Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District voters turned down two propositions by a wide margin in a bond referendum held on Tuesday, Jan. 14 that would have totaled $113.9 million.
“There were 3,876 members of the POB community who exercised their right to vote, one of the highest participation rates in recent history,” the district said when releasing the polling information.
The school board initially requested a study of the district’s space needs and facilities in the spring of 2023.
The first proposition would have allowed the district to increase instructional space by 25,000 square feet and increase the cafeteria capacity by 50% at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School. It would also have allowed for a 4,750-square-foot addition at Judy Jacobs-Parkway Elementary School with outdoor access to the bathroom from the field.
The proposition also called for installing new air conditioning throughout the district. This part of the bond would have cost $99.5 million. 1,363 voted for the proposition, while 2513 voted against it.
The second proposition included funding for infrastructure improvements to the district’s Jamaica Avenue building which currently houses various district and community-based programs. These improvements would have enabled Jamaica Avenue to be used as an instructional building for students, according to the district.
This proposition would have cost $14.4 million and received just 1,244 votes in favor and 2,585 against.
The district said that if both propositions had passed, taxpayers would have been responsible for paying roughly $549 annually.
“While the outcome was not what we had hoped for, we deeply appreciate the community’s engagement and feedback throughout this process,” Superintendent of Schools Mary O’Meara said. “The community’s voices have provided valuable insight that will guide us as we continue working to address the pressing challenges of overcrowding at JFK High School and Judy Jacobs Parkway Elementary, as well as the critical infrastructure needs across our eight school buildings.”
