Hen Hud School Bond to Cover Needed Security, Technology
Two years after district voters soundly rejected a $25 million capital projects bond, Hendrick Hudson school officials are presenting residents with a scaled down proposition next month that would pay for security, technology and infrastructure improvements.
“This isn’t fluff. This is basics,” stressed Hendrick Hudson Board of Education President Mary-Pat Briggi. “This one is purely need.”
With the sting of the 2011 bond defeat still fresh in their minds, school district officials surveyed residents to find out what they would be willing to approve before piecing together the new proposition, which totals $6.2 million and will be put to voters on Tuesday, December 10 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Frank G. Lindsey Elementary School.
While the bond on the ballot is $6.2 million, taxpayers will only be on the hook for $4.89 million, thanks to $620,000 in state aid the district is eligible for, approximately $30,000 in security aid and $650,000 remaining from a bond approved several years ago.
The estimated annual tax for property owners, starting in the 2015-16 school year, in Cortlandt, based on the market value of their home, will range from $6.62 to $79.42, and in Peekskill, $3.20 to $38.37.
A portion of the bond will pay for the rehabilitation of septic fields at Blue Mountain Middle School and Furnace Woods Elementary School and security upgrades throughout the district, including cameras, communication devices and door locks.
The other part of the proposition will fund the upgrade of the district’s computer server, Wi-Fi expansion, and purchase of laptops and smart boards.
A series of informational meetings will be held over the next few weeks. Visit www.henhudschools.org for more details.
Briggi noted if the bond were to be defeated, the items proposed will still need to be addressed either in the annual budget or by other means.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
