Southwestern Central School District is committed to exercising care and good judgment in managing the community resources entrusted to us. We need to continue to take care of our schools, an important asset the community owns. Just as one’s home ages and needs renovations and upkeep to keep it in good shape, so do our schools. The District is addressing its highest-priority facility issues now, rather than delaying and incurring higher costs and further deterioration.

It is the District's duty and obligation to provide a safe learning environment and well-maintained facilities for students and public use. Routine facility maintenance and repair work is typically funded within the annual District budget, with local taxpayers bearing the full cost. However, sizable renovations, reconstruction, and replacement of “end of useful life” items, such as those included in this project, would have a much higher impact on the tax rate if included in the annual District budget. A bond issue is the fiscally responsible alternative because the State reimburses a vast majority of the cost, and the expense is spread out over a longer period of time.

Over the past several years, the District administration and Board of Education have been developing a long-range facilities plan to assess current and future capital improvement needs and the means to responsibly achieve them. During this process, critical safety upgrades and building preservation needs were identified and prioritized, as were opportunities to enrich our students through academic program enhancements. To evaluate conditions at all facilities, the District used its Building Condition Survey (BCS), mandated by the State to be conducted every 5 years, and considered work completed in previous projects.

Building Condition Survey items, academic program enhancements, and health/safety improvements received top priority, as did code compliance, mechanical systems (HVAC and building controls), and infrastructure.

It’s expected that the State Education Department’s approval for the project would be received by spring 2027, with the bulk of work starting that summer. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in 2028.

The total cost of the project is $8,100,000. The majority of the project will be paid for using a combination of available State Building Aid, available District fund balance, and the District’s Capital Reserve, which is designated for capital improvements. A portion of the remaining local share will be partially offset by replacing retiring debt service payments from past projects, and the rest will be paid for through the local tax levy. For the average homeowner, the project will result in a tax increase of 0.55%, amounting to less than $12.00 per $100,000 in assessed home value before applicable exemptions and STAR savings.

Yes, it is. The New York State Legislature has given all Districts in the state an opportunity to use tax dollars to enhance their communities through school building improvements and renovations. This is an opportunity to keep some of those tax dollars in our own community, working to improve the educational setting for our children and the public.

The critical safety improvements and building renovations identified by the State-mandated Building Condition Survey would still be absolutely necessary. If the referendum does not pass, these requirements would still need to be addressed, but would not be eligible to benefit from the State’s aid. The required work may instead have to be funded within the annual District budget, with local taxpayers bearing the full cost.

A Public Hearing is scheduled for May 12, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., in the High School Multipurpose Room. There will be a capital project presentation and an open forum for questions and answers.