The Syosset school district community will vote on a proposed $143.81 million bond on Oct.1. The bond aims to address maintenance issues districtwide while also creating accommodations for projected enrollment.
Residents are asked to vote on two propositions: Proposition One is $110.59 million, and Proposition Two is $33.22 million. Proposition One can pass independently, but Proposition Two must pass alongside the first.
Rogers said the estimated average change in annual school taxes per $10,000 with Proposition One is $211, and with Proposition Two, it is an additional $76.
Proposition One addresses maintenance across buildings, which is the highest priority of the district.
“We have a sense of what our priorities are,” Syosset Superintendent Thomas Rogers said.
Proposition One has $44 million in architectural repairs, such as addressing water damage, exterior walls and roofing issues.
Some $26.6 million was allocated to replace temporary classrooms with permanent rooms at Berry Hill Elementary, Walt Whitman Elementary, Baylis Elementary, and Village Elementary.
There is $10 million allocated for gymnasium air conditioning districtwide to address student comfort during physical education.
Proposition One aims to expand the high school with an additional gym, library, guidance, and robotics space.
“The high school– there’s an extensive amount of work that makes sense,” Rogers said at the Sept. 16 Board of Education meeting. “It’s the largest building in the district by several orders of magnitude.”
The proposition will expand sports and safety facilities at H.B. Thomspon Middle School to provide students with equal opportunities.
South Woods partially shares a campus with the high school, and additions to HBT aim to address inequities. For example, Rogers said, HBT students do not learn certain skills, like hurdles, in gym class because they do not have access to a track.
Rogers said Proposition Two aims to address enrollment issues before the schools become crowded. This $33 million proposal will construct additional gym space and expand sports facilities.
“Additional square footage frees up other space, meaning the old gym, for things like musical groups and rehearsals, onsite kitchens, student therapy spaces, future student growth and additional indoor recess space,” Rogers said at the Board of Education meeting.
Additional gym facilities are proposed at Walt Whitman, Berry Hill, Robbins Lane and Baylis elementary schools.
Syosset’s enrollment has grown 10% in the last decade, Rogers said.
Rezoning the elementary schools would not be enough to address projected enrollment growth, he said.
“[Rezoning] won’t solve the problem we need to address,” he said. “Won’t be a long-term solution.”
If the district rezones the elementary schools to create a more even distribution of students, it does not address expected growth in future years, Rogers said.
If the propositions are passed, improvements to facilities would begin in the summer of 2026, Rogers said.
Rogers shared that the estimated sources of funding are 64.7% estimated community share, 32.6% approximate state aid and 2.7% capital reserves offset.
“The district is in a situation right now where our reimbursement from the state is very high relative to what it has typically been,” Rogers said.
Currently, the state reimburses 38 cents per $1 on renovations, up from around 16 cents per $1. Rogers said that if the propositions are passed, the district can maximize the amount of state aid it receives.
“The more work we do now, the more money we get from the state,” Rogers said.
The Facilities Improvement Bond vote will be on Oct. 1. Polls are open from 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. The district encourages anyone with additional questions to email facilities@syossetschools.org.
