Editor, The Spotlight:
We believe in preserving the future of a Bethlehem education.
We believe that excellence is not complacence; that it requires development, growth and investment.
Over the past year and a half, the Bethlehem Central School District Board of Education has undertaken the task of how best to preserve and develop the district’s assets. We have tried to make this as open and transparent a process as possible and we’ve received invaluable input from the community while doing so. Just this school year, we have held no less than four community forums on the issue, as well as held extensive discussions at our Board of Education meetings. We thank all of you who have been part of the process.
In the end, we are asking the public to consider two propositions. Residents will have the opportunity to vote on main facility improvements at a cost of no more than $20,185,299 with an estimated local tax impact $16.80 per $100,000 of assessed value; and track and field improvements at a cost of no more than $3,475,416 with an estimated local tax impact of $2.93 per $100,000 of assessed value. If voters approve both propositions, the total referendum will have an estimated annual cost for a homeowner in the district of approximately $19.73 per $100,000 of assessed value.
The condition of the facilities we provide for the district’s children is a very important matter for all of us. What the Board has proposed to put before the public reflects our best efforts to address the many maintenance and improvement items of those facilities, invest in our future, and provide the children of Bethlehem the level of excellence they deserve.
Now it is the community’s time to decide. The vote will be held on Tuesday, March 12, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Bethlehem Central High School lower gym at 700 Delaware Ave.
We sincerely hope you will come out and cast your vote.
Dr. Thomas J. Douglas
BC Superintendent of Schools
Diane Giacone Stever
Board of Education President