On May 21, Roslyn residents will head to the polls to vote on the school district and library budgets, and tucked on the ballot are some extra propositions and names that voters have a say in.
Propositions three and four are judgments on specific school district spending outside of the budget, one for the purchase of buses and vans and the other for a variety of construction projects that the district wants to fund with $7.4 million from its 2015 capital reserve pot.
Trustees Steven Litvack and Bruce Valauri are also seeking re-election.
“I firmly believe in our board’s pedagogical commitment to excellence,” Litvack wrote in a statement. “In fulfilling this vision, I am committed to ensuring that the needs of our student body – both on an individual and a collective basis – are met.”
Proposition three seeks $457,014 in tax revenue so the district can purchase two large buses and three vans.
The new vehicles will replace the oldest ones that the district has, some of which date back to 2002, Transportation Supervisor David Shoob said at a March Board of Education meeting.
Proposition four, which allocates funds from the 2015 Construction Capital Reserve Fund, sets aside the $7.4 million for projects across four of the district’s schools.
The projects are, for Harbor Hill School, playground renovations, site work on the field and heating, ventilation and air conditioning system upgrades; for Heights School, playground renovations and site work on the field; for Roslyn Middle School, modifications to interior and exterior doors; and, for Roslyn High School, renovations to the science rooms, girls locker room and the gym ceiling and lighting.
The $7.4 million makes up most of the 2015 capital reserve fund, which expires in 2025 and currently has approximately $7.49 million. This is the last year funds can be added to it, and the district may add more at the end of the year, said Barry Edelson, director of community relations.
The district has already begun working with an architect to design the playgrounds for the elementary schools. If the proposition passes, they could be installed as early as this fall, Superintendent Allison Brown said.
She also listed the renovations to the science rooms as a top priority when proposing projects in February.
“We have kids that we believe … are going to cure cancer,” Brown said, “that are going to do things for all of our children and grandchildren. We’ve got to give them state of the art science labs.”
Litvack and Valauri were unopposed in 2016 and are running unopposed again for three-year terms.
Valauri is a prosthodontist and has been on the board for nine years, and Litvack is the president of Jersey College and has been on for 10 and a half.
Litvack cited the board’s efforts in fiscal responsibility and curriculum enhancement as sources of pride.
“These accomplishments have occurred through strategic analysis that recognizes the importance of forward thinking projects, while understanding financial restraints that exist in today’s secondary educational environment,” he said.
Valauri’s statement highlighted similar points.
“We continue to enhance our curriculum opportunities, create state of the art facilities while remaining fiscally conscious and diligent,” he wrote. “I am humbled by our Community’s confidence in my dedication and commitment.”
