. The proposed middle school renovation will provide the best return on the money spent now. This is why I support the School Board's efforts to do the right thing (and not the popular thing) -- to fix our middle school in the most cost-efficient manner.
I have been attending middle school forums and School Board meetings. At these meetings, I have learned a lot about this project. I have also become acquainted with the project's consultants and spoken to them about the type of construction being proposed. I am certain that this project will be built to last, will be energy efficient and will also include energy-producing systems. This is the right type of building construction for our community. This is the right investment to make for our future.
Construction has been my life. After college, I spent many years managing projects of this magnitude. I have researched school construction costs in our area and concluded that the cost per square foot and cost per student of this project is in line with other local projects.
Please do not allow efforts from critics to scare you from investing in our schools. Vocal opponents and full-page ads are impressive tactics. This type of fear mongering is not only wrong, but potentially damaging to our community. If you have any doubts about this project, please attend the forums and meetings. If you would like me to share my thoughts and research, I would be more than happy to discuss them with you.
Floyd Kniffen
New Paltz
Maryann Fallek and Glenn McNitt's Letter to the Editor 12/17: The Time is Right for a Middle School Upgrade
Some are understandably concerned about the costs associated with the proposed New Paltz Middle School upgrade given the fragile state and challenges of our current economy. However, it is precisely this current economy that brings important cost savings, including lower construction bids and lower interest rates for the necessary loans, which should encourage support for moving forward with the upgrade, NOW.
Moreover, initiating the middle school upgrade now would be promising for economic recovery, providing brighter prospects for workers and business owners in our community. The upgrade will mean more jobs and increased demand for goods and services.
The primary reasons that we support the project are focused on our responsibility to provide a safe, secure and efficient public school -- one that fully supports high-quality teaching, the learning of all students and the future of the planet.
How can we postpone or defer such a responsibility? For us, doing so is not only wrong, but also unwise and harmful to the economy and the environment.
Maryann Fallek
Glenn McNitt
New Paltz
Moreover, initiating the middle school upgrade now would be promising for economic recovery, providing brighter prospects for workers and business owners in our community. The upgrade will mean more jobs and increased demand for goods and services.
The primary reasons that we support the project are focused on our responsibility to provide a safe, secure and efficient public school -- one that fully supports high-quality teaching, the learning of all students and the future of the planet.
How can we postpone or defer such a responsibility? For us, doing so is not only wrong, but also unwise and harmful to the economy and the environment.
Maryann Fallek
Glenn McNitt
New Paltz
Referendum Date Set: February 9th
At last night's meeting the School Board voted to set the referendum date to Feb 9th. Please mark your calendars!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Important Board of Education Meeting 12/16 at the High School
This Wednesday 12/16 at 7pm is the Board of Education meeting where the board will be voting on the referendum amount and date.
There will be a public comment period at the beginning of the meeting - please come and speak in support of the project! As many of you already know, opponents of the project took out an $800 full page ad in last week's New Paltz Times with inaccurate financial data imploring people to attend this meeting and speak out against the project. We need to get as many supporters as we can to this Wednesday's meeting -- please attend and pass the message on!
There will be a public comment period at the beginning of the meeting - please come and speak in support of the project! As many of you already know, opponents of the project took out an $800 full page ad in last week's New Paltz Times with inaccurate financial data imploring people to attend this meeting and speak out against the project. We need to get as many supporters as we can to this Wednesday's meeting -- please attend and pass the message on!
Jim O'Dowd's Letter to the Editor 12/10/09: The Time Is Right for Middle School Project
I share the concerns of citizens about the approximate $50 million price tag for the New Paltz Middle School renovation project in these uncertain economic times. However, there are compelling reasons why I support this project.
The middle school building was outdated 16 years ago when my now 30-year-old son transferred here. Repairing it -- in the long run -- could possibly be more expensive than renovating. Repairs are estimated at $10 million and this is still only a temporary fix. We are going to revisit these problems again and again and when I say revisit, I mean pay again and again to repair what everyone acknowledges is an inferior product. It is the old story of throwing good money after bad. In a year or two or maybe five, this project or another like it, will have to be proposed and, for sure, the price tag will be higher and much of the money that we had spent for repairs will just be money down the drain. The $20 million available to the district in state aid is from taxes we and other New Yorkers have already paid. It is there for the exclusive use of capital projects, just like the middle school project, but not for repairs. Our political representatives in Albany have given strong assurances that this money will be forthcoming and, the fact is, if we don't use it, some other district will and we lose it. Today, interest rates and labor costs are low and contractors are hungry for business right now.
The plan also solves two additional problems by providing a badly needed new central kitchen in the high school and space for the district office in the preserved 1930s section of the middle school.
There are also long-term financial savings in taking advantage of green construction and utilizing renewable energy sources. When we talk about a school for the 21st century, we should include 21st-century renewable energy sources and technology. The New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers financial incentives for green technology upgrades. They vary from year to year, but most recently included 40% reimbursements for renewable energy investments, as well as a 4% subsidy on loans to develop these projects. These incentives would substantially bring down the cost of installation and decrease the pay-back time. Then, of course, there is the fact that our children are learning about green technologies in their classrooms. They are also learning about things like greenhouse gases, global warming, melting of ice caps and dangerous new tipping points. They need to be reassured that in the face of these problems which their generation will be dealing with for decades to come, their school is trying to do what it can as a good global citizen to help ameliorate the problems.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the school board for their conscientious and tireless efforts on behalf of the district and its children. I do not doubt the sincerity and best intentions of any board member. My impression is that each is acting out of his or her best judgment and conscience. Each struggles, like the rest of us, over the impact of this major decision. Board members have taken more lumps than deserved during this process, but I guess that is the way it works on the front line of a democracy. I thank each of them again for hanging in there.
Jim O'Dowd
New Paltz
The middle school building was outdated 16 years ago when my now 30-year-old son transferred here. Repairing it -- in the long run -- could possibly be more expensive than renovating. Repairs are estimated at $10 million and this is still only a temporary fix. We are going to revisit these problems again and again and when I say revisit, I mean pay again and again to repair what everyone acknowledges is an inferior product. It is the old story of throwing good money after bad. In a year or two or maybe five, this project or another like it, will have to be proposed and, for sure, the price tag will be higher and much of the money that we had spent for repairs will just be money down the drain. The $20 million available to the district in state aid is from taxes we and other New Yorkers have already paid. It is there for the exclusive use of capital projects, just like the middle school project, but not for repairs. Our political representatives in Albany have given strong assurances that this money will be forthcoming and, the fact is, if we don't use it, some other district will and we lose it. Today, interest rates and labor costs are low and contractors are hungry for business right now.
The plan also solves two additional problems by providing a badly needed new central kitchen in the high school and space for the district office in the preserved 1930s section of the middle school.
There are also long-term financial savings in taking advantage of green construction and utilizing renewable energy sources. When we talk about a school for the 21st century, we should include 21st-century renewable energy sources and technology. The New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers financial incentives for green technology upgrades. They vary from year to year, but most recently included 40% reimbursements for renewable energy investments, as well as a 4% subsidy on loans to develop these projects. These incentives would substantially bring down the cost of installation and decrease the pay-back time. Then, of course, there is the fact that our children are learning about green technologies in their classrooms. They are also learning about things like greenhouse gases, global warming, melting of ice caps and dangerous new tipping points. They need to be reassured that in the face of these problems which their generation will be dealing with for decades to come, their school is trying to do what it can as a good global citizen to help ameliorate the problems.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the school board for their conscientious and tireless efforts on behalf of the district and its children. I do not doubt the sincerity and best intentions of any board member. My impression is that each is acting out of his or her best judgment and conscience. Each struggles, like the rest of us, over the impact of this major decision. Board members have taken more lumps than deserved during this process, but I guess that is the way it works on the front line of a democracy. I thank each of them again for hanging in there.
Jim O'Dowd
New Paltz
Nancy Jacobs Cohen's Letter to the Editor 12/03/09: We Don't Share Opinions
Nancy Jacobs (Cohen)
New Paltz
New Paltz
Mathew Swerdloff's Letter to the Editor 11/26/09: Let's Get Beyond the Anti-Middle School Rhetoric
New Paltz has always struck me as place where honest open dialogue is valued and encouraged. I appreciate the evidence I have seen of this in the way Superintendent Rice and the New Paltz Board of Education have informed and involved the public about the proposed Middle School project for the past few months. They have made every effort to provide accurate and clear information to the community and provided many opportunities for input. This is what this community has asked of them and they have delivered. With that in mind I am surprised to see and hear so much inflamed rhetoric and misinformation out in the community about the proposed Middle School renovation project.
So let us look at some facts. You don’t need to be an architect or an energy expert to know that the current middle is school is literally bleeding heat in the winter and stifling hot in the summer. The building is a compilation of incongruous additions to an aging core structure that is in dire need of renovation. Everything from roofing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and parking is a problem. Simply put, this building is not a suitable environment for the fine staff and talented students that work there every day. Most importantly, the learning spaces go against what we know about how middle school students learn best. The opportunities for flexible grouping of students, clusters of classrooms, and a technology rich environment are scarce. The building is not ADA compliant, the kitchen is inadequate to meet the needs of the district, and the building is incredibly difficult to navigate.
The district has done a fantastic job of providing the facts at http://npcsdms.edublogs.org/. I encourage each of you to read the site and come to the next forum (December 1 or December 9) and share your educated opinions with the Board of Education. I know they value our input.
There has been some confusing math out in the community about how much this project will cost. Rather than rely on rumor I suggest looking at the detailed data online. The project, while estimated at $51.46 million, will receive approximately $20 million in state aid. The net cost to the district is therefore closer to $30 million, and that is amortized over 20 years. A New Paltz home assessed at $297,000 would see an estimated increase of approximately $70 for the first four years of the bond. So, over the first four years of the bond repayment, the cumulative cost for the homeowner of this hypothetical home would be approximately $700. After that the retirement of other debts will offset the new bond resulting in no further increases for this project. Also note that the project includes a 25% contingency. If the project costs less, the tax levy will go down. It cannot cost more as the district will be committed to the amount approved by voters if the project should be accepted.
While this is an incredibly difficult time for all of us to be thinking about taking on more debt, given the double digit unemployment and the state of the economy, in some respects it is a good time. The district is looking at ways to delay the debt repayment. If that happens we will hopefully find ourselves in a better economic state when the increases do come. In addition, this is a great time to take advantage of very aggressive pricing from contractors that are bidding competitively for scarce work.
Detailed information on the financial impact on district residents is online at http://npcsdms.edublogs.org/files/2009/11/11-10-Board-Handout.pdf.
Ultimately the voters will decide on the project, whether it is by public opposition now or a public vote later. I’d much prefer the project to go to the voters so we can all make informed choices as to what we feel is best for our community. In encourage each of you to get informed and share your input with the Board.
Mathew Swerdloff
Gardiner NY
So let us look at some facts. You don’t need to be an architect or an energy expert to know that the current middle is school is literally bleeding heat in the winter and stifling hot in the summer. The building is a compilation of incongruous additions to an aging core structure that is in dire need of renovation. Everything from roofing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and parking is a problem. Simply put, this building is not a suitable environment for the fine staff and talented students that work there every day. Most importantly, the learning spaces go against what we know about how middle school students learn best. The opportunities for flexible grouping of students, clusters of classrooms, and a technology rich environment are scarce. The building is not ADA compliant, the kitchen is inadequate to meet the needs of the district, and the building is incredibly difficult to navigate.
The district has done a fantastic job of providing the facts at http://npcsdms.edublogs.org/. I encourage each of you to read the site and come to the next forum (December 1 or December 9) and share your educated opinions with the Board of Education. I know they value our input.
There has been some confusing math out in the community about how much this project will cost. Rather than rely on rumor I suggest looking at the detailed data online. The project, while estimated at $51.46 million, will receive approximately $20 million in state aid. The net cost to the district is therefore closer to $30 million, and that is amortized over 20 years. A New Paltz home assessed at $297,000 would see an estimated increase of approximately $70 for the first four years of the bond. So, over the first four years of the bond repayment, the cumulative cost for the homeowner of this hypothetical home would be approximately $700. After that the retirement of other debts will offset the new bond resulting in no further increases for this project. Also note that the project includes a 25% contingency. If the project costs less, the tax levy will go down. It cannot cost more as the district will be committed to the amount approved by voters if the project should be accepted.
While this is an incredibly difficult time for all of us to be thinking about taking on more debt, given the double digit unemployment and the state of the economy, in some respects it is a good time. The district is looking at ways to delay the debt repayment. If that happens we will hopefully find ourselves in a better economic state when the increases do come. In addition, this is a great time to take advantage of very aggressive pricing from contractors that are bidding competitively for scarce work.
Detailed information on the financial impact on district residents is online at http://npcsdms.edublogs.org/files/2009/11/11-10-Board-Handout.pdf.
Ultimately the voters will decide on the project, whether it is by public opposition now or a public vote later. I’d much prefer the project to go to the voters so we can all make informed choices as to what we feel is best for our community. In encourage each of you to get informed and share your input with the Board.
Mathew Swerdloff
Gardiner NY
Stephanie Santagada Well's Letter to the Editor 11/26/09: New Paltz GreenWorks Supports the Board's Efforts
GreenWorks is committed to reducing our carbon footprint as a community and supports the actions of the Board to this end in determining a solution that keeps the Middle School in the center of the community and incorporates energy efficiency and savings into the building. Twenty-first century students and families expect and will continue to expect green design. This project holds the potential to be a model for a more sustainable school community. While “green” may sound like it costs more, the savings realized from energy efficiency in our heating and lighting systems, enabling walkers and limiting the need for busses and ensuring that the building will not be susceptible to environmental issues that would necessitate another renovation in the future, are a sound investment. This investment has short and long term returns, some quantifiable and some qualifiable. A more qualitative example is the profound impact that a more conducive, comfortable learning environment will have on instruction. We ask that in your discussions, the Board make the understanding of these savings transparent and clear. We believe that a fiscal analysis that is accessible to the entire community will demonstrate that environmental sustainability goes beyond trendy – it is fiscally responsible and necessary to commit to now.
Stephanie Santagada Wells
on behalf of New Paltz GreenWorks
Stephanie Santagada Wells
on behalf of New Paltz GreenWorks
David Dukler's Letter to the Editor 11/26/09: Make Your Decision Based On Hard Data and Facts
The two-year long work of the Board of Education on the Middle School Project is coming to its culmination. As evidenced through the recent informational workshops, our community has many questions and concerns when presented with the ideas for the renovation of the 1930’s school at its present site. In the course of the presentations, and in the pages of this newspaper, it has become apparent that misinformation and rumor have been often presented as fact. In order for the public to make an informed decision about the project, I offer the following information:
1 – RUMOR: The current debt obligations of the district are $80 million dollars.
TRUTH: Our district currently has a total debt load of $24 million dollars. We have presently less debt load than other districts with similar enrollments and budgets and have an excellent credit rating.
2– RUMOR: The district will reduce Kindergarten to ½ day as a result of the project and then continue this forward when the building re-opens.
TRUTH: The Board has given the superintendent direction to maintain full-day Kindergarten during the renovation year. There has never been a discussion to change our Kindergarten program. Our commitment is to continue full-day Kindergarten.
3– RUMOR: We will expend reserve funds—savings accounts—for this project that we should be saving for other purposes.
4—RUMOR: We should build at the high school site because it would be cheaper.
TRUTH: Two years ago, we looked into this alternative. We were told then, and have revisited this within the past weeks, that the cost of building at that site would be more expensive, $60-65 million for a similar building at that site. On top of that, there would be additional costs to acquire land as the land at the high school site is not large enough to accommodate an additional school (according to state regulations). Lastly, the reimbursement rates available to us from state aid for new construction are less than for renovation.
5 – RUMOR: The project will be more affordable if we put it off for a few years.
TRUTH: Putting the project off will in fact make it more expensive. In the present economy, interest rates are at historic lows. That means that the cost of borrowing the money has never been cheaper. As the economy improves, interest rates will go up to combat inflationary pressures. As anyone who has a home mortgage knows and as recent refinancing attests to, the higher cost of borrowing money is a significant part of long-term financial obligations. Additionally, through our state-mandated process of competitive bidding, we will save significantly as firms are eager to obtain work. Lastly, we have been advised that over time, project costs escalate at about 4% per year. For most of the community, it is unlikely that their earnings will keep pace with these cost increases. That means that the same project five years down the road will be both more expensive as a total number as well as taking a bigger bite of our incomes.
What is the project going to cost as presently configured? At its most expensive, for the average household in the district assessed at a value of $297,000, the cost would be an additional sixty three (63) cents per day starting in the fall of 2015. After that, it would either go down or stay the same.
There is additional information available on the district website at www.npcsdms.edublogs.org as well as the presentation that is being shown at the community information sessions. There will be additional community information sessions on December 1, 7:00 PM at the High School and December 9, 7:00 PM at the Middle School. All members of the Board are eager to speak with members of the public. We’re in the phone book! Please call.
For the members of the Board, it is most important that people have all the facts and information so they can make their decision based on data, not rumor. We may not all agree on the direction to take. These are difficult times. Let’s make our decision based on hard data and facts, not misinformation and fear.
David Dukler
Board President
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