Bethlehem Central School District’s Tuesday, Oct. 30, EXCEL vote passed by a wide margin.
The final vote was 1,710-to-479.
The money will allow the district to spend $4.9 million for improvements, which include an eight-classroom addition at Eagle Elementary and several safety measures, such as the installation of security cameras at the high school.
We’re very pleased the community supported the vote, said Bethlehem school board president James Lytle. `It will give us the capacity to provide the kind of kindergarten program we’d like to offer.` Bethlehem recently approved full-day kindergarten.
Turnout was much less than turnout for a regular school board election, which occurs in May. The EXCEL funding has very little taxpayer impact and is designated to provide additional funding for school construction projects.
`We appreciate the fact district voters came out to vote in what we feel is in the best interest of the school,` Lytle said.
A change from half-day to full-day kindergarten will be made in Bethlehem in the next year. The voter-approved EXCEL vote allows a smooth transition because of the extra space it creates with the additional Eagle classrooms.
`Now they can be certain the new classroom wing will be complete in 2009,` said Superintendent Les Loomis.
Officials indicated in writing to the community that if the EXCEL vote were to be defeated, full-day kindergarten would have to be reconsidered. Another concern was that the cost of an eight-classroom addition at Eagle would have to be covered by taxpayers if the vote went down.
`I want to thank the community for once again standing behind the students of the district,` said Loomis.
The actual cost to district taxpayers is expected to be no more than 34 cents a year for the owner of a $200,000 home.
`People understood it was several steps forward for the district without a local tax burden,` said Loomis.
Other projects slated under Bethlehem’s EXCEL funding include roof restoration at the high school, pool upgrades to the middle school, and renovations to existing elementary classrooms. Replacing the roof at Clarksville Elementary School and replacing asbestos tile flooring districtwide are projects also slated under Bethlehem EXCEL Aid.
Funding for EXCEL (Expanding Our Children’s Education and Learning) is already allocated in the state budget for capital projects for districts statewide.
The Bethlehem school district is currently finishing work on a $93 million capital construction project, which included a major expansion at the high school and renovations to the middle school and all elementary schools.
`Because we have been in the midst of a large capital construction project, we were well aware of the additional needs we wanted to address,` Loomis said.
Collins and Scoville architects, the designers of the current capital construction project, will also be architects for the new Eagle classrooms. Work is expected to begin next spring.“